7/6d,

Ifan Pengroes was a cobbler in Rhiw in the forties and whenever he was asked how much repairs would cost whatever the repair the answer was always 7/6!!! Wil Penbwlch bought all Ifan’s old equipment and carried on the work at Penbwlch.

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Rabbit Pie,

Robin the Post, who lived with Rolant Bryngoleu during the forties and fifties used to catch rabbits, with the help of his dog Fly. The rabbits would be sold in pairs and many of them went to Liverpool or Manchester. O J Williams Sarn had a lorry that used to take the rabbits to the cities.

Roland Bryngoleu

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Ringworm,

John Terfyn Ucha used to make an ointment for ringworm out of butter freshly churned and unsalted, he added certain plants to it and a tin of it would cost a penny.

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Ghosts,

Dora Williams Tyn Graig (Dora Eifion) was always telling ghost stories and she believed in the presence of spirits, she always used to say that she would often see a ghost walking along the road that leads to the church in Rhiw.

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Dora,

At Christmas time Dora would go up to the school and give the children an apple and orange each as a gift.

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T.V.

The first television set in Rhiw was owned by Mr and Mrs Loasby of  Ffor this was at the beginning of the fifties, they had a huge mast in the garden with a double aerial on top ( The size of a bed) so that they could get a signal from Holme Moss. Various wires ran out from the mast to secure it from the wind, unfortunately it came down during a severe storm on top of the greenhouse.The Loasby’s would invite folk to watch the t.v. especially on special days such as Cup Final Day.

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The Damage,

When William Tyddyn Meirion came to settle his bill for making clogs or repairing his shoes he used to say “What’s the damage?”.

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Purple Hearts, 

Maggie Penbwlch asked Dr Bobi what the little purple heart shaped pills he’d given her to raise her spirits were for and his reply was “ A whip for a tired horse”!!!!!

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Water Diviner,

Wil Penbwlch was a water diviner and before mains water came to Rhiw Wil was much in demand. He used to go round the farms and find water sources so that the farmers could open up wells. Wil had a water divining rod made out of willow that he’d hold in his hands and when he came across a source of water the rod would quiver so much so that his whole body would tremble with the force. He even knew how deep to dig to find the source of water. He always used to say that the experience used to make him feel quite ill.

Wil Penbwlch

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"Bombs"

Bonfire night was quite an event during the forties and fifties. Stuff for the bonfire was gathered weeks in advance and stored in the old MOD garage near "Pen Clip" then on bonfire night the fire was lit on the Clip itself, and could be seen from the whole of Llyn and parts of Eifionydd. As well as the fireworks the older lads used to make ‘bombs’ from lighting carbide in treacle tins, the explosion would send the lid flying for some considerable distance.

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Tecwyn Tan y Muriau,

During the forties Tecwyn Tanmuriau was quite a hero to the local schoolboys.Tecwyn was a bit of a speed merchant on his motorbike and all the boys would watch in awe as he rounded the bend near Pwll Melyn, he used to have the footrests folded so that the bike cornered better.

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Open all Hours,

The garage at Trip was an industrious place and Wil Trip and Wil Penbwlch would often work into the and sometimes through the night. They’d be fiddling around with the engines and the cars they’d even put new bodies on old chasis and do it with some success. Wil Penbwlch couldn’t go long without a cigarette and oftentimes he’d send up one of his boys to Seaview at two in the morning, Robert Sea View was always up at all hours and the boys would knock on the window to draw his attention, then push the money through the letterbox and eventually Robert would pass out the cigarettes, this he would do without complaint despite the late hour. Even though the doors were locked you could say that like ‘Arkwrights’ Sea View was ‘Open all hours’!!!

Sea View

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"Flicks"

During the second world war there was a hostel for the miners at Llwynfor. Every Wednesday films would be shown such as Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin and the villagers were welcome to watch. One of the highlights was the film made locally called ‘Farm by the Sea’ by the Carborundum Company. The film starred Morris and Robert Evans, Jane Catrin their sister and Rolant Tyddyn Morthwyl the farmhand, all going about their daily life on the farm. Other villagers also appeared in the film Tom the Post, John Daniel Erw, and Willie Bodwyddog. A copy of the film can be found at The National Library of Wales.

Tom Post at Penarfynydd

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Thanks to Mr Carroll Hughes, for these interesting Snippets.