Desmond Davies

Memories of Desmond Davies (1922-1991)

Desmond (front) with his older brothers, Wallace, Raymond and Lewin (image courtesy of Mrs J Stevens) Following their marriage my Mother and Father moved to Oakdale, Monmouthshire. Father found a job as an electrician at Oakdale Colliery and found us a house, 26 Markham Crescent. My siblings and I were all born there. For seven years we had a good life there. My eldest brother, Lewin, was 14 years old and went down the pit to work; it was the only work about. Working conditions were bad so mother decided to move from Oakdale and made enquiries about keeping a pub in Blaenavon called ‘The Swan’. Father fancied the idea, we all seemed happy enough.

Unemployment was high. Mother and Father battled on with the pub but trade was bad, so father joined a Quaker scheme in Cwmavon. The society existed to enable unemployed men to produce goods for their own consumption, membership was voluntary, they received no wages and were free to finish and leave at any time. All members would do jobs suitable to their old skills, somebody who was in the baking trade would work in the bakery, a tailor would make suits, and men used to farming would look after pigs and would grow vegetables. It seemed a good scheme all the members benefited, all had their needs cheaply.

Father, who was an electrician, was killed whilst working for the scheme, he was working on a machine when he touched a live wire and was electrocuted. It was a sad time for us all. The day was 29th April 1936; I was fourteen years old at Desmond’s father, Wallace L.H. Davies, was killed in 1936 whilst working with the Eastern Valley Subsistence Society in the old Westlake’s Brewery, Cwmavon (image courtesy of Mrs J Stevens) the time. Not long after we moved to 11 Barnfield Terrace, it b elonged to my aunt, Louisa Barrell. We had an allotment at the back and kept pigs and hens for many years.

The 1939 war was coming closer; my brother Ray joined the Royal Engineers before the war started. My brothers Lewin, Wally and I were all in Big Pit Colliery when the war started. Wallace joined the Royal Air Force and served in South Africa. In 1940 Raymond was captured in Belgium. Mother received a card from the War Office saying that Ray was missing presumed dead then months later the Red Cross sent a card that he was still alive but was a prisoner in Staleg VIII B. Ray was there until the end of the war.