From the Merthyr Express 70 years ago today…
A Very Friendly Society
Tag: Cefn Coed
Merthyr’s Bridges: Pontyrhun, Troedyrhiw
by David Collier
Legend has it that the bridge over the river Taff in Troedyrhiw is located at the place where Tydfil’s brother Rhun was killed, in around the year 480, by Saxon or British pagans or a band of marauding Picts. It is commonly accepted that, thereafter, bridges constructed on this spot have been known by names which mean ‘Rhun’s Bridge’. These include Pontyrhun, Pontrhun and Pont-y-Rhun.
There is, however, a less colourful explanation for the name of this bridge. In his book ‘Bridges of Merthyr Tydfil’ W. L. Davies states that this ancient site is “the most natural and only location for a bridge crossing below the meeting of the two Taffs at Cefn Coed-y-cymmer”. It is, therefore, possible that the name of this bridge is derived from it being the FIRST bridge in the lower valley as suggested by ‘Pont yr Un’ (roughly translatable as ‘bridge one’) as printed on at least one early map.
The first known record of a bridge at this spot dates from the 1540’s when it would have been made of wood. Later replacements were of a stone arch construction but, by 1857, a wrought iron structure was in place. Disaster struck on 15 December 1878 when the foundations on the west bank were washed away.
This bridge was reconstructed in 1880 and remained in place with regular repairs and strengthening until 1945 when plans were prepared for a new bridge which was then completed. By the 1960’s it was apparent that this bridge was inadequate for the amount of traffic that it then carried and so on 3 October 1965 it was closed for 13 weeks whilst a new bridge, that remains in use to this day, was erected.
This article has been transcribed from the Friends of Saron web-page, and is used here with the kind permission of David Collier. To see the original article please see: https://friendsofsaron.wordpress.com/2020/08/24/pontyrhun-bridge-troedyrhiw/
Last Honour for Nazi Victim
by Terry Jones
Whilst doing some research, Terry came across a fascinating article in the Merthyr Express dated 23 June 1956. Here he has written his version of the story, and what better time to post it than day after we remember the fallen of both World Wars.
In 1937, due to the escalation of atrocities against Jewish people by the Nazi party in Germany, Stanley Baldwin, the Prime Minister, made a wireless appeal on behalf of Jewish children in Germany for British families to help them.
One of these children was 13 year old Edgar Adolf Fleischer, son of Herr Max Fleischer of Berlin. Young Edgar left his parents and embarked on one of the Kindertransport, eventually arriving in Britain in April 1938. Here he was adopted by Mr F Wallace-Hadrill, a house-master at Bromsgrove School.
A keen musician, amongst the meagre possessions that he was allowed to bring from Berlin, Edgar carried with him a small violin case, holding his most precious possession – a violin. He had actually taken a few lessons at the Berlin Conservatoire until the Nazi racial laws forbade Jews to receive such lessons. Upon arriving in Britain however, he once again pursued his musical ambitions.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, and as soon as he was old enough, Edgar wanted nothing more than to join the British armed forces and fight the hated Nazis. In 1944, having taking the necessary oaths of loyalty to Britain, and officially changing his name from Fleischer to Fletcher, he joined the Royal Army Service Corps, and soon rose to the rank of Sergeant, and was selected as a cadet for further training for a commission.
Before he could complete his training course, in the aftermath of the D-Day landings, he was posted to Normandy to reinforce the British Army’s campaign to liberate Europe.
In 1945, he returned to Britain to complete his training, the last stage of which took place at Rhayader in November 1945. With just two days until his commission was due, Edgar took part in the final exercise – an assault exercise on a steep hillside. As he reached the summit, he slipped on the shale and fell forward on to his Bren gun and was killed instantly when it discharged. The only positive from this was that he never lived to find out that both his parents had been murdered by the Nazis in one of the death camps.
Edgar Fletcher was buried with military honours at Cefn-Coed Jewish Cemetery on 24 November 1945. His headstone bears two inscriptions – one in Hebrew and one in English:
Hebrew: ‘O let his soul be bound up in the bond of life’,
English: ‘Who falling among friends shares their promised land’.
Dewi Bowen – A Tribute
by Mansell Richards
Earlier this year, on 16 June, Merthyr lost one of its great characters, and a huge champion of the town’s heritage, when Dewi Bowen passed away at the age of 93. Here his friend and former colleague, Mansell Richards pays tribute to the great man.
Dewi Bowen was a legend in his home village of Cefn-Coed, a legend at Cyfarthfa Castle School and a legend across the town of Merthyr Tydfil.
A naturally amusing man, he enjoyed making people laugh, whether passers-by in the street, his school pupils and their teachers – not forgetting headmasters – canteen ladies and caretakers, councillors and mayors. But he will be remembered mainly as a gifted artist and teacher. His imaginative artistic output was prodigious: his illustrations of scenes redolent of Merthyr and district’s rich and colourful history can be counted in their hundreds. It is no exaggeration to say that no individual over the decades contributed more to the heritage of this famous Welsh town.
Dewi was born on 7 August 1927 at number 87, High Street, Cefn-Coed-y-Cymmer (he loved to give his village its full title). From an early age he showed artistic talent which was nurtured at his beloved Vaynor and Penderyn Grammar School. In 1944 on leaving school at seventeen, he was directed to work as a coal miner for 2 years as part of the national war effort against Hitler’s Germany. This meant he had to postpone entry to art college. Dewi took pride in his years as a ‘Bevin boy’ at Elliot Colliery, New Tredegar and the Rock Colliery, Glynneath.
Indeed his memories of being a young miner never left him. Many of his detailed illustrations were based on his observations of those hard- working men who risked their lives daily in often dangerous conditions.
Similarly, he identified strongly with the soldier in both World Wars, but especially during the First World War. He never tired of telling of his father’s experience at Gallipoli and Mesopotamia, while his mother served as a nurse in both those wars. This strong affinity with the soldier never left him. Thus in later years, he joined a British Legion excursion to Flanders in order to be present at the unveiling of a sculptured red dragon monument at the site of the Battle of Mametz Wood, where thousands of Welshmen had been killed in 1916.
Dewi never refused work for charities. His cleverly designed, eye-catching posters, advertising fund-raising events appeared at local shops, pubs and libraries. Indeed, he and his scholarly brother Dr Elwyn Bowen MBE, to whom he was devoted, made a massive contribution toward necessary funding, estimated at tens of thousands of pounds, when the Urdd National Eisteddfod visited Merthyr in 1987.
Dewi rejoiced also in designing the scenery for the Cefn-Coed Operatic Society which flourished during the 1950s and, contributed greatly in this respect to the annual stage musicals and concerts performed by pupils and staff of Cyfarthfa High School, a school he served loyally for 30 years.
Continuing along the cultural path, his work was regularly exhibited at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, while he contributed to many heritage projects across Merthyr and other districts of South Wales.
He took a particular interest in the preservation of the Joseph Parry Birthplace Project which won the Prince of Wales award. He played a pivotal role in this success for his school. The visitor to 4, Chapel Row, Georgetown will see a beautifully inscribed stone plaque alongside its front door. Not only did Dewi purchase the block of dressed-stone out of his own pocket, but he lovingly carved the inscription, including the evocative words, ‘Joseph Parry, y bachgen bach o Ferthyr, erioed, erioed- Joseph Parry, a little boy from Merthyr , forever, forever’. This carved tablet will remain a monument to the creative talent of Dewi Bowen.
His final contribution to the Merthyr cultural scene was to provide the superb illustrations for a book on Merthyr place-names, compiled by Malcolm Llewelyn. Dewi was delighted to be invited as a guest to the book’s launch last year.
But let us return to his never-to-be-forgotten humour, which appealed to people of all ages. At Cyfarthfa School, some pupils with only limited talent were known to have opted for art, mostly for the pleasure of being taught by him. Several brought him regular small gifts of sweets, while one girl, aware of his liking for wimberry tart, presented him with one every autumn. He was, undoubtedly, one of Cyfarthfa School’s most popular teachers.
One story he liked to tell concerned a friendship he had at Cardiff College of Art with the beautiful future actress Anna Kashfi, who was later to marry the Hollywood star, Marlon Brando. When teased about this, Dewi replied ‘I never understood how she preferred Brando to Bowen!’
Dewi never owned a car, preferring to walk almost everywhere. He particularly loved walking holidays during his earlier years. He visited the Holy Land and parts of Russia. When asked why he loved walking so much, he replied. ‘If you’ve spent 3 days in an ancient bus crossing the Negev Desert in the company of 2 Arabs and 50 sheep, you too, would enjoy walking’.
On another occasion he accompanied a friend to see a Wales/England rugby match at Twickenham. With Wales snatching victory towards the end, Dewi insisted on joining the triumphant Welsh supporters on the famous pitch. He astonished his friend by asking for help in order to ascend one of the very high rugby posts. After climbing unsteadily onto his friend’s shoulders, they were both confronted by a London policeman, who turned to the friend with the instruction ‘put the gentleman down please sir’. Some yards away a group of Cyfarthfa sixth-formers were holding their sides with laughter.
Dewi loved music, especially light opera. He was a regular visitor to Cardiff theatres to enjoy Gilbert and Sullivan productions. He loved singing some of the songs in his distinctive sweet tenor voice, often when talking to friends on the telephone. Dewi would entertain at the drop of a hat.
But his greatest love was his family. He nursed his mother who lived to be a hundred during her final years, while his admiration for his brother Elwyn was profound. He received considerable love and support from his exceptionally loyal nieces, Ann and Elizabeth and sister-in-law Gwynfa, while he gained much joy from his young great nephews, Ewan and Llyr.
There can be no better epitaph to Dewi than in Shakespeare’s words:-
‘We shall not live to see his like again’.
Cefn Cemetery
by Carolyn Jacob
Cefn-Ffrwd is the largest Cemetery in the Borough covering approximately 40 acres.
In the nineteenth century burial was a huge problem here. In a hundred years Merthyr Tydfil grew from a Parish of just over 500 persons to the only large town in Wales with a population of over 50,000 in 1850. During the 1849 cholera outbreak there were over 1,000 deaths in one month alone. Infant mortality was high and other diseases such as smallpox and TB were rife. Not all the chapels and churches had their own burial ground and the responsibility for burial lay with the Parish Authorities.
In 1850 there were three Merthyr Tydfil Parish Burial Grounds, the Graveyard around St. Tydfil’s Church, the Cemetery in Twynyrodyn and the new so called ‘cholera’ Cemetery in Thomastown. Dowlais had two Parish cemeteries, St John’s Church and a small cholera cemetery near the Works. This was a time when cremation was unheard of, and these soon became inadequate.
The Board of Health, founded in 1850, took advantage of a new Act of 1852, which empowered them to set up Cemeteries and leased land in Breconshire to set up a new Cemetery. The Cemetery was managed by the Burial Board. The first burial took place on 16 April 1859. The Ffrwd portion of the Cemetery was added in 1905, the first burial being on 20 November 1905.
Average burials in the nineteenth century were around 400 annually. In 1878 the son of one of the gravediggers set fire to the ‘dead-house’ of the Cefn Cemetery and a report of 21 of December 1878 described the ‘unseemly behaviour’ of children frequently climbing about the monuments of the Cemetery. In 1902 when the road to Cardiff was widened a large section of the St Tydfil Graveyard was removed and the ‘remains’ were moved to Cefn Coed Cemetery. Those reburied included Charles Wood, who erected the first furnaces at Cyfarthfa.
Easter was a traditional time for ‘flowering the graves’ and a report in the Merthyr Express of 26 March 1916 records that:- ‘at Cefn Cemetery on Friday and Saturday, relatives of the dead attended from long distances to clean stones and plant flowers’.
Cefn Coed became a Municipal Cemetery for Merthyr Tydfil in 1905. Welsh Baptists were buried in unconsecrated ground and Roman Catholics in consecrated ground. There is a separate large Jewish Cemetery at Cefn Coed and there is an index to all the Jewish burials in Merthyr Tydfil Library.
There are many famous people buried in Cefn Coed Cemetery including:-
- Enoch Morrell, first Mayor of Merthyr Tydfil and the Welsh Miners Leader who had to negotiate the return to work after the General Strike.
- Redmond Coleman, the boxing champion of Wales at the beginning of the twentieth century.
- Adrian Stephens, inventor of the steam whistle.
Memories of Old Merthyr
We continue our serialisation of the memories of Merthyr in the 1830’s by an un-named correspondent to the Merthyr Express, courtesy of Michael Donovan.
Taking the Nantygwenith Road first, with the exception of one occupied by David Evans, the master carpenter at Cyfarthfa (father of the Thomas Evans whose brewery has been mentioned), there was not another right away up to the gatehouse of the Turnpike on the right hand side, but there were dwellings on the other (the left) side all the way, and persons who resided there who should be mentioned.
Before doing so, however, it may be proper to state what kind of scientific society met at the Dynevor Arms, and what was then called philosophical instruments, made by W. and S. Jones, of High Holborn, kept there in the meeting room. Amongst other things attempted was the formation of a duck, which it was reputed they nearly accomplished, but extravagancies aside I can from recollection say there were very good instruments there, one being a telescope of about five inches in diameter.
Notwithstanding much that was desirable for sanitary conditions, there was a good deal of intellectual activity, and if any exceeding strong temperance advocates, deride the statement he can be told of a somewhat analogous one held near Birmingham that was frequented by persons whose names are world known, to wit, James Watt, Priestley and the time of meeting as near as may be to others whose forethought went so far as to have the time of meeting as near as may be to full moon, and were called in consequence the Lunar Society. There are few of any offices that that do not today benefit from one or two of their meetings.
On the left, the corner house of the Aberdare and Nantygwenith Roads, a grocer’s shop was opened by Mr Beddoe, next was a “gin shop”, so called, subsequently kept by Mr Lewis Lewis, superintendent of the Dowlais Stables previously, and afterwards of Pontyrhun; a few cottages followed and then a road. It was up this, and on the first opening to the left the Rev David John, the Unitarian Minister, taught his pupils. He was, I think, a good Welsh scholar, but I am certain of him being a good mathematician. He Had three sons and one daughter, the eldest Mathew, some years after carrying on the iron foundry business in Bryant’s old brewery premises.
The upper corner of this road was the grocery establishment of a Mr Edward Roach. He was a fine powerful man, and they used to say that seeing a woman, with a child in her arms, pursued by a bull, he rushed out and boldly attacked it.
Next above was the Patriot Inn, kept by Mr William Howells. He had two daughters, the youngest of whom was wooed by Mr William Spiller, then travelling around the hills selling flour on behalf of himself and a Mr Browne. The flour was called “Spiller and Browne”. The latter name seems to have passed, but the former has developed into a ‘household word’ in the quality of their product, and extension of business at Cardiff. The firm Spiller and Browne was then at Bridgwater.
To be continued at a later date……
Consecrating the Jewish Cemetery
The article transcribed below appeared in the Merthyr Express 85 years ago today – 2 November 1935.
Consecration of New Cemetery at Cefn
The new extension of the Hebrew Cemetery at Cefn Coed was formally consecrated and declared open on Sunday in the presence of a large gathering. The new section adjoins the old portion of the cemetery, which has been in existence upwards of 70 years or so, and the ground has been prepared and greatly improved by the inclusion of concrete paths and terraces overlooking the main road to Brecon. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. E. Bloom, the minister of the local Hebrew Congregation, who referred to the fulfilment of a very necessary want in the acquisition of the plot of land which was converted into the new portion of the cemetery. He paid a tribute to the work of the committee, and especially to Mrs. Raina Grwsener (formerly of Treharris) who had handsomely subscribed towards the project and had thus helped them to realise their ambition.
Mrs. Grwsener, in declaring the place open, said she hoped the ground would not be used for many years. It was her pleasure to render this service to the community. Mr. Sol. Freedman presented Mrs. Grwsener with a silver trowel, suitably, inscribed, on behalf of the members of Merthyr Hebrew Congregation. A reception and tea followed at the Lesser Drill Hall. Mr. Sol. Freedman, who presided, was supported by the Rev. E. Bloom, Mr. Isaac Hamilton, Mr. E. M. Cohen, Mr. A. Moscovitch, Mr. B. Shelower, Mr. Harris Schwartz, and others. The Chairman made touching reference to the recent passing away of Mr. Hermann Gittlesohn, their honourable member and one of the founders of the congregation, whose demise they all greatly deplored. The speaker called upon the audience to stand in memory of their departed friend and co-religionist. Mr. Freedman then paid a tribute to all those who had worked so well for the noble cause, and especially mentioned Mr. A. Moscovitch, the president of the burial society, who had devoted a considerable amount of his time towards the supervision of the work connected with the renovation of the new cemetery.
In responding to the toast of the visitors, Mr. Elkan, Pontypridd, said the Merthyr Congregation was, without doubt, the finest in South Wales. They had an admirable leader in the Rev. E. Bloom, who had served them so faithfully for the past 35 years. He hoped they would all continue to prosper. Responding, Mr Isaac Hamilton (treasurer) said they had an ideal congregation and felt proud of its members. Mrs Grwsener had done the right thing in making her gifts during her lifetime, a matter which afforded gratification to the giver when one saw the fruits of one’s endeavours.
Mr. Harris Schwartz said that as one of the promoters of the new cemetery he felt delighted to witness the completion of their efforts. Mr. Moscovitch and others also spoke. Mr. G. A. Swallow proposed the vote of thanks to the ladies’ committee, who had worked so ably for the cause.
Merthyr’s Heritage Plaques: Moss Evans
by Keith Lewis-Jones
Plaque sited on the side wall of the Gwynne’s Arms, Maeswgwynne,
Cefn Coed, CF48 2PG
Arthur Mostyn (Moss) Evans, 1925-2002, was born in Cefn Coed, Merthyr, one of 12 children.
In 1940 he joined the Amalgamated Engineering Union while working at Joseph Lucas in Birmingham
In 1950 he moved to the Bakelite Factory in Birmingham and became a shop steward a year later. His rise in the Transport & General Worker‟s Union started in 1956 becoming Birmingham Regional Trade Group Secretary in 1960, the Engineering National Officer in 1966, National Secretary (Automotive Section) in 1969 and National Organiser in 1973.
He was elected General Secretary of the union in 1977 defeating 14 other candidates. He retired on ill health grounds in 1985 at the age of 58.
He served as a Labour Councillor in Kings Lynn & West Norfolk from 1991, also serving a term as Mayor.
From Cefn to the Café – Remembering Jane Freeman
Anyone over a certain age will fondly remember the long-running BBC comedy series ‘Last of the Summer Wine’. One of the longest serving and best remembered characters was the ferocious Ivy in the café, often bellowing ‘What the blood and stomach pills?’ before usually bashing Compo over the head with a tin tea-tray. The magnificent actress who turned, what could have been a one-dimensional character, into one the country’s most well-loved comedy creations was Jane Freeman.
Jane Freeman was born Shirley Ann Pithers in Brentford, Essex on 12 June 1935, to Arthur, a railway engineer, and Joan (née Dewhurst). Her father died in an accident on the London Underground when she was nine and, in 1945, she moved to Merthyr Tydfil when her mother married Russell Evans, a solicitor, and the family settled in Cefn-Coed, with the young Shirley taking her step-father’s surname and adopting Jane as her first name.
Having enjoyed acting in plays at Vaynor and Penderyn School (notably in Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’, playing the role of Malvolio!), she trained at the Cardiff College of Music & Drama (now the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama).
After graduating in 1955, she moved to London before joining the Gloucestershire-based all-female Osiris Repertory Theatre touring company, changing her name to Jane Freeman. In her 18 months with Osiris, Jane played around 40 parts in roughly 1,000 performances.
In 1958 she joined the Arena Theatre, Sutton Coldfield, where she began to attract attention, and was seen as Margaret More in the inaugural production of the Welsh Theatre Company – Robert Bolt’s ‘A Man for All Seasons’, at the New Theatre, Cardiff in 1962.
Following repertory theatre in Dundee (1966-7), she joined Birmingham Rep (1967-78), where Michael Simpson arrived from the BBC to become its artistic director. They married in 1971 and Simpson returned to the BBC, eventually directing Freeman in two Play for Today productions – as a snooty seaside landlady in ‘The Fishing Party’ (1972), in which John Comer also appeared, and as the mother of Alan Bleasdale’s Liverpool schoolboy of the title in ‘Scully’s New Year’s Eve’ (1978).
In 1971 she was cast in the new BBC Comedy ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ opposite John Comer as Ivy and Sid – owners of the local café. Appearing in the very first episode, she went on to appear in 274 further episodes of the series over 37 years – the only cast member besides Peter Sallis to appear throughout the entire run of the series.
Although best known as Ivy, Jane made many other TV appearances, most notably in the first series of ‘Blackadder’ (the first series actually being called ‘The Black Adder’) as the peasant woman Tully Applebottom, who almost committed bigamy with Rowan Atkinson’s Prince Edmund, to spare him marriage to Miriam Margolyes’s Infanta; and also as Mrs Kimble in ‘Silas Marner’ in 1985.
Despite her television fame, theatre remained her first love. When television filming commitments allowed, she could be found playing a number of strong, usually northern, matriarchs in ‘Billy Liar’ (Nottingham Playhouse, 1980), touring productions of J.B. Priestley’s ‘When We Are Married’, Michael Frayn’s ‘Noises Off’ (1987) and Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke’s ‘Situation Comedy’ (1989).
She scored a personal success as the sharp-tongued Emma Hornett (a role made famous by Peggy Mount) in Philip King and Falkland Carey’s ‘Sailor Beware!’ at the Lyric, Hammersmith (1991), subsequently touring with it in 1992 and 1993. Later theatre appearances included Pam Gems’ ‘Deborah’s Daughter’ (Library -Theatre, Manchester, 1994) and tours of William Ash’s adaptation of Emily Bronte’s ‘Wuthering Height’s in 1995 and again in 1998.
After her husband Michael’s death in 2007, Jane continued to work, despite suffering a neurological condition that affected her hands and feet, and she passed away after a battle with cancer on 9 March 2017.
Cyfarthfa Fountain
The article transcribed below appeared in the Merthyr Express 100 years ago today…
Fountain at Cyfarthfa Park
FORMAL PRESENTATION BY COL. J. J. JONES
On Tuesday afternoon the handsome water fountain presented to Cyfarthfa Park by Col. J. J. Jones, J.P., Cefn Coed, and his family, was formally presented to the Borough. The weather was exceedingly inclement, and during the whole of the interesting ceremony rain fell heavily, especially when Miss Jones turned on the water.
The fountain is planned with a circular basin 16ft. diameter, from the centre of which rises a circular pedestal 2ft. 6in. in diameter surmounted by three figures carrying a cornucopia, from which a jet of water issues. Around the base of the pedestal are carved dolphins and birds from the mouths of which sprays issue. Four winged cherubs riding on dolphins are placed around the basin, sprays issuing from the dolphins’ mouths. From the water line to the top of the pedestal is 9ft. 10in. A very pretty effect is produced when the fountain is in full play. The work has been carried out in Clipsham stone, a similar stone being used on most of the Oxford colleges.
The work has been executed by the well-known firm, Messrs. Martyn and Co., of Cheltenham. The architects were Messrs. Johnson and Richards, of Merthyr. The fountain work was done by Mr. E. P. Davies, builder, Dowlais.
The Mayor called upon Col. Jones to present the fountain to the park and to the inhabitants of the Borough.
Col. J. J. Jones, referring to the pouring rain, facetiously remarked that he was afraid that the people would be of the opinion that the fountain was a superfluity which they might very well do without. (Laughter.) For some years past his sister-in-law Mrs Jones, his nieces and himself had thought of presenting something useful to the Borough, and their chance fell upon this fountain. They thought that looking at the long connection of the family with Cyfarthfa, that it would be most appropriate to place the fountain in Cyfarthfa Park. (Applause.) He was glad they had the consent of the Corporation to erect it there, and it was with great pleasure that he handed the fountain to the town. (Hear, hear.) He was very glad indeed to have had the great skill and experience of Mr. Richards, the architect, to guide them in selection of the design, and also to carry out the work. He devoted a great deal of time and attention to do it, and he was sorry that an engagement in London prevented Mr. Richards from being present at that ceremony. The firm who undertook the work were to be congratulated upon its neat design and beauty. Col. Jones referred to the fact that during the preparation of the fountain his sister-in-law, Mrs. Jones, had passed away, and Mrs Jones was, unfortunately, unable to attend that day. He therefore, had pleasure in presenting the fountain to the people, and a thing of beauty in the beautiful park. (Applause.)
Councillor Dd Jones, Chairman of the Parks Committee, formally accepted the gift on behalf of the Corporation and the inhabitants of Merthyr. He said he was glad to find they had such men as Col. Jones come forward and help to beautify the park and increase the pleasure of the people. He trusted others would follow in his footsteps. (Applause.)
Miss Olive Jones then, amid applause, turned on the water.
At this stage the Mayor said he regretted the absence of Mr. H. Seymour Berry J.P., who had written to say that he was quite unable to fulfil his promise to attend and take part in that interesting function.
His Worship the Mayor moved a hearty vote of thanks to Col. Jones and his family for their generous gift to the townspeople, and said the people of Cefn, who were outside the Borough, would also be able to appreciate it when they visited the park. The name of Col. Jones’ family would now be enrolled in the history of the Borough, and whenever the present and future generations inspected the fountain, they would always refer with pride to the family who were so well known at Cefn. (Hear, hear.)
Councillor Parry, in seconding the vote, said he appreciated the fountain because it was so near the Castle School, and the scholars would be able to admire the work of the sculptor. (Hear, hear.) It would be an incentive to the scholars to make progress in art, and visitors would, he was sure, also appreciate it very much. The inhabitants of Merthyr would always be grateful to Col. Jones and his family for such a handsome gift. (Applause.)
The proposition was carried with acclamation, and Col. Jones having responded in a few, well-chosen words, an interesting ceremony in the history of the Borough concluded.
Many thanks to Tracy Barnard for transcribing this article.
