Tag: Manchester House

The Growth of Football in Merthyr Tydfil – part 2

Transcribed by Phil Sweet

These articles which appeared in three consecutive editions of the Merthyr Express in March 1921 are Harvey Boots’ own reminiscences of the development of three football codes in the town up to that date.  

ARTICLE 1 – MERTHYR EXPRESS 5TH MARCH 1921 (Continued)

THE GROWTH OF FOOTBALL IN MERTHYR

(By Harvey Boots)

About this time most of the veterans had dropped out of the game, and the club were in somewhat low water; Indeed, if my memory serves me well, a new club had arisen Sphinx-like from the ashes of the old one. Merthyr Alexanders, or Alexs, was the name of the new combination, and compatible with the greatly-improved play now general in Wales they possessed one of the finest back divisions that ever played for Merthyr, or, indeed I might add, any club. The following names would be conjured up by the old Rugger fraternity recalling memories of great deeds:- Bill Henry Jones, Bert Jenkins, Phil Thomas, Llew. Treharne, and last, but by no means least, J.C. (Chris) Williams, a youth, who, in the heyday of his play, could make the most strenuous opposition look small. He had the honour of being selected first reserve for Wales with the great Dicky Owen, and although the half selected to play for Wales on this occasion was unable to turn out owing to injuries, the Union Selection Committee with that great distain which no “fellar” can understand picked another player in place of our local boy, who was thus robbed – and I think that is the only word – of this Welsh Cap.

The following little incident with regard to the above-mentioned young man is quite worth repeating. We were touring the West of England one Easter, playing Lydney, Bream and Stroud. I was in charge of the team, and although Chris had retired from active participation in the game (owing to the unfortunate loss of an eye whilst playing football) we pressed him into service to play on the wing while on tour. He ran in with two or three beautiful tries against Stroud on the Easter Monday, which caused the Chairman of the Stroud Club to inquire of me who the prodigy was. On my replying that “he had practically given up football as he only had one eye”, he exclaimed “Good God! I wonder how many he would have scored if he had two!” From the sporting standpoint, and for the utmost fun to be had out of a game of football, the old Merthyr Thursdays were no doubt it. I have many happy memories of days while playing for the old Thursdays. I have a photograph now hanging in my waiting-room taken over twenty-five years ago, and it would be very interesting to recall some of the group. Among others who figure there are Ernest Biddle (now deputy Town Clerk and a director of the Merthyr Association Club), the late Tom Davies (Temple), Major D.C. Harris, Major J. E. C. Partridge (popularly known as “Birdie” who afterwards played for Newport and Blackheath) D. J. Thomas (Hetts), the Brothers Thomas (then known as Thomas the Tea Shop), Percy Ward, the late Gwill and Howell Thomas (the latter of whom it may be truly said, was one of the best sports that ever kicked a Rugby football. He was captain of the Thursday team for more years than I care to remember, and his whole-hearted enthusiasm for the game was wonderful. He was a man who never knew when he was beaten, and a grafter to the very last. Under his leadership we had a very successful leadership, and at that time the team was considered the best mid-week team in Wales.

Our great fixture in those days to which we all made a special effort to get to was with Brecon College. The departure on Thursday morning in Thorney’s four-horse brake – there were no motor charabancs in those days – was sight to behold, and the return (triumphant or otherwise) was an even more wonderful picture. At that time Brecon College team contained boys who were destined to make history in Welsh football. Who hasn’t heard of Teddy Morgan, W.M. Llewellyn and A. F. Harding? Llew Thomas, a Welsh International, was a master there at this time, and always turned out with the boys.

Coming down to more recent history, and the real reason for this article, a new Merthyr Saturday Team had now been created. The Alexs were defunct; many of them had been lured over to the Northern Union game, and so had left the district to play for these Northern Clubs, but the old game was not allowed to flag. A new power had arisen to control the destines of the game. I refer to the late W. T. Jones, known to all and sundry as “Jones of Wales”. A man who worked early and late, in and out of season for the love of the game. I often wonder what “Poor old Bill” would say if it were possible for him to see the fruits of his early labours by taking a peek at Penydarren Park some Saturday afternoon as we see it to-day? But alas! He left us just as the old ship that he steered for so long was just about to make harbour.

We had at this time the best club that probably ever represented the old town. Penydarren Park had been secured permanently for sport, football etc., by a representative body of gentleman comprising, I believe, the late Mr. J. Plews, Mr. H. W. Southey, Mr. Aneurin Jones, Mr. A. J. Howfield, Mr. Gomer Thomas, Mr. D. C. Harris, Dr. Biddle, Mr. W. W. Meredith and others whose names, for the moment, escape me. The club was flourishing as never before, and we were on the high road to obtain fixtures with the leading clubs of the country.

Another body of gentlemen had now sub-let the Park from the afore-mentioned for the purpose of making a ground second to none – Dr Llewellyn Jones, Mr. W. B. Harris, the late Joe Jones (Manchester House), the late Howell Thomas, D. C. Davies, Mr. Sam Dix, of the Tiger Hotel,(which at that time was the headquarters of the football club), the late W. T. Jones (who acted as secretary) and myself (as chairman).

To be continued…..

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.

Let us now return to the post office, at the corner of Glebeland Street, and keep on that side for a while. The post office was situated in the same place, but it was also a shop, and had four or five steps to lead up to its level, but there was a small window in Glebeland Street beyond the curved one of the shop that was also used for postal purposes.

The Post Office on the corner of Glebeland Street. Photo courtesy of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/index.htm

Upon entering the shop there was apparently a desk for five feet or so on the counter. There were some pigeon holes, and a small recess to the window mentioned above. This constituted the Merthyr postal business place. There was one postman, I believe, but his delivery was circumscribed, and once a day only. If a letter was expected, it could be inquired about at the window; inquiries were no welcomed over the counter. Mr Rhys Davis was the postmaster, Mrs Davis was one of the Willamses.

Unfortunately, the rest of that page is undecipherable due to damage.

A door or two on was at one time a watch and clock maker named David Jones Junior, his father keeping an establishment near the Lamb in Castle Street, being David Jones Senior, and he had a good reputation as an horologist. It is very probable that there are eight day clocks yet working having “David Jones, maker, Merthyr Tydfil” upon their faces.

In the window of David Jones Jun., a clock, or rather a small timepiece, was exhibited, having a ball running zig-zag on and inclined plate. The plate was moved upon two pivots, and the ball upon arriving at one end of the zig-zag struck a rod which disengaged it from the plate, and immediately after that, part or side of the plate was tilted up so as to cause the ball to run back to the other end, when, by the same arrangement, that which was of course the lowest side, to induce the ball to run that way, became the upper, and that which was the upper became the lower. My reason for mentioning this is to show that there was mental mechanical skill there exemplified.

It was within a few doors of this watch and clock-maker’s shop I can recall the office of Mr Wm Perkins, who, with Mr Wm Meyrick, were then the only two solicitors practising in Merthyr. The eldest son of the Mr Kayes, of the boot and shoe establishment in Three Salmon’s Court, was also a solicitor, but as far as can be recalled he was not in very good health, and I think he soon went over to the majority.

Mr Perkins was the solicitor of the Dowlais Company, and considered to be on the Liberal side in politics, while Mr Meyrick was considered the Tory lawyer. Mr Charles H James in his recollections gives some things about Mr Perkins. I desire to bear grateful testimony to him. True, he might have been a good sportsman or not, but as long as memory lasts he must be thought of and known as a gentleman. He lived in Professional Row, the middle house of the three. The one on the lower side was occupied by Mr Russell (the doctor of the works), and as far as can be recalled that on the upper side of the road to Thomastown was occupied by Mrs Davies (a widow), of Pantscallog.

There were several shops between Mr Perkins’ office and Castle Street, one was kept by a Mr Marsden, called the Manchester House at that time; then on the corner a William Jones, who also kept a shop in Tredegar, some time after kept a watch, clock and jewellery business. Here the late Mr W Meredith commenced his business. Mr Thomas J Pearce, who had married one of the Misses Davies of the Bush, afterwards carried on a grocery business here, but Mr Meredith, who took on Jones’ business, was there for a while prior to moving lower down. This Mr W Jones went to Port Elizabeth in South Africa, and reading the obituary notice of Mr Meredith lately, it occurred to me that Mr Meredith was introduced to his African trade by Mr Jones.

To be continued at a later date……

James Gomer Berry – part 1

by Laura Bray

Rarely can one family be said to have produced three illustrious members in one generation, but that is exactly what happened to John and Mary Ann Berry whose three sons – Seymour, William and Gomer – became respectively Lords Buckland, Camrose and Kemsley, making millions in the process.

James Gomer Berry – ‘Lord Kemsley’

Gomer was the youngest of the three, born 7 May 1883 in 11 Church Street, Merthyr. His upbringing was of a normal sort – educated firstly at Abermorlais School and then at the County School. He began his working life as a draper’s apprentice in Manchester House – where Wetherspoons in Penderyn Square now stands, yet within 10 years he had left Merthyr and was living in Pinner, with a wife and child, and is recorded on the 1911 census as “Newspaper Proprietor”. How did such a change come about?

The story really starts when Gomer was 18 and moved to London to join his brother William, who was running a magazine called “Advertising World”, which he had founded in 1901, with a £100 loan from his brother Seymour. Gomer was to assist with advertising, sales and finance, areas in which he showed great flair. From all accounts, the two brothers got on well, sharing a house, a bank account, and indeed for the next 36 years their careers were closely linked.

The brothers ran “Advertising World” with success, so much so that in 1909 they sold it for the huge sum of £11000, (roughly £1.2m in today’s money) from which they set up a small publishing company called Ewart, Seymour and Co Ltd.  This ran a number of periodicals including the popular “Boxing” – a good example of how the brothers were able to spot and exploit an opportunity; they took its circulation from around 100,000 in 1909 to over 250,000 a week in 1914.

In 1915 they bought the struggling “Sunday Times” for £80,000, with William acting as Editor-in-Chief, followed three years later by the “Financial Times”. By 1921 they owned the “Daily Graphic,” the profitable “Kelly’s Directories,” and had interests in the “Western Mail”, the “Evening Express”, the “Cardiff Weekly,” the “Merthyr Express” and the “Pontypridd Observer”.  Surely there can be few enterprises that grow with such dazzling speed.

Now firmly established in his position as Newspaper Proprietor, Gomer felt confident enough to apply for the Freedom of the City of London in the Company of Stationers, which was granted on 8 May 1923.  He was just 30.

The next move for William and Gomer was the purchase of the Hulton group of Manchester newspapers, which became the foundation, in 1924, of Allied Newspapers, with their partner, Edward Iliffe. This was followed by the purchase of the Amalgamated Press in 1926, which included a large number of non-political periodicals, a book section, two printing works and the Imperial Paper Mills.

In 1927 they bought Edward Lloyd, Ltd., one of the largest paper mills in the world, and also acquired the “Daily Telegraph”, with William again as editor-in-chief. They now controlled 25 newspapers, and about 70 periodicals.

The Daily Telegraph Building in the 1930s

Competition was fierce in the 1930s but instead of trying to attract readers with gifts, as other newspapers did, they decided to change the format of the “Daily Telegraph”, to maintain the quality of their news coverage, and to halve the price from 2d. to a penny; the circulation doubled immediately to 200,000 and grew to well over a million copies by 1949.

Outside of the publishing world, Gomer was being noticed politically too. He was created a baronet in 1928 (sadly just one week before Mary, his wife of 21 years, died) and was appointed as an Officer of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem in 1931. Five years later he was raised to the peerage as Baron Kemsley, of Farnham Royal in Bucks.

To be continued…..