Puy .~~to .~t
the teaching staff.
A number of the local
,teachers took action, and after
months of unpleasantness,
The Yew Intermediate they won the day, and the
School, which had been Governors had to accept the
opened amidst great reJoic- Burnham Scale. A few of the
ing in 1898 by the Mayor C teachers never returned to
~ D Morgan-Richardson their posts-which had been
~sq, had been a wonderful filled during the trouble, but
boon to the Cardigan area.
those members continued to
Children of ability, whatev- receive their salaries until they
er their circumstances were came to pensionable age. Once
now able to attain secondary the matter was resolved, the BA,F R Bruce, MSc, D J Hill, just after
the first World Waz;
education, which opened all school got on with its work, BSc, W A Tregonning, BA,Dr and
the Directors had adverkinds of avenues for them.
and continued to produce O D Parker, Miss M A tised [he property for sale:
'the headmaster of the excellent students. Before the Tattersall, BA, Miss Mona Owing
to
the
Great
school, Dr Daniel Rees, MA, decade closed, the Governors Hughes BA. Ail who attended Depression,
no bid was forthPhD, was a man of outstand- and the Education Authority, the school owe a great debt to coming,
so the establishment
ing ability and highly respect- in [heir wisdom, purchased the the education they received had
been closed down.
ed in the area and his staff Brickyard Field, which was from the school, and many
Luckily for the children, the
were also masters of their sub- next to the school, from the went on to become successful tramways
and trams from the
jects, which augured well for Directors of the Cardigan business and professional works
to the clay pits (School
the scholars attending the Brickyazd and Tile Company. men.
Dingle) were still in operation,
school. It has always been The object was to provide
It has often been said that and it was `[ally-ho' during
another world for the children permanent playing facilities the happiest days of one's life
weekends and holidays, riding
of the local Junior Schools, on for the school. With the pur- aze the earliest days, when one on the
trams. During heavy
their fus[ day at the Secondary chase, the school were now has no worry or responsibility,
frost the clay pits, which had
establishment. In the 20s the able to play football, cricket and to a great many of us
this filled with water, became
school was nothing like the and hockey, and more children is true. The children of frozen
over, and became first
size it is today, catering for were able to paztake in sport. Cazdigan had many haunts [o
class skating rinks. The chilroughly 300 children.
Association football was entertain them during the 20s, dren with clogs were in their
The day began with assem- played at the school, as all the places where hours of pleasure element,
as they were the
bly in General Hail, and after other secondary schools in the were derived. Favourite play supreme
skaters, with their
prayers; the scholars were county played the game. It places were the Lower metal
strapped footwear.
notified in which form they was not until the decade was Mwldan, Ne[pool, the
These clay pits were also the
~yere, and in what classroom neazly out that Rugby Football Brickworks, and Town Dump. favourite
places to find frogs,
that form met. When playtime came into its own, and with At the Lower Mwldan, there
lizards, tadpoles etc. Before
arrived the boys were taken by the appointment of Mr. tslwyn were the old wazehouses, and the 20s
had closed, the brick
the senior boys [o be iniCia[ed ]ones who played for derelict buildings, which conworks stack had been
with Guillo (Guillotine) as it Pontypridd on the staff the tained mysteries of the past,
removed, as well as nearly all
was called. The unfortunate game flourished at Cardigan.
places where children could other remains, and later the
was put across a trunk of a
To the new entrants the play "hide and seek", and find Fire Station was housed on the
pine tree which was opposite school was a different world, objects of by-gone days. These
site with a caz pazk. One can
Craiglea on Gwbert Road side masters and mistresses walk- buildings in their heyday had
never fathom why children are
of the school and had his bot- ing around in gowns, children been an important part of the attracted
to a dump, but i[
~om smacked with the flat face sitting at individual desks, dif- port.
remains so to this day. It must
a cricket bat or stump. ferent subjects to master, and
The Netpool in the 20s was be the urge to discover some
vlany children were terrified moving of classrooms to be interesRng because of the two
thing new! The dump which
of the ceremony but no "one taught these subjects. Pupils hulks that lay alongside
the was part of the Common
was really hurt, and after the had [o supply their own text Netpool Cottages. Children
Gardens, always had someone
ordeal was over, the boy felt books, and these were. obtain- derived hours of pleasure
scrummaging around. As well
lie was part of the establish- able at J C Roberts, High playing in the old ships, and
as refuse, it was the dumping
ment. During the early 20's Street, and W FI Smith. At the the older boys, diving off them
ground far old cazs, oil drums,
there had been considerable end of each school year, there as the tide came in.
bicycles etc, and the youngdisruption at the school, owing would be a great deal of sellThe Brickworks were sters played for hours with
to the School Governors, of ing of books to the ctuldren in always a great attraction to
them. Being a. dump, it
which Rev john Williams, the lower forms.
droves of children who thor- attracted rats and a great deal
13ethania -was the Chairman,
Noted masters and rrristressoughly enjoyed themselves of ratting with dogs went on
refusing to accept the es at the school were Messrs playing hide and seek in the
there, watched attentively by
Burnham Scale of Salaries for W K Jones MA, Idwal Jones, kilns. Production had ceased
the youngsters.
Cardigan and the
Roaring 20s
(Part 37)
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by DONALD DAVIES
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