Some Memories from Frank Cottle
I was born in Thomas Place, Cymmer, was Christened by the Rev. John A Jefferies-Jones as an infant and he was also present at my Confirmation (as a boy chorister) by the Bishop of Llandaff. Having left the area in 1956 at the age of 17 years, my contact with local persons has been very little - but the memories remain.
Many years ago, I met Mostyn Thomas who, prior to the second world war, was involved in the running of the Church boys club. During the early 1950's, my eldest brother Dennis casually met him in Bath where he then worked and where Mostyn then lived. Havng greeted him, he failed to recognise Dennis as he then was no longer a young boy but a man, standing some 6ft 4 inches tall!!!.
Many years later, I also met Mostyn throught the rugby club in Bath and he was astounded when I subsequently showed him my book of Common Prayer, presented for good attendance in the choir, with the signature of his best friend J. A. Jefferies-Jones inside the front cover!!. As head of games at Prior Park College in Bath, the time came when Mostyn felt that he could no longer stand in cold weather and watch the boys play rugby. As a consequence, the boys bought him a set of thermal underwear so that he no longer had any excuse for absence!!!.
The choirmaster, during my time, was Cyril Lloyd, one of the "Lloydonians" to which others have referred and I can remember that when the choir undertook a work where Cyril conducted, his brother John (?) then took over the organ. A few other names of adults in the choir spring to mind, that of Cooper (who had a son as a chorister) and Teague. Of course, in those days, there was no electric pump for the organ but a manual lever with a piece of string and a weight showing how well you were performing on the lever.
I was also fascinated to see a copy of the Baptism Certificate for a Horace Wyndham dated 5th March 1913.. I have in my possession, 2 similar certificates for my aunts Frances Ann (whom I was named after) and Bessie dated 5th May 1912. At that time, the family lived at 21 Rickard Street before moving to Aubrey Place. I also have their Confirmation Certificates dated 23rd June 1916 and 24th June 1920 respectively together with together with Bessie's "signing the pledge certificate" dated 7th December 1917 although I do not think that this promise was kept for too long.
I have noted that you have referred to a previous incumbent of St John's as having a surname of
"Marks" but he has clearly signed 3 of these certificates with the surname "Mark".
In June 2008, when in the area, I visited Cymmer Junior School and took in a "Bacons Excelsior Ladder" which was an end of term school report in the form of a flag pole with 60 pennants on either side. The top pennant (i..e. the top of the class) was my aunt Selina Cottle and this was dated Christmas 1903.
Yes, as has been said on many times, you can take a boy out of the valley but you will never take the valley out of the boy.
With best wishes to all and in particular those that may remember me.
Frank Cottle
The youngest and sole survivor of the 3 Cottle brothers.
