The brass plaque with the names of the fallen in the 2 world wars in the Memorial Hall is passed on a daily basis, however there are others in the town. There are two 1st World War memorials in the Library in Ysgol Gyfun Aberaeron, one a very large oak memorial ornately carved by the Belgium refugee Joseph Reubens. The other displays photographs of the fallen who attended ACS, young men from the town and countryside. The Memorial for the 2nd World War is a bronze plaque again naming former pupils of the school. Other memorials you will find will be plaques in the local chapels and churches, indeed the bells of Aberaeron Trinity church were installed in 1925 in memory of the 10 church members who died during the 1st World War. Poignantly many of the local men who fell during the two World Wars have no known graves and their names are recorded on large Memorials in Britain, France, Belgium, Daresaalam and Jerusalem. Elinor Ingham, 19/11/2024

Hapus (happy), we are most certainly not! As any one who has followed our blogs will know, Cymdeithas has strongly opposed the move of the library.   Even now we are appealing against the decision through the Older Person’s Commissioner for Wales.   It takes a lot to make Elinor or me speechless but we were at a loss for words to discover that at last week’s Cabinet meeting , the Leader of the Council stated that Cymdeithas were “hapus gyda’r peth”.   We could not let this total misrepresentation go unchallenged so I have written to the Leader , copied to all Cabinet members, asking for this statement to be withdrawn.   Here is the letter in full:

Now you have another reason to visit the library. Come and see the new exhibits in the Cymdeithas display cabinet. Thanks to Dr Helen Herbert for providing us with photos commemorating the success of Tanyfron surgery and even some tools of the trade. If you are interested in the history of the Aberaeron Cottage hospital we also have an article by Dr Helen on the heritage page sharing her memories from childhood to the time she was caring for patients there. And last but not least have a look at our Healthcare section on the photo archive for images of the hospital, the Tanyfron surgeries and the people who worked there.

As the UK and Welsh 'Sports Personality of the Year' reviews are about to be broadcast on BBC TV it's worth sparing a thought for local cycling hero Josh Tarling. Compared to his stellar 2023 season it’s been a somewhat cruel 2024 for the professional track & road time trial specialist from Ffos-y-ffin who continues to ride for the UK-based Ineos Grenadiers team. Josh started the 2024 season well … A team pursuit victory and a 3rd place in the Madison race at the UCI Track Cycling Nations Cup at Adelaide, Australia in early February. A road time trial stage victory at the O Gran Camino (The Great Way) staged through the Galicia region of Spain in late February. A 6th place at the Dwars door Vlaanderen one-day road race on the treacherous Belgian cobblestones in late March. Another victory in the elite time trial race at the UCI National Championships in June, repeating his previous win in 2023. Sadly, for this year’s ‘higher profile’ events, lady luck has not quite been on Josh’s side despite his continuing great form. He was ... Denied at least a bronze (or a probable silver) medal in the Olympic Road Time Trial after sustaining the only puncture of the race on the rain-soaked streets of Paris. He missed out on a medal by a mere 2 seconds. A soul-destroying result for Josh as well as his family and fans. Forced to abandon after a horrible high-speed crash on stage 9 of his ‘Grand Tour’ debut in La Vuelta (the Tour of Spain) in August, after a promising 6th place finish in the stage 1 time-trial. Edged out to 4th place at the UCI Road World Championships time trial in Zurich, Switzerland. More bad luck struck Josh when he suffered broken ribs after a crash in the Tour of Croatia in early October. To add insult to injury (no pun intended) his accident resulted in him having to withdraw from the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Denmark. That said, it has to be recognised that, despite being a mere 20 years of age, Josh is regularly mixing it with arguably the top 2 time trialists in the world, in the shape of older riders Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) and Josh’s Ineos-Grenadiers team-mate Fillipo Ganna (Italy). Josh had already previously finished in 3rd place behind this pair in the 2023 UCI World Championships time trial after a stunning performance (aged 19) which finished spectacularly on the steep cobbled ramparts of Stirling Castle in Scotland. This performance really raised Josh's public profile as it was broadcast live on mainstream UK TV. To match that, on stage 4 of the renowned the 2024 Citerium du Dauphine race in France the 34km time trial from Saint-Germain-Laval to Neulise saw Josh lead the entire field of racers by 1 second at the second time check, only to be nudged into 2nd place by the renowned Remco Evenepoel at the finish. A great performance against an elite field of competitors, this further consolidated his place in the upper echelons of world time trialists. BBC TV interview after 4th place finish in the 2024 UCI time trial in Zurich Continuing in a positive vein, the challenges that he has faced in 2024 will surely be character-building in the long term. His disappointment after his string of narrow podium misses and crash-related abandonments was evident in his TV interviews, particularly after the 4th place in the UCI time trial in Zurich (see photo above). He is clearly a driven and self-critical young man despite his incredible achievements to date at a world level, let alone the UK. This bodes well for any athlete. His potential to hit new heights has been further rubber-stamped by a 3-year contract extension to 2027 by his team, Ineos-Grenadiers. Given that Josh already has 10 years of full-time competitive cycling under his lycra there’s no knowing where he’ll be when he reaches his mid-30s, which is when many of the greats were in their prime … including a certain Geraint Thomas ;) Here's hoping that Josh continues to grow as an athlete. He’s got great support team from his father Mike (a Welsh track and road cyclist), mother Dawn and younger brother Finlay (also a professional cyclist with Israel Premier Tech Academy). Of course, it goes without saying that the residents of the Aberaeron area are all 100% behind Josh and are wishing him ‘pob lwc’ through 2025! Paris Olympics send-off for Josh at Aberaeron bakers 'Y Popty'. Left to right: Pete 'Bach' Evans, Ray 'Penmaesglas', Sian Thomas, Mike & Dawn Tarling. For those wanting to follow Josh's stats & achievements, there’s plenty of information available online: Josh's Story: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/article/20240726-My-Story--Josh-Tarling-0 Pro Cycling Statistics: Josh & Finlay https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/joshua-tarling/start https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/finlay-tarling

‘Y Wal’. Dyna oedd teitl sioe Ysgol Gynradd Aberaeron eleni! Ond pa wal? Wal fawr Tsiena? Wal Berlin? Neu Wal ‘Cofio Tryweryn’? Na! Ein wal ni ein hunain yma yn Harbwr Aberaeron. Dyna beth oedd sioe. Swynwyd y gynulleidfa ar ddwy noson wrth iddynt gael eu tywys trwy’r ddwy ganrif a mwy diwethaf o hanes yr harbwr. Dechreuwyd gyda’r enwog Alban Thomas Jones Gwynne yn cyhoeddi’r siarter a arweiniodd at adeiladu’r harbwr a datblygiad Aberaeron fel tref forwrol a masnachol. Clywyd am adeiladu’r llongau mawr ac atgoffwyd ni o enwau rhai o’r llongau hynny a deithiodd i bedwar ban byd gyda bechgyn lleol ar eu bwrdd. Mae enwau’r llongau yn fyw o hyd yn enwau tai Aberaeron heddiw! Gwelwyd y dyrfa wrth yr harbwr yn ffarwelio wrth i deuluoedd lleol ymfudo i Ohio yn 1818 oherwydd gorthrwm tirfeddianwyr. Wrth gwrs mae’r cysylltiadau rhwng Aberaeron ag Ohio yn parhau hyd heddiw. Cofiwyd hefyd am bysgotwyr lleol ac yn arbennig y teulu Jenkins. Mor braf oedd cael dau o’u disgynyddion o’r Ysgol yn adrodd eu hanes. Portreadwyd taith stormus nifer o’r pysgotwyr hynny yn llawn hiwmor. Mewn golyga hynod liwgar, atgoffwyd y gynulleidfa o’r hyn sy’n denu’r tyrfodd i harbwr Aberaeron bob blwyddyn. O’r ffair ym mis Tachwedd i dynnu gelyn ar draws yr harbwr yn yr haf, i’r carnifal unigryw a Gŵyl y Mecryll i gloi’r tymor gwyliau. Trwy gyfrwng ffilm gwelwyd disgyblion y Dosbarth Meithrin yn ‘crwydro’r’ safle adeiladu ac yn holi, “Pam fod angen y morglawdd newydd arnom?” I gloi’r perfformiad, talwyd gwrogaeth i gwmni BAM am eu gwaith a’u dyfalbarhad trwy ddawns fywiog. Dyma oedd perfformiad a fydd yn dal yn y cof am amser hir a pa well ffordd o drosglwyddo hanes ein tref i’r genhedlaeth nesaf. Llongyfarchiadau i bawb a fu ynghlwm â’r sioe. Mair Jones

Hunkered down at home in the storm? Thought it might be timely to give you some light reading in the form of our Christmas Newsletter. As the photo on the first page suggests, it is highly focused on the issue of the year- our library :

Braint oedd gwahodd Catrin Stevens i gyfarfod mis Hydref y Gymdeithas. Mae Catrin yn hanesydd nodedig ac yn arbenigo mewn hanes merched. Testun ei chyflwyniad oedd ‘Apêl Merched dros Heddwch 1923-24’. Mae hi a nifer o ferched blaengar yng Nghymru wedi bod yn rhan o grŵp ‘Heddwch Nain/Mam-gu’ a ddaeth at ei gilydd wedi darganfod deiseb o 1923-24. Cafwyd hanes anhygoel y ddeiseb wrth iddi gael ei darganfod mewn cist dderw yn Sefydliad y Smithsonian yn Washington, a’r ymgyrch i’w chael yn ôl I Gymru. Gwireddwyd eu breuddwyd yn Rhagfyr 2022 pan gyrhaeddodd y ddeiseb (7 milltir o hyd) y Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Aberystwyth. Mae arni 390,296 o lofnodion o bob rhan o Gymru ac mae’r gwaith o drawsgrifio'r holl enwau bron ar ben. Apêl yw’r ddeiseb oddi wrth ferched yng Nghymru ar i ferched America alw am ‘Gyfraith nid Rhyfel’ ac i America ymuno â Chynghrair y Cenhedloedd newydd. Disgrifiodd rôl degau o unigolion lleol a fu’n ddygn yn trefnu’r ddeiseb yn eu hardaloedd drwy gerdded o dŷ i dŷ. Bu'r rhain mor hanfodol i’r ymgyrch. Dangoswyd i ni enwau a llofnodion unigolion o Aberaeron a’r cyffiniau a fu’n trefnu a llofnodi'r ddeiseb. Creodd hyn gynwrf arbennig ymhlith y gynulleidfa. Gallwch ddarllen mwy am yr hanes diddorol hwn ar- https://www.wcia.org.uk/cy/treftadaeth-heddwch/deiseb-menywod Diolch, Mair Jones

Talk about Girl Power! In October our informative speaker, Catrin Stephens, told us all about the Women’s Peace Petition of 1923-24. Signed by 400,000 women across Wales, it aimed to persuade America to join the League of Nations to avoid another world war. Had it succeeded, history would have been very different. Just as mammoth a task is the current work of transcribing all the signatures, after which it will be digitised. One of the people contributing to this is our very own trustee, Mair Jones. Thanks to her work and that of all the other volunteers, we will, in due course, be able to look for the names of our own ancestors or our homes in these records. You can watch and read all about this fascinating piece of social history, the return of the Petition to Wales and the project to transcribe the signatures by following the link below: https://www.wcia.org.uk/peace-heritage/womens-peace-petition/

UPDATE: Application withdrawn. Original post: Love it or loathe it, now is the chance for you to have your say. Plans have been submitted to Ceredigion Council to build an optical illusion sculpture on Aberaeron's harbour to commemorate the emigration of locals to Ohio in the 1800s. Consultation is now open, and closes on 26th November. A link to the application is below:   https://ceredigion-online.tascomi.com/planning/index.html?fa=getApplication&id=62581   CAS trustees have already submitted our response.  Whilst we fully support commemorating the emigration to Ohio and indeed giving recognition to the ‘lost girl’ of the voyage, we have formally OBJECTED to the current design proposal: We endorse the strong public opposition that the structure will obscure the iconic harbour view out to sea and in particular our beautiful sunsets. The scale of the 5 metre structure seems totally inappropriate - it will completely overwhelm the Look-out tower on the harbour; and the struts will be visible from many of the town’s viewpoints, interrupting those views.  As the image of Mair will only be revealed at a specific point from a certain angle, it is therefore only the unsightly struts that will be visible from most places.   We are concerned that this structure will not age well, either in terms of style and more importantly that its physical condition will deteriorate. This is actually acknowledged in the application.  Furthermore, we feel that the planning application is premature. The graphics do not incorporate the harbour extension so it is difficult to see the design in context  CAS trustees were involved in early discussions about the form the commemoration would take. At that point the proposal was for a sculpture of a 19th century travelling trunk. We believe that something of that nature would be a far more appropriate memorial for our historic harbour town.

Close to the heart and hands on too! Our first talk of the season was from husband and wife team, Jonathon and Yvonne Holder of Welsh Vernacular Antiques. Their showroom in Cross Inn, Llanon, has an impressive stock of Welsh antiques and country furniture.    Their subject for the evening was Welsh love tokens. They shared with us and even allowed us to handle some of beautiful items from their personal collection - see Jonathan below. His brief article which follows is an excellent introduction to the history and also the value of these beautiful items. Welsh Love Spoons Antique Love spoons are amongst the most desirable and highly sought after objects depicting one persons love for another that exist. There are many books on the subject - detailing the meanings behind the symbolism displayed upon their surfaces and indeed the symbolism of the spoons themselves, but what is it that makes them so special and sought after by so many? For some it is their link to Wales and it’s distinct culture, quite different to that of much of mainland Britain.  Or a hark back to simpler times of a truly hard days work and chivalry towards women. For some it is the appreciation of the craft, the patient skill of the maker clear to see in the fine detail and fragility of the piece.  Following a tiresome day the young man knife in hand would set about carving from one single piece of sycamore a spoon, including within it as much of his talent, eye for proportion and beauty that he could apply in the hope that his would-be sweetheart may see in this offering the potential in the man behind it. Whilst a number of spoons were made by professional carvers indeed the majority are made by individuals and range widely in design and skill. One has to feel a little sorry for the fellow who’s talent does not lie within carving. This we know as many naive examples exist and whilst desirable to the collector for their unique features they may have not have been quite so well received by the young lady recipient (or indeed she may have felt that it is the thought that counts I like to think). Whilst condition is important, imperfections and damage are all acceptable given the rarity and delicate nature of these pieces. In terms of investment earlier examples, large in size and of complicated or more asthetic form are the the most desirable.  Any spoon over a hundred years old is significant and worthy to the collector. With prices starting from £300 upwards for genuine antique examples they are not cheap but well within the means of most people wishing to buy something truly special.  The very best examples turn up occasionally with specialist dealers and can fetch upwards of £4000.  Although this may be considered a large sum, Love spoons have been one of the few Welsh Antiques that have constantly risen in price during my quarter century of dealing and have never shown signs of dipping. This makes them secure investment pieces, something which both dealers and public have recognised enforced by the fact that some of the best collections are in the homes of dealers themselves. Who can blame them, the age, patina, symbolism and history behind each piece coupled with their tactility and decorative appeal and investment potential make them the perfect antique.  I certainly have a few that my home would not feel the same without.   Jonathon Holder of Welsh Vernacular Antiques And here is a link to their website https://www.antiques-atlas.com/welshvernacularfurniture/

Submitted on behalf of Barbara Roberts, Aberaeron. No need to go far. No further than Aberystwyth, to the Ceredigion Museum at the Coliseum. There was an opportunity to hear some of the stories behind the objects; to handle some of them, and deduce what they were used for; and to marvel at the skills and ingenuity of our predecessors. There were many questions to ask: When was it built? By whom? What for? The objects reflect the life and times of Ceredigion. We heard about J.T. Thomas from Llangeitho moving his family and his cows to London to sell milk fom his wheelbarrow; of John Roderick Rhys winning the crown in the National Eisteddfod for his poem about the depopulation of Mynydd Bach; of the local sea captains who travelled the world. We saw the smithy of David James of Llanwnnen; and a video of the early cinema goers; and landscape paintings of Hafod. It was possible to learn of emigration, of rebellion, of voyages and ship building, and of how the earliest tourists saw our landscape. And there was more: a temporary exhibition from the British Museum showcasing some of their treasures from all over the world and the reaction of six our local artists, the Global Majority to empire and colonialism. And then there was tea and cake in the cafe. Don’t miss our next event. Barbara

My Harbourmaster story began over 50 years ago at Easter 1971 when I asked Major Neville Evans (later to become my father in law) for a bar job over the summer holidays. He asked if I knew how to make a Snowball! Yes, I replied advocaat, lemonade and of course brandy. I got the job! After I’d finished my finals at college, I came down early summer to start my bar job before I took up my new teaching post in London in September. I stayed with my aunt and uncle in Alban Square (Ceri and Dai Griffiths). It was a busy summer – Aberaeron still played holiday host to the Wakes Weeks in the Midlands and the Miners’ Fortnight in South Wales. The wall running along the Quay outside the Harbourmaster became the ‘longest bar in Wales’ according to David and his father, Neville Evans. I spent a great deal of time serving behind the bar, collecting glasses and empty food plates from people who decided lunch on the longest bar in Wales just had to be done! L-R: David & Sian Evans (on horse) outside HM 1970/71, Horses & Hounds outside HM 1970/71, Neville & Hilda Evans behind the HM Bar 1971. All too soon September arrived and I returned to London and the excitement of my new teaching post in North London. I knew I’d come back to Aberaeron to visit my relatives at some point in the future but never thought the Harbourmaster would become my home. 1973 saw me back in Alban Square recuperating after a bad car accident and David and I went out for dinner and a year later saw us married in Holy Trinity church with the Wedding breakfast in the Feathers and an evening bunfight in the Harbourmaster! At the end of the school term in July 1974 I moved into the Harbourmaster – my new home. There were seven bedrooms in the Harbourmaster together with a large Residents’ Lounge on the first floor overlooking the harbour. The attic which can be identified today by the small window in the eaves at the front of the building, consisted of two rooms. The Harbourmaster had been built around 1807 as the premises for the actual first harbour master of the new port of Aberaeron. The window in the eaves was (so the story goes) one of his look out points to check on the comings and goings on the dock side. The building later became the Red Lion Hotel and then its name was changed to the Harbourmaster Hotel just before my in-laws, Neville and Hilda Evans, bought it in 1970. There was a window inserted on the side wall of the building at the attic level which offered a glorious sea view. It was impossible to get furniture up to the attic (which became a mini flat for David and me) as the stairs narrowed considerably and there was not enough headroom to get a sofa up. So the side attic window was taken out; a pulley and hoist was erected and the said sofa made its way up the side wall, through the window space and the window put back! L-R: Rebuilding the back of the HM 1970/71 (x2), Rebuilding the porch 1970/71, Nearing completion, Work complete (1971), Neville, Sandra & Owain Evans 1977. People often asked if the building was haunted. It had had its fair share of tragedies over the years. In the 1960’s, the then landlord, Joe Woodcock had taken his dog plus the dog belonging to one of the hotel residents for a late night walk. The dogs found their way back but Mr Woodcock sadly didn’t; it was thought he’d fallen into the harbour. Another story told to me was that someone staying at the hotel in what was then Room 7, had taken his own life there. I slept in that room for many years and at no time felt uncomfortable or uneasy. Indeed, the building and its wonderful staircase usually gave me a warm and comfortable feeling. But there was one occasion in early 1976 when I did hear strange noises. I was alone in the attic flat one Sunday evening. David and his parents had gone to the Yacht Club but I was tired and pregnant and had decided not to go. Something disturbed me and I opened the door to the flat but then couldn’t hear anything. I just put the noises down to the sounds that an old building often makes. We later found that the back window in the bar had been jemmied open and the large Bell’s Whisky bottle which people put change into for the RNLI had been stolen. That was the strange noises I’d heard, not anything of the supernatural! We saw all manner of natural mishaps from the beer cellar being flooded and many bottles of wine and spirits floating around the basement. Alcwyn Jenkins paddling a small dinghy around to the side door to collect his wife Mary who’d been working in our restaurant. The tremendous snow of January 1982 cutting Aberaeron off from the outside world for a couple of weeks. Waking up on the first day of that snow storm convinced that the children would be going to school but then opening the side door to be met with a wall of snow standing at around 6 foot tall! L-R: Dray service 1979, Snow which lasted 2 weeks Jan 1982 (x2), Lifeboat bringing provisions into the harbour. Wyn Crustyn (the baker) had run out of bread flour due to the snow storm (Jan 1982). The Harbourmaster became a summer focal point for so many people; the starting point of the Summer Carnival; the Adamant Band playing its way up the Quay. The games of Spoof they played in the bar (I still don’t know the rules – even if there are any!). The traditional songs resounding through the downstairs of the building. The voluntary firemen coming in for a pint after their training session. Aberaeron Ladies Circle having their dinner meetings there every month. The Winter Dinner Clubs held every month. Thursday evenings with the riders and horses which came down from Gilfach for a drink on the Quay. The people who worked with us. The friendships that were made there last till today. My three children spent their formative years there; the building was their playground – how they survived that staircase as toddlers is amazing! It was our home until April 1982 and we left it with heavy hearts but knowing it was the right time to do so.