Trevor Eve Coming Home

Actor Trevor Eve is on a journey to Wales and his family's past.

A journey he's always longed to take.

Trevor rose to fame in 1979

as the Bristol-based private detective, Eddie Shoestring.

Most recently, he's recognisable as Detective Supt Peter Boyd

in the long-running BBC drama, Waking the Dead.

Although thought of as English,

Trevor's roots run deeply into Wales.

My mother, who is Welsh, my father wasn't Welsh, I grew up in Birmingham

but I spent a lot of time here in South Wales for various reasons

that may or may not become apparent during the course of the day.

Trevor is travelling to the Mumbles, near Swansea,

where he spent many happy childhood holidays.

My name, the original spelling of my name was T-R-E-F-O-R.

That was, of course, the Welsh spelling.

Trevor's father was English but his mother was Welsh,

and it's her roots he's here to explore.

My grandpa, Charlie, I remember, who was a miner.

And I remember the days of the tin bath in front of the fire,

which, now, just a couple of generations later, sounds so remote.

But... Yeah, I remember that.

Here in the Mumbles, Trevor Eve is finally coming home.

Later in the programme, Trevor discovers a war hero in the family.

Wow! That's something, isn't it?

Reveals his musical side.

And discovers an uncomfortable truth about his past.

I feel sad, sad and excluded, you know.

Trevor is on his way to All Saints Church near Swansea,

in the heart of the Mumbles.

Now he's finally here, he's more than a little nervous

about what genealogist Mike Churchill Jones may have uncovered.

Hi, Trevor, welcome to All Saints Church in Oystermouth.

We've been researching your family tree.

-Good.

-And...here we have it.

Well, I can see that already, in a frame on the wall, that's good!

-My God.

-Right at the bottom is your good self.

-OK.

Right.

Trevor's ancestors are all Welsh on his mother's side,

beginning with Francis Woosnam,

his five times great-grandfather from Montgomeryshire.

Woosnam. We're not going to go golf, are we?

Surprisingly, golf-mad Trevor is right.

Francis Woosnam was also the seven times great-grandfather of Welsh golf star, Ian Woosnam.

Making them distant cousins.

Oh, OK!

Apart from the Woosnams, Trevor's family in the Mumbles

were called the Collier family.

So, if we come back to your second great-grandmother, Susanna Watts Collier.

-She was born in 1826 in the Mumbles.

-Right here.

-Yes, indeed, right here.

That's why I've always felt comfortable

in the Mumbles on my holidays.

And she was born to an Anne Phillips and a William Collier.

Right?

William Collier was a postman.

Uh-huh.

William Collier's story will prove to be very important.

Trevor is also keen to learn more about his grandfather,

Charles Hamer, from his mother's side of the family.

Charles William Hamer, he was born, 1882,

in Merthyr Tydfil, and he died, 1955, in Neath.

-He worked in the colliery as hewer and a repairer.

-OK.

Trevor's grandfather, Charlie, married Gwladys.

Gwladys was Trevor's grandmother.

Much later in life, she came to live with Trevor

and his mother in the family home in Birmingham.

In trying to unravel the story of Gwladys, his grandmother,

he will uncover a family secret kept hidden from Trevor

for more than 50 years.

Trevor's search for his ancestors begins in the heart of the Mumbles.

Records show that his three times great-grandfather lived here,

from 1818.

His name was William Collier, and he married local girl, Anne Phillips.

Together, they had 11 children.

In the Mumbles,

and among the outlying farms dotted along these nearby cliffs,

as the postman, William would've been a very familiar face.

To try and help understand what the area was like at that time,

Trevor meets with Mumbles historian, Carol Powell,

who has been researching Anne and William's story.

So, William Collier,

what would be, what would he have, what would it have been like for him?

He would have come, in about 1818, to a very small village.

The entire parish was only about 1,000,

-so this corner of the parish would only have several hundred.

-He lived...?

He lived in the Dunns, which is near where the square is now,

and, by 1841, he was up on the hill, up there.

We don't know from the census which house it was.

This is because he had, apparently, 11 children.

-With Anne Phillips, who was a local girl.

-Yes, yes.

-He must have liked Anne Phillips, mustn't he?

-Yes, he must have!

THEY LAUGH

Carol has a painting to show Trevor,

believed to be the work of the local Swansea artist, JH Robinson.

It shows the bay, called Oystermouth Bay,

as it was in William's time.

Dominated then, as now, by Oystermouth Castle.

Where are we standing?

Just about here or here, one of these.

I think that's amazing. As William Collier would have known it.

That's what he would've seen. The main industries at that time would have been oyster dredging,

quarrying, farming, because all this was surrounded by farms.

Oystermouth didn't get its name by chance.

Robinson's painting clearly shows the oyster fishermen at work.

By about 1860-odd, there would have been 600 people

working in oyster dredging around here. That's a lot of people.

-So, they got oysters here and supplied the rest of the country?

-Yes.

This traditional way of life lasted for centuries in Oystermouth.

But, over the bay, Swansea's rapid industrialisation

and pollution from copper smelting, destroyed the oyster beds for ever.

Later, tourism became the mainstay of the town.

This became quite a sophisticated resort.

Yes, tourism was on the rise.

-Yeah, and today, it's spectacular.

-Yeah, its wonderful.

Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

It's easy to imagine why Trevor's three-times great-grandfather,

William Collier, came to live here, in this beautiful part of the world.

But Trevor will shortly learn that William was more

than simply the local Mumbles postman.

I get the feeling that, on this day of surprises,

I'm going to find out more about William Collier,

and I will be extremely interested to do so.

Trevor is heading back to All Saints Church, to learn

of William Collier's life before he came to settle in the Mumbles.

He was the postman in the village of Mumbles.

Right.

But he also did other things. He was also the schoolmaster.

-Yeah.

-Which was...

Which can be echoed here,

on the baptism of your two times great-grandmother,

Susanna, Susanna Watts Collier, in 1826.

Tells us that her parents were William and Anne,

and he was a schoolmaster.

This is believed to be the original school house

where William Collier taught.

He was therefore clearly a well-educated man.

Right.

William had another life before he settled in the Mumbles

and Trevor is about to find out just how removed it was

from the tranquillity of this seaside town.

Unfortunately, we haven't got a photograph of William.

He died in 1870.

But what we can show you is what he looked like in 1814.

William Collier. Wow.

He was in the Prince of Wales Hussars.

What happened to him?

He was in all this finery and then he became a postman.

I've got an extract of his obituary here from the Cambrian News

which I'd like you to read from the top.

"Cambrian News, 15th July. 1870.

"A Mr William Collier died in his 77th year of his age.

"For many years, he was a schoolmaster of the Swansea union

"but retired some years ago on superannuation.

"He served with the 10th Hussars,

"a crack regiment over the Prince Regent.

"He was one of the few remaining of those who took part in the Battle of Waterloo."

What are your thoughts?

Wow.

That's something, isn't it? That's...that IS something.

"The few remaining of those who took part in the Battle of Waterloo."

My God.

So you've learnt he was a distinguished man in Mumbles.

But it's far removed from the elite military man.

That's a strange move, isn't it? He's a sort of...

..a war, if not hero, honoured in battle, and then he...

I would suspect he wanted to be a prominent member

of a growing community and that's what he became.

Right. So he came here and sort of ran everything,

so, in those days, if you were delivering the post and teaching at the school...

-There was no post office here then. But he was the postman.

-Right.

-He probably did it on horseback with his thing.

-Indeed, indeed.

-Well, that's...

-Highly regarded.

-That's something, that IS something.

That's...that's fascinating and...

..a proud moment, that, isn't it?

In 1815, French emperor Napoleon made his last stand

against the Duke of Wellington at Waterloo.

As a cavalry soldier in the 10th Hussars,

William Collier was in the heart of this famous battle.

But why was Waterloo so celebrated in history?

To find out more, Trevor joins expert Professor Chris Williams from Swansea University.

The Battle of Waterloo takes place in June 1815

and it's the culmination of what were called Napoleon's Hundred Days.

Were they heroes after the Battle of Waterloo, that particular regiment?

Anybody that served at Waterloo was regarded as a hero.

It was the first battle in British history for which all ranks,

that is, not just the officers but the private soldiers as well,

were given a campaign medal and to be a Waterloo veteran

-was something that would have been...

-So, I can be proud?

I think you can be proud.

I think people would have been very impressed to have this man in their midst.

As a cavalry soldier,

William would have been thrust into head-to-head combat with the enemy.

After the defeat of Napoleon,

William Collier returned a hero

and back in the Mumbles

was appointed Ward of Oystermouth Castle,

a position of great authority and responsibility.

He became a prominent member of this society.

He was the postman, he had the responsibility of everything.

-Absolutely.

-And the schoolteacher and... Wow.

-He had quite a position of authority in the community.

-Yeah, yeah.

That's a very imposing man. That's fascinating.

Trevor has clearly enjoyed learning of this story.

I'm genuinely thrilled and now, of course,

I will become an obsessive researcher of the battle of the Waterloo.

I expected some sort of creative,

maybe an artist or a musician or something, you know...

..who destroyed themselves through excess of some substance,

but...something tragic like that, but not a military hero.

You know, the battle of Waterloo, that's quite something.

Trevor has enjoyed his time here in the Mumbles,

but very soon he must leave this area

and move on to the next revelation in his family story.

He came to the Mumbles on many family holidays as a young boy.

So this spot has always had a very special place in his heart.

But now he's anxious to follow the story of his grandparents,

from his mother's side of the family tree -

his much-loved grandmother, Gwladys

and his grandfather, Charlie,

a coal miner from Merthyr Tydfil.

So does Trevor know how his grandfather

came here to Swansea

from his home in Merthyr, some 40 miles away?

I don't know how he ended up in Swansea,

I don't know whether it's because he...

No, I don't suppose he'd have met my grandmother Gwladys...

and followed her.

No, I don't know.

I would like to know about... Grandpa Charlie, yeah.

In fact, Trevor is passing Swansea Prison

where his grandfather was sent, in 1911.

It's a story as yet,

Trevor knows nothing about.

To learn of this episode,

Trevor is heading for the Rhondda Heritage Centre, near Pontypridd.

His grandfather was a hewer in the South Wales mines.

As a young man, he lost his father,

which seems to have had a direct affect on the next part of his life,

as Mike Churchill-Jones has discovered.

Your great-grandfather, he died a premature death at the age of 45.

Right.

And...your grandfather was 16 when this occurred.

-Mm-hm.

-The mother decided to marry again, some eight months later.

She didn't hang around then.

-She didn't hang around...

-OK.

-..created a bit of upheaval in your grandfather's life.

-Uh-huh.

He basically...he descended into drink, as far as I can tell

and it caused him to get in trouble with the authorities.

Mm-hm.

This is an extract from the assizes in 1910,

which just outlines three offences.

Drunk and disorderly...

-Uh-huh.

-..and he was selling liquor without a licence...

-Uh-huh.

-..and then finally...

-Oh.

-..he assaulted someone,

and he was on bail at the time.

So, he went to prison?

We find him in 1911...

-Ah, yes.

-..in the prison in Swansea.

So this is my grandfather's...?

No, this is your grandfather.

This is Charles William Hamer, born 1882 in Troedyrhiw, in Merthyr.

Oh, this is my grandfather?

If you turn the page, you'll actually find him.

I'm with it, just takes a bit of time for these stories to sink in.

So, his father died at 45.

-Yes.

-..and then his mother remarried, he got upset by it,

turned to drink and started - by all accounts -

beating people up in the local community.

He did, by the looks of it.

He was a tough man.

He was a tough man and he was known as a boxer and a fighter, wasn't he?

-He was sentenced to 12 months hard labour.

-Oh, my God!

As if he wasn't going to do enough hard labour in his life anyway.

But I think that's turned his life around.

As far as I know, his life was much better from there on.

Well, good for him, good for him.

Trevor was aged just four when his grandfather Charlie died.

Now, he wants to follow the story of Gwladys, his grandmother

who came from Glynneath.

Whilst in Wales, Trevor is staying in Swansea,

but for the next part of his journey

he's setting off to nearby Glynneath.

Well, I think it's easier for me to make contact with Glynneath

because that's a place where I... I stayed as a child

and my memories are there and my mother...

..although I grew up with her in Birmingham,

she maintained and kept her Welshness absolutely sacrosanct.

So...this has a much more direct emotional connection

than William Collier,

my great-great-great-grandfather in the battle of Waterloo,

which is wonderful, but that's more of a sort of...

..an objective appreciation than an emotional connection.

Trevor's mother, Elsie, was keen for him to know of his Welsh roots

and as a young boy he even learnt to sing in Welsh.

I have a...powerful baritone,

and I think that...

..I think that...

..probably in ancient times...

..my ancestors had that echoing around the valleys,

yeah, I sense that.

In fact, his singing voice will later be put to the test

as waiting to surprise him is the Glynneath Male Voice Choir.

CHOIR SINGS IN WELSH

But how much Welsh does Trevor really understand?

The Welsh speaking used to happen on the phone.

You'd hear, "Oh, no. Oh! No!"

And then the next lot would be Welsh,

cos that's where the secrets were always -

that's why I sort of associate the Welsh language with secrets.

Trevor is about to learn of one of those secrets.

He's finally arriving in Glynneath

and the small village of Pontneddfechan,

the place that has been home to generations of his family.

It's here that his mother Elsie lived

and where his grandmother Gwladys ran the local pub.

Being here in this village is very important to Trevor.

Still nestling on the banks of the Nedd Fechan river,

in the heart of the village,

is the White Horse Inn,

the home of his mother and grandmother to whom he was so close.

Here, he will learn of a secret involving his grandparents

that his family never shared with him.

Growing up, Trevor always knew that his grandparents had two children.

His mum, Elsie and his much-loved Uncle Jack.

-They had two children.

-Yes.

They had your mother, who was born in 1915.

-That's right.

-And Jack was born in 1920.

-Yeah.

-But there were other children born to them.

-Ah.

In between...

..there was a child, called Alban Charles Hamer...

born in 1918.

And that's his death certificate.

-So, he died when he was...?

-Five months.

-Five months.

That's interesting because there's always been talk of an Alban.

-Has there?

-Yeah, but...

..not that he died as a child.

He was five months old.

And there was another child...

born in 1925, called Maud,

who only lived...

One hour!

Premature birth.

Two children you never knew anything about.

No, I never knew anything about them.

Your aunt and uncle.

Well...

I've learnt about that in front of

however many hundreds of thousands of viewers there are.

That's kind of...

Hmm.

It's funny how people never tell you these things, isn't it?

Poor people. That's a tragedy, isn't it?

Well!

That's something.

That's something.

So, my mother was...ten.

It's interesting because I don't know if this goes anyway to explaining my mother's...

..departure from this part of the world when she was 16.

I don't know that that does, but it's interesting,

cos no-one ever really knew and she never talked about

why she left this part of the world when she was...

..16, which is 1931, which was quite something to do, in those days.

Well.

Yeah.

I wonder if my auntie knows of these...

..and my brother doesn't, my...

How extraordinary.

Clearly not having his mother or grandmother

to share this story with him has deeply affected Trevor.

Learning for the first time of an auntie and uncle

he knew nothing about.

I just feel...

I feel excluded, really. You feel sad.

Sad and excluded.

God, 1918, 1925, here.

The isolation and the fact that they lived with that pain and...

..there was no-one to counsel them or get them through it, you know?

I think those things are important to pass on.

Cos experience helps people live... with their present.

Extraordinary.

HE SNIFFS

Back at the White Horse Pub, the Glynneath Male Voice Choir

are busy rehearsing a homecoming performance for Trevor.

Trevor did have a much-loved uncle in Wales

who made it into adulthood - his uncle Jack.

Sadly, Jack died a few years ago

but his widow, Glenys

still lives nearby, with first cousin, Nigel.

I don't know whether you know about Elsie's...

there was Uncle Jack...

and there were two other children.

Oh, yes.

I knew you would.

Well, I don't, but I remember your...

..one of them died...

..in the flu epidemic.

There was Alban...

-That's right.

-We knew about him.

..who was five-months-old and he died of pneumonia...

-That's right.

-..in 1918.

-Hmm.

No-one ever told me this, though.

And there was Maud, who was...

born in 1925, lived for one hour.

A premature birth.

-Yes.

-Well, our grandmother was Gwladys Maud.

-Yeah.

Yes.

But I do remember her talking about this when the epidemic...

So, you knew about that? I told you my auntie Glenys would know.

She knows everything.

Em...now, what else was there?

Well, you can see that I'm...

..strongly Welsh. HE LAUGHS

-We always thought you were, Trev.

-It's amazing, I think.

There's one final treat in store at the White Horse Inn,

Trevor's family pub...

a performance from the Glynneath Male Voice Choir.

Hello.

-ALL:

-Hello.

Joined by his auntie Glenys and cousin Nigel,

Trevor is about to learn

that he's not just here to listen.

They tell me you've got a fine, baritone voice.

-Would you like to join the choir for Calon Lan?

-Of course?

THE CHOIR LAUGHS I don't know...

I don't know the words.

What are we going to sing then, lads?

-CHOIR:

-Calon Lan.

-Oh, God!

# Nid wy'n gofyn bywyd moethus

# Aur y byd na'i berlau man

# Gofyn wyf am galon hapus

# Calon onest, calon lan... #

'I feel...defined,'

sort of character and personality-wise,

by a Welsh temperament.

I recognise myself through my mother

in terms of emotional expression.

# Calon lan yn llawn daioni

# Tecach yw na'r lili dlos... #

It is important to pass it on to my children

and I think they're very aware of their heritage.

# Canu'r dydd a chanu'r nos. #

CHOIR APPLAUDS

I must say, I was really honoured to be asked

to have my Welsh connections recognised

by somebody other than myself

cos I've obviously always been... totally aware of them.

So I've felt very flattered by that and...

Yeah, it feels that I've made a kind of public display

about my Welshness,

and that I'm proud of.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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