Cymry'r Cant: Hugh Llanfairfechan


Cymry'r Cant: Hugh Llanfairfechan

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-Welsh centenarians.

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-A series about Welsh people who were

-born before the outbreak of WWI.

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-I was starting school...

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-..at the beginning

-of the First World War.

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-Schooldays.

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-Schooldays.

-

-One female teacher was very strict.

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-You'd get a slap.

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-You'd get a slap.

-

-You showed your hands were clean.

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-Memories spanning 100 years.

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-My wife feeding new-born lambs.

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-We were the ones

-who had the first bath.

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-In this episode, we focus on Hugh

-Lloyd Jones, who's 101 years old.

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-The entrepreneur

-who became the Mayor of Aberconwy.

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-I had the Midas touch.

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-It boils down to luck.

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-Everything I touched...

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-..turned to gold.

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-Isn't it refreshing...

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-..that we've reached

-this ripe old age...

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-..and are able to sit around

-in a room like this.

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-They have to keep order sometimes.

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-Some of us get out of hand at times.

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-Naming no names, of course.

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-But notice which way I'm looking.

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-I was born on 22 March...

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-..1913.

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-I was christened Hugh Lloyd Jones.

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-They tell me I was called Lloyd...

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-..because Lloyd George

-gave money to children...

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-..who were born during that era.

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-My mother was raised on a farm.

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-My father was a quarryman.

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-I was the baby,

-the youngest of three boys.

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-I was a year and a half...

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-..at the outbreak

-of the First World War.

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-My grandparents

-farmed here in Llanfairfechan.

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-From an early age,

-I helped my mother on the farm.

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-There was no better way

-to spend time.

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-I was with the hens and the lambs,

-collecting eggs...

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-..harvesting hay with the horse.

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-I'd feed the suckling lambs

-and things like that...

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-..when they were a little older.

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-I did that until I went to school

-at the age of five.

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-Some of the boys

-were a little older than me.

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-They suggested...

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-..that I was

-somewhat of a teacher's pet.

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-But from being a small boy...

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-..I realized what I was

-and I played on that all my life.

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-If you want

-to get on in the world...

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-..you have to...

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-..cultivate people.

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-To enjoy one's schooldays...

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-..there was no use

-being cantankerous and boisterous.

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-You had to get on

-with your teachers.

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-That's why

-I enjoyed being at school.

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-I think that's a photograph

-of me on the farm.

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-Even to this day, I still

-have strong ties with the school.

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-But talk about change!

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-Children and teachers nowadays...

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-..are friends.

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-Small children run from their desks

-to their teacher.

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-I could never have done that.

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-I'd have had a slap across the face

-if I'd run at the teacher.

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-Things like that

-have drastically changed.

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-I was in the 11-plus class.

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-Back then,

-you had to pass a scholarship.

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-It was important.

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-I did alright.

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-I wouldn't say

-I was top of the class...

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-..but I was certainly

-not bottom of the class.

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-But my friends were boys who all

-wanted to go and work in the quarry.

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-I used to tell them,

-"I don't want to go to the quarry.

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-"I want a job

-where I can keep my hands clean."

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-They looked at me and must have

-thought I was a right so-and-so.

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-"He's not a tough guy at all."

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-I felt under pressure

-from then on...

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-..because I didn't want

-to leave Llanfairfechan.

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-Almost everyone I knew

-who was older than me...

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-..who had gone to Friars School...

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-..and had done well

-for themselves...

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-..had jobs which took them

-out of Llanfairfechan.

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-For me,

-the Llanfairfechan brain drain...

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-..was Friars School

-and county school.

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-Strangely enough...

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-..I believe in the end...

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-..that I did better...

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-..than all those in my class...

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-..who went to county school

-or Friars.

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-You switched on the lights

-in Llanfair.

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-I was the first

-apprentice electrician in Llanfair.

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-You have to remember

-that I was 16 years old...

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-..before Llanfairfechan

-had electricity.

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-These young people...

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-..who we live amongst nowadays...

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-..can't believe how we

-used to live without electricity.

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-Mostly everything

-relies on electricity these days.

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-But we made do somehow.

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-I was the first in Llanfairfechan

-to switch on the lights.

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-I was called in by the engineer...

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-..who was responsible

-for all of Llanfairfechan.

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-He said, "Since you're

-Llanfair's first apprentice...

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-"..and born and bred

-in Llanfairfechan...

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-"..you can say in time...

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-"..that you were

-the first to switch on the lights."

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-After they tested the panel...

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-..to make sure the electricity

-had travelled from Dolgarrog...

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-..over to Llanfairfechan...

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-..I switched on the lights.

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-This was from underneath

-the town hall's stage...

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-..where they had a room at the time.

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-I don't know how the rest of you...

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-..spent your honeymoon.

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-I'm sure you did all kinds.

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-We spent ours in London.

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-Louie said,

-"I'd like us to work together."

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-She wanted to be with me.

-I said, "What do you want?

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-"A pair of overalls and a kit bag?"

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-She said, "No.

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-"You work

-from morning until night...

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-"..wiring homes...

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-"..and you work very hard."

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-Your customers say, "Very nice,

-Mr Jones. Thank you very much."

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-And then they go

-to Llandudno or Bangor...

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-..to buy a vacuum cleaner, an

-electric kettle, toaster or an iron.

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-She said, "They make more out of you

-than you make for yourself.

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-"So we'll look for a shop.

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-"I'll be the shopkeeper...

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-"..and maybe

-your existing customers...

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-"..whose houses you've wired...

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-"..will come to me

-to buy things for their homes."

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-It became a competition

-between Louie and myself.

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-Did I make

-the most profit from wiring...

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-..or did she make the most profit

-from selling the gear?

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-It went like clockwork.

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-Lou and I became workaholics.

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-We worked every waking hour.

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-I don't think I'd do it again.

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-But the War broke out...

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-..in 1939.

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-We'd only been married

-for 18 months.

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-By this time...

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-..we had a child...

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-..who was born

-five days after war was declared.

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-Aled had his birthday

-on 8 September...

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-..and war was declared

-on 3 September.

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-The shop closed.

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-We lost what we'd worked so hard

-to achieve over ten years.

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-I lost hundreds of pounds

-because we had to give away stock.

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-I was called up for the RAF.

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-I served for four and a half years.

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-Four years overseas...

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-..in the Azores.

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-She had this taken

-by a professional photographer.

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-He had a place in Penmaenmawr.

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-She sent me this photograph

-to show me...

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-..what they both looked like.

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-I had to go through

-a series of tests and so on...

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-..and they told me I'd be trained

-to do airfield control.

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-So we reached the Azores...

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-..a cluster of islands

-off the west coast of Africa.

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-We had specific duties

-once we'd settled there.

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-We'd been there six months.

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-Half a dozen

-small aircraft came there.

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-Some were biplanes

-with two fixed wings.

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-They'd fly around twice a day...

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-..to check the weather.

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-I thought, "Goodness me...

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-"..they've brought us all the way

-out here just to check the weather."

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-So that a farmer

-knew when to harvest straw...

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-..or for someone to go on holiday.

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-They'd sent me there

-to mess about with the weather...

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-..after my own business had folded.

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-I had to leave my young wife and my

-child, who was merely months old.

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-We'd come to the conclusion...

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-..that we were a useless bunch...

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-..and that they'd sent us

-as far away as possible...

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-..so that we wouldn't be a nuisance

-to anyone.

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-The island itself

-was a heavenly place.

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-People spend 1,000 nowadays

-to go there on a ten-day holiday...

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-..while we were sent there

-by the King for free.

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-They sent weather data

-to the Admiralty or wherever.

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-We weren't sure where.

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-We had no idea

-what they did with that data.

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-They told us

-after coming out on 4 June...

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-..that 5 June

-was going to be rather stormy...

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-..in the English Channel.

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-"But it's only a blip.

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-"The sixth will be better."

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-We thought

-maybe one of the admirals...

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-..or the wing commanders

-wanted to go on holiday...

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-..so we said, "Don't go

-on the fifth, go on the sixth."

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-We were none the wiser.

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-The D-Day Landings

-happened on 6 June.

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-If they'd gone on the fifth...

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-..hundreds more soldiers

-would have been killed...

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-..if they'd sunk the boats...

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-..between the storm,

-the guns and the aeroplanes.

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-The decision, which came from us...

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-..although we were

-unaware of it at the time...

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-..saved hundreds of souls.

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-When I was demobbed, I reached

-Llanfair and was exhausted.

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-I threw chippings

-at Lou's bedroom window...

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-..because I'd told her I'd be home

-but I hadn't said when.

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-Suddenly,

-the window opened a little.

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-Whoo! She saw me standing there.

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-She came down and opened the door.

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-She said, "You've walked

-all this way, you must be exhausted.

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-"Sit down and I'll make a cuppa."

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-The following morning, Lou said...

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-.."I'll get up to make breakfast

-and wake up Aled...

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-"..and you can see him

-once you've rested."

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-So Lou went down and made breakfast

-while I stayed in bed.

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-I heard a pitter-patter

-across the landing.

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-Aled was five years old at the time.

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-"Mam, there's a man in your bed!"

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-He didn't remember me at all.

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-Subtitles

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-Subtitles

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-Subtitles

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-# Through your window

-you see your world

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-# Revolving, in a race against time

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-# Wonders to witness every day

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-# Your reflection's

-in the window pane

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-# And between the frame

-you'll get an honest answer

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-# You've seen it all

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-# Hard times, better times #

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-What makes me feel old...

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-..is seeing these women

-looking so young.

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-You wouldn't believe

-that I remember their parents.

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-With some of them,

-I even remember their grandparents.

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-Looking at you from here,

-you all look remarkably good.

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-The hairdressers have worked their

-magic on you over the past few days.

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-I'm sure of that.

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-Up on the hill here...

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-..is the Pen Y Bryn Hotel.

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-I remember their first bus.

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-We called it the toast rack.

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-You got on

-and there were rows of benches.

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-That was the first bus I remember.

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-I remember it had hard tyres.

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-A man named Mr Pickering,

-Arthur Pickering was the bus driver.

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-Cars back then were just engines.

-They were very basic.

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-This was ours.

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-Do you see where that car is,

-with the garage in front of it?

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-Our sheds used to be there,

-at the side of the house.

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-Where that garage is now,

-that's where the toilet was.

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-An outside toilet.

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-There was a peg on the wall

-around the corner by the garage.

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-We hung our bath on that hook,

-to remind us.

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-Friday night

-was the main bath night.

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-We're here

-in front of the old Ysgol Nant...

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-..which was an important part

-of my early childhood.

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-I was baptized here, or so I'm told.

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-The Sunday school was very popular,

-attended by around 50 children...

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-..and adults of all ages.

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-Often on a Sunday,

-there were about 90 members here.

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-We'd have sports day in summer...

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-..and the usual Sunday school trips.

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-We'd have tea parties.

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-When there was a trip,

-entire families would go.

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-It was nothing

-to see four coaches turn up here...

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-..to take us,

-more often than not, to Rhyl.

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-There was a time

-when I owned a shop...

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-..a farm, a garage and a dairy.

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-Chris and John ran the garage.

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-Aled did most of the work

-on the farm. Aled is my son.

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-Louie took care of the shop...

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-..and I concentrated on the dairy.

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-Those who worked for me would say...

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-..I had an easy time of it

-while they did all the work!

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-People may think

-that I'm preoccupied with money.

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-I wouldn't say that.

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-It wasn't something

-that ruled my life.

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-I was the third Mayor of Aberconwy.

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-I was invited

-to all kinds of things.

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-It was a very interesting job.

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-But...

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-..you had to be able

-to mix with people.

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-Thankfully, I was able to do that.

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-It didn't matter at all to me...

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-..if it was a prayer meeting

-in Seion Chapel, Ysbyty Ifan.

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-I could go there...

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-..and sit

-in the deacons' pew with the elders.

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-They'd ask me to say a few words.

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-Likewise, if there was

-a big jamboree going on somewhere...

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-..I'd go there, full of beans too.

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-You have to be adaptable

-if you want to get on in this world.

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-Louie and I had the opportunity

-to meet people...

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-..and go to places we never dreamed

-of going when we were young.

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-We never thought

-we'd see that day come.

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-We met ordinary folk

-as well as the Queen.

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-We went to Buckingham Palace

-for tea twice.

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-I've been introduced...

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-..and shaken hands

-with the Queen and the Duke.

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-I've shaken hands with the Prince

-of Wales and met Princess Diana.

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-Llanfairfechan

-has changed in so many ways.

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-Linguistically...

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-..we practically all spoke Welsh

-during my childhood and my youth.

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-Nowadays,

-it's almost gone the other way.

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-I lived in three places

-before I got married.

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-I lived on the farm

-you can see in front of us.

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-I'd open the curtains

-in the morning...

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-..and see fields, sheep and cows.

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-Now, I see houses and concrete.

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-I had the Midas touch.

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-It boils down to luck.

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-Everything I touched...

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-..turned to gold.

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-Don't think for a moment...

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-..that I'm claiming

-to have a halo above my head.

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-I'm not saying that at all.

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-I started from nothing.

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-Zero.

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-I'd say at one point...

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-..I was earning more than anyone

-else in Llanfairfechan at the time.

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