Yr Oes Aur Hanes Cymru a'r Mor

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-THE GOLDEN AGE

-Nowadays, the small harbours of

-Wales are mainly tourist centres.

-But, originally,

-they were trade centres.

-Exporting slate was the main

-activity of Bangor's Port Penrhyn.

-Dilwyn Morgan and I wanted

-a taste of Welsh seamanship...

-..during the 19th century.

-Twenty years ago, Dilwyn and I,

-and a few others...

-..sailed around

-the Welsh coastline...

-..and on to Ireland,

-on 'The Soren Larsen'.

-This was a sailing ship

-from the turn of the last century.

-It was a chance for us

-to sail together once again.

-This time,

-we were on board 'The Vilma'.

-Originally a fishing boat...

-..she had adopted the guise of

-a late 19th century Welsh schooner.

-Similar ships transported goods

-all over the Welsh coastline.

-At least Dilwyn and I

-agreed about that.

-We'll have to do something,

-before we land on Beaumaris quay!

-I'll let go, you pull.

-Girls weren't captains

-in the olden days...

-..so don't start handing out orders!

-But the captain's wife

-could accompany him.

-I'm sure it was a miserable life

-for them.

-Women also gave birth at sea.

-Women also gave birth at sea.

-

-Exactly.

-Women also gave birth at sea.

-What should we do with the sails?

-What should we do with the sails?

-

-If we stay on course they're OK.

-This is how it was years ago.

-No winches, or anything

-that we're familiar with.

-It makes you realise

-how hard they worked...

-..even on the small boats,

-sailing along the coast.

-A small crew of youngsters.

-Boys as young as 12 went to sea.

-We're properly kitted-out.

-In those days, they just spread

-a little coal tar on their coats.

-It's an amazing experience.

-I marvel at how they managed.

-You ran away to sea, too - almost!

-How old were you?

-When I was sixteen,

-I worked for the P & O company.

-In a way, I ran away to sea.

-Since then I've researched

-my family tree...

-..on my grandmother's side,

-from Borth-y-Gest.

-They say salt water's in your blood.

-It's definitely true about me.

-For how long were you sailor?

-I left after four years'

-apprenticeship as a second mate.

-I missed my home.

-But you remained close to water -

-sailing in Glan-llyn on Bala Lake.

-The call of the sea!

-Sailing in Glan-llyn...

-..and twice around

-the coastline of Britain.

-Two years ago, I sailed around

-the Azores Islands on my own.

-I'd always wanted to do that.

-I had the opportunity and I went.

-What was it like to sail solo?

-An experience!

-I enjoyed it, looking back.

-There were times when I thought,

-'What am I doing here on my own?'

-But coming back to seafaring life

-in the last century...

-..the lads of Porthmadog, Lleyn and

-Llangrannog sailed to Australia.

-It took them four to five months

-to get there.

-They didn't have the charts, maps or

-GPS satellite system that you had.

-They didn't have anything.

-The old sea captains sailed

-having learnt from other captains.

-They would enquire about prevailing

-winds. That's how it worked.

-This just makes their achievement

-more incredible.

-I admire them greatly.

-Was the boat on automatic pilot

-while you slept?

-That was the plan.

-Technology's great - when it works.

-The electronics failed

-after a fortnight - nothing worked.

-I had to steer myself.

-I tried to develop a contraption

-made of chord and elastic...

-..which allowed me

-to get some sleep.

-In the old days, someone

-was at the helm 24 hours a day.

-In a caravan, you can pull

-into a lay-by when you're fed up.

-You have to

-sail

-all the time.

-How long were you at sea

-on your own?

-Five weeks.

-Did you say 'never again'

-when you returned home?

-For a while.

-It took a good month

-to recover from lack of sleep...

-..and being isolated

-from other people.

-The company of people after

-five weeks on your own is scary!

-I didn't want to be with people.

-But two years have passed.

-I feel the call of the sea

-once more.

-Being on this boat today

-has revived all those feelings.

-Although he started out

-as a merchant seaman...

-..sailing is how Dilwyn relaxes -

-he doesn't do it for a living.

-The same is true about many others.

-Dilwyn and I enjoyed being sailors

-for a day on board 'The Vilma'.

-It reminded us of days gone by...

-..and how things have changed

-over the years.

-For better, or for worse.

-When my father was a young lad,

-sailors earned a good living.

-He belonged to a seafaring tradition

-dating back centuries.

-It played a central role in the

-lives of the Welsh in coastal areas.

-But very few of my generation

-went to sea...

-.."to bear witness

-to God's miracles and treasures".

-The Golden Age of Welsh seamanship

-dates back many centuries.

-It started in earnest in

-the latter part of the 18th century.

-It continued

-for most of the 20th century.

-The little harbours,

-as well as the bigger ones...

-..were a key element in the growth

-of seafaring industries.

-These smaller centres

-sustained life on the coast...

-..bringing work to small villages...

-..and connecting the people of

-west Wales with the wider world.

-The historian J Geraint Jenkins

-was born into a family of sailors.

-He has written a book

-charting our seafaring tradition.

-I sailed with him

-to his birthplace, Llangrannog.

-The village

-has a rich seafaring tradition.

-It's mainly a holiday village today.

-But in the 18th century...

-..the area's residents

-were smallholders and fishermen.

-The main catch

-was salted or smoked herring.

-That's how the seafaring tradition

-began in this part of the world.

-My great-great-great-grandfather,

-Dafydd Jenkins was a farmer.

-He owned about five acres of land.

-He kept a cow and a pig, perhaps.

-But during summer and autumn,

-he fished for herring.

-This is how a writer

-once described Cardigan Bay.

-"Enclosed with a hedge of herrings."

-There were so many of them.

-Many Welshmen fished for them.

-They were full of goodness

-and easy to catch.

-In fact, they were slightly

-too easy to catch at times.

-Often, tonnes of the fish

-were brought to shore...

-..more than enough

-to feed the local population.

-Rather than waste them...

-..gardeners used the herring instead

-of manure, to fertilise the land.

-In the beginning, the fishermen

-of west Wales were part time.

-But as they became

-more confident and experienced...

-..boats came to play a more

-prominent part in their lives.

-Local boats sailed along the coast.

-'Coastal trade' as it was known.

-That was incredibly important

-to this village.

-They brought lime for agricultural

-use. There were six lime kilns here.

-They also carried household fuel.

-People burnt small pieces

-of anthracite...

-..mixed with clay and water.

-That kept the fires going

-in this area.

-It was incredibly important.

-They would bring it here

-from three ports.

-Hook, in Pembrokeshire.

-Pembrey in Carmarthen Bay.

-If you wanted the best quality,

-you'd go to Swansea.

-The village sailors

-supplied the village with fuel...

-..in the spring and summer months.

-Llangrannog sailors sailed mostly

-around the Welsh coast.

-Boats regularly sailed

-between west Wales and Ireland.

-But up until

-the mid-eighteenth century...

-..the Irish were mainly responsible

-for that trade.

-Suddenly, a Welshman realised

-we could do this job ourselves.

-They began to export.

-Gradually, trade and seamanship in

-this part of the world flourished.

-Farm manure was exported

-from Llangrannog to Ireland.

-They thought Cardiganshire manure

-was the best for growing potatoes.

-Substantial ships were needed

-to sail the treacherous Irish Sea.

-The small coastal fishing boats

-were too basic.

-My great-great-great-grandfather

-built his own boat - 'The Blessing'.

-It was 24 tonnes.

-'The Blessing' sailed regularly from

-Penbryn Bay to Wicklow in Ireland.

-He brought back a wife with him!

-Hannah Christmas was my

-great-great-great-grandmother.

-Today, we're amazed to find

-that shipbuilding...

-..was common all along

-the west Wales coast.

-Some of those yards - in Porthmadog

-and New Quay - are well known.

-But ships were also built

-in small villages like Llangrannog.

-The seafaring industry existed

-in dozens of minor harbours...

-..along the coast of Wales.

-But in the closing years

-of the 18th century...

-..the harbour towns became

-more of an attraction to sailors.

-Surprisingly, perhaps, Cardigan

-was Wales' most important harbour...

-..at the beginning

-of the 19th century.

-There were seven times more boats

-in Cardigan than in Cardiff.

-When the University was

-being built in Bangor in 1907...

-..they used the green slate of

-Cilgerran, exported from Cardigan...

-..rather than the blue slate

-of Caernarfonshire...

-..much to the chagrin

-of Gwynedd quarrymen.

-But Cardigan's importance

-as a harbour was short-lived.

-By the mid-19th century,

-the tide had turned.

-The main reason

-was that the river silted over.

-To this day, the Teifi estuary

-is difficult to navigate.

-Industry was sparse and Cilgerran

-slate quarry was an exception.

-By the 19th century, the importance

-of Cardigan as a harbour diminished.

-The tide was turning.

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-A little over 200 years ago, Wales'

-economy changed dramatically.

-Wales would become

-a major international...

-..industrial and economic centre.

-A variety of industries

-produced all sorts of goods...

-..from woollen socks

-to steel and copper.

-The south west, the natural

-territory of herring fishermen...

-..had its own industrial ports.

-In Pembrokeshire, the Porthgain

-brick works was built by the sea...

-..so the owners could distribute

-their produce by sea.

-Porthgain harbour is rarely used

-commercially nowadays.

-But it was once a bustling harbour,

-full of sailing and steam ships...

-..exporting stones and bricks.

-When we consider

-Wales' industrial history...

-..it's all too easy to forget

-the minor industries and harbours.

-It's a myth that the sole industry

-of rural Wales was agriculture.

-Quite the opposite. Industries

-and industrial harbours...

-..were common in several areas

-of rural Wales...

-..from Flintshire to Anglesey

-to Pembrokeshire.

-But there's no denying that one area

-of Wales dominated the country...

-..industrially and economically.

-Wales witnessed great changes

-at the end of the 18th century.

-Thousands of people moved

-from the rural areas to the towns...

-..especially to the towns

-of south east Wales.

-The coal and steel industries

-were growing rapidly.

-Sailors moved there -

-not to work in the industries...

-..but to export products

-from Wales world-wide.

-From the 1780s onwards...

-..the steel industry grew around

-Merthyr, Rhymney and Blaenavon.

-By the early 1800s,

-the Glamorgan canal opened.

-The canal was a direct link between

-Merthyr Tydfil and Cardiff docks.

-By the 1840s, the canal made way

-for the Taff Vale Railway.

-This was the main link

-between the valleys and the docks.

-It heralded the most prosperous era

-in the history of the Welsh economy.

-By the 1850s, the economy

-of south Wales was transformed.

-The foundation of the industry

-shifted from steel to coal.

-There was enormous demand

-for Welsh coal throughout the world.

-Coal exports from Cardiff

-reached their peak in 1913.

-10 million tonnes of coal

-were exported out of Cardiff.

-4 million tonnes went from Penarth,

-and 11 million from Barry.

-To give you an idea of the amount

-of coal that was exported...

-..it would have filled

-the Millennium Stadium 27 times.

-That's a lot of coal!

-It would be hard to produce today!

-The huge demand for coal

-turned Cardiff...

-..into one of the world's

-busiest and most important harbours.

-An insignificant fishing village

-became a prosperous city.

-The commercial opportunities in

-19th century Cardiff were enormous.

-But local residents

-didn't seize the opportunity.

-Immigrants from north and west

-Wales, Devon and Cornwall...

-..established

-shipping companies here.

-Just before WW1, the biggest

-shipping company in Cardiff...

-..was

-Evan Thomas Radcliffe and Company.

-The company's roots were

-in Aberporth and Merthyr Tydfil.

-There were other Welsh companies -

-Jenkins Brothers from Aberporth...

-..Owen Watkin Williams from Lleyn...

-..and John Mathias and Sons

-from Aberystwyth.

-The village of Appledore in Devon

-made a huge contribution to Cardiff.

-It was the birthplace of Sir William

-Reardon Smith and W J Tayton...

-..who later became Lord Glan Ely.

-He spent his life working

-for a shipping company.

-They say there were two ways

-into the shipping business.

-'Either through the counting house,

-or through the wheel house.'

-That was certainly true of Cardiff.

-Partnerships were forged...

-..between those with

-practical seafaring experience...

-..and those with on-shore

-accounting skills.

-It's only during the 20th century

-that the people of Cardiff...

-..followed the example

-of the immigrants.

-Without exception, those people

-came from a seafaring background.

-Until the 1870s, Cardiff attracted

-many sailors from West Wales.

-They went there to work

-for the shipping companies.

-The Commodore Master Reardon Smith

-Line in the '70s...

-..had its roots in New Quay,

-Cardiganshire.

-There have always been close ties...

-..between the coastal areas

-and Cardiff.

-Not just ship owners...

-..but sailors, people who had worked

-on ships and in shipping offices.

-It's similar to the association

-between north Wales and Liverpool.

-Cardiff's geographical position

-ensured the growth of its port.

-There were huge coalfields nearby.

-But important industries

-were located throughout Wales.

-Many coastal areas

-were industrial centres.

-There were hundreds of lead,

-copper and silver works...

-..in the hills overlooking

-Cardigan Bay.

-It was the same story

-throughout Wales.

-Areas without produce to export

-were extremely rare.

-The steam ship

-wasn't the only device...

-..that depended on the special coal

-of south Wales.

-By the mid-19th century...

-..railways transported goods

-all over the country.

-But the trains often worked

-side by side with the ships.

-They did not replace them

-entirely.

-Proof of this partnership...

-..can be seen in the quarrying areas

-of north west Wales.

-Tracks and tunnels connect the

-train, the quarry and the harbour.

-Bangor's Port Penrhyn was built

-to export Penrhyn Quarry slate.

-That's where I met Dr Dafydd Roberts

-from the Llanberis Slate Museum.

-There are two tunnels.

-One was for a narrow-gauge railway,

-built in 1801.

-The other was for a fairly

-standard-gauge railway...

-..which arrived in the 1850s.

-In 1801, the narrow-gauge railway...

-..was the earliest to service

-all of north Wales' quarries.

-Similar railways serviced

-the Dinorwig Quarry in 1824...

-..and the Nantlle Vale Quarries

-in 1828.

-That was of great benefit

-to the local people.

-The quarry enjoyed 25 years of

-continuous and successful trading.

-The slate was loaded onto the ships

-in the harbour.

-They were transported from

-the narrow line to the bigger line.

-The two options were possible.

-Exporting slate by sea

-to British ports...

-..or on the main railway line

-to markets in central England.

-Port Penrhyn was a crucial link

-in the transport cycle...

-..that stretched to the rest

-of Britain and the world.

-In addition, Port Penrhyn

-was a centre for producing goods.

-This building

-is extremely interesting.

-A factory here produced

-writing slates for schools...

-..from the 18th-century.

-Eventually, dozens of factories

-sprung up in the quarrying areas.

-In their heyday,

-they increased the value of slate.

-They could use roof tiles

-for other purposes.

-These writing slates were still

-being used until the 1960s...

-..by a Liverpool shipping company.

-They used the slate to record

-the ships' schedules.

-All sorts of activities

-took place in the harbour.

-Those also depended on the quarry.

-But exporting slate from one

-of the world's largest quarries...

-..was the main role of Port Penrhyn.

-This is how the harbour evolved.

-The present harbour remains

-unchanged since the 1850s.

-It was developed and extended four

-times, from the 1790s onwards...

-..as a result of the demand

-for slate.

-It shows the harbour at its busiest.

-Sailing ships queued

-to take on cargos of slate.

-Trading in Caernarfon and Porthmadog

-was slightly different.

-They tended to export slate

-to Europe and beyond.

-Here in Penrhyn, slate was sold

-to harbours in the United Kingdom...

-..Northern Ireland,

-and the Isle of Man.

-Slate was exported all over

-the world, but through Liverpool.

-In Liverpool, slate bound

-for Australia or South America...

-..were loaded onto larger ships.

-Did this alter the characters

-of Caernarfon and Porthmadog?

-Yes, I suppose so.

-There would have been a connection

-between Porthmadog and Germany.

-We know that some ships sailing

-between Porthmadog and Germany...

-..were named after the wives

-of slate merchants in Germany.

-Porthmadog folk knew what

-was happening on the continent.

-This wasn't true of the people

-of Penrhyn and Bangor.

-Their trading was more local.

-The harbours themselves

-were a hive of activity.

-This in turn created more activity.

-Everything associated with

-a busy harbour happened here.

-Dozens of ships were built here,

-from the 1820s onwards.

-A Bangor-based company insured

-the ships.

-Sailors were trained here.

-Local companies produced sails,

-ropes, rigging and masts...

-..everything that was required

-to maintain a busy harbour.

-It wasn't just industrial goods

-that came through Bangor.

-People sailed on ships and boats

-from Bangor.

-They departed

-from where the pier is today.

-The steamer, Prince Jaja,

-was a famous example.

-It sailed regularly every week

-from Bangor to Liverpool.

-The voyage took about 12 hours.

-It brought back travellers,

-goods and the latest fashions.

-Unlike the coal industry,

-some of the quarries are still busy.

-This is also true of Port Penrhyn.

-Some of the quarry-linked harbours

-have become marinas.

-There are pleasure boats here.

-But it's still a working harbour.

-There's a busy and noisy scrapyard

-here.

-There are fishing boats here.

-Mussel fishing is still important.

-Until fairly recently...

-..Penrhyn Quarry exported

-dust and slate to Scandinavia.

-The association with

-the slate industry has continued.

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-Wales was one of the world's

-first industrial countries.

-This has shaped

-the nation's modern day history.

-Ships from Wales exported goods

-all over the world.

-Unlike Ireland...

-..industry sustained hundreds

-of thousands of people in Wales.

-But there's another side

-to the story.

-As well as providing a living...

-..the produce of the steel furnaces

-was deadly.

-Britain's ships

-were the backbone of the Empire.

-From the beginning of the 19th

-century to the early 20th century...

-..Wales produced the weapons that

-enabled Britannia to rule the waves.

-Welshmen served in that Navy.

-There were 30 Welshmen on board HMS

-Victory in the Battle of Trafalgar.

-Gruffydd Griffiths from Caernarfon

-was a bearer at Nelson's funeral...

-..in 1805.

-Welsh mine and smelter workers

-contributed to the fleet's success.

-Copper from Parys Mountain,

-Anglesey...

-..copper-plated the navy's fleet.

-Cannons and cannon balls were made

-from Cyfarthfa and Wrexham steel.

-263 war ships were built

-in Pembroke Dock shipping yard.

-The series of forts

-on the mouth of the Cleddau river...

-..testified

-to its maritime importance.

-A Pembroke Dock tower has been

-restored to its original state.

-That's where I met the historian

-and archaeologist, Paul Sambrook.

-He took me around

-this amazing building.

-What happened here?

-This was one of the tower's

-most important rooms.

-The magazine is where the cannon

-shells were charged with powder.

-They obviously had

-very strict rules.

-This was an incredibly dangerous

-place, full of gunpowder.

-The men who worked here

-wore special clothes and shoes.

-You can imagine the effects

-of sparks in a room full of powder.

-Anyone caught smoking would

-immediately be thrown into prison...

-..such was the seriousness

-of the offence.

-There are two entrances here.

-It's a very narrow space.

-In the heat of battle,

-people would be rushing around.

-It was important to know

-where everyone else was going.

-There was one set of stairs

-going up and another coming down.

-That way, they didn't collide.

-Why did they build the towers?

-To understand that, we have

-to go back to Napoleon's time.

-There was a real danger

-France would attack Britain.

-We know about

-the attack on Fishguard.

-A series of towers were built along

-the south and east English coast.

-This was in the early 1800s.

-They realised that there

-was a threat to Milford Haven.

-That's why towers were built here,

-too.

-Why the name, Martello?

-It's an interesting story. It's

-a misnomer of Mortella in Corsica.

-The British fleet failed

-to seize one of their towers.

-Impressed they decided to build

-similar towers in Wales.

-This tower,

-and others like it in the area...

-..shows the strategic importance

-of Pembroke Dock.

-Certainly.

-Pembroke Dock is situated on one of

-the world's best natural harbours.

-The Navy realised

-its importance a century ago.

-They wanted to defend what they had.

-That's why a series of towers

-can be found here to this day.

-It's fortunate that one remains

-in such good condition...

-..so we can understand more

-about them.

-The most important ships

-of their day were built here.

-It's strange to think

-that during the 19th century...

-..over 250 war ships

-were built here.

-Five royal ships were built here.

-It's hard to imagine today

-how busy these docks were.

-But in its day,

-this was the heart of the Navy.

-The fort of Pembroke Dock was built

-on Lord Palmerston's command.

-He was the Minister for War

-in the mid-19th century.

-Although Martello Tower is the

-official name of these forts...

-..many call them

-'Palmerston's Follies'.

-There's a very good reason for that.

-The towers were completed by 1851...

-..but the cannons hadn't arrived

-by the end of that year.

-Within two years, this tower

-was turned into a storeroom.

-It was built for a reason -

-to defend the area.

-But once France and Napoleon

-poised no threat...

-..these places

-were surplus to requirements.

-They were used as stores

-for a long time.

-But some were used again during WW2.

-There were guns

-on this defence tower.

-ACAC guns were located here.

-They defended the area

-from the Luftwaffe.

-# His parents worried,

-# His sister,

-and all his friends worried

-# That he'd never see Solva again

-# If he went to the end

-of the world. #

-We usually regard the growth

-of Welsh industry as a blessing.

-The Pembroke dockyard,

-like other dockyards...

-..are an important part

-of that growth.

-But Pembroke Dock reminds us

-that there was a price to pay.

-It's a symbol of the dark side

-of the growth of industry in Wales.

-War on land or sea

-can be a lucrative business.

-It puts money in the pockets of

-soldiers and ordinary workers...

-..as well as generals

-and owners of steelworks.

-But, of course,

-war is a bloody business.

-Many Welshmen lost their lives

-at sea over the centuries.

-Remembering how we profited

-from places like Pembroke Dock...

-..it's appropriate also

-to remember the human loss.

-# Walter died at sea,

-# He died for his country.

-# Hurry, we must leave,

-# Longing fills my heart.

-# But today we'll go on The Tarpan,

-# Deep beneath the waves.

-# Deep beneath the waves.

-# Deep beneath the waves. #

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-The sailor is often the last link

-in the industrial chain.

-His ship transports goods

-to the markets...

-..as well as raw material.

-Train and lorry drivers

-do their share.

-But even today,

-in the age of air travel...

-..ships are crucial to the process

-of transporting goods...

-..all over the world.

-For over 150 years...

-..the majority of British sailors

-have been disciplined men.

-They've been thoroughly trained

-in seafaring ways.

-The London government ensures

-that Merchant Navy sailors...

-..receive the necessary training.

-In 1851,

-the Merchant Ship Act was passed.

-Ship owners were obliged to ensure

-their crews were trained sailors.

-A group of ship owners decided

-to establish a training school.

-This was 'The HMS Conway',

-which was anchored in Liverpool.

-As the demand for places onboard

-increased...

-..it became apparent that

-the original 'Conway' was too small.

-A new ship was bought in 1860...

-..and again in 1876.

-The name was transferred

-from ship to ship.

-When German bombs were

-dropped on Liverpool in WW2...

-..'HMS Conway' was moved to Wales.

-It was berthed at Bangor pier,

-between 1941 and 1949.

-After that, it was moved

-to Plas Newydd, Anglesey.

-My father was a student on board

-the ship during its time in Bangor.

-He was proud of the fact that he was

-one of 'The Conway's' lads.

-The ship engineer, Leslie Bowles,

-was also proud to work on her.

-We were a crew of eight.

-The crew was on board

-for 48 hours before she set sail.

-It was 'all hands' there.

-We couldn't go to shore, or go home.

-We were in bed by ten o'clock,

-on the dot.

-I switched the generators off

-at quarter past ten.

-Everyone on board slept.

-But very often, Captain Hewitt

-would appear, and say...

-.."Keep the generators going until

-I tell you to switch them off."

-He was quite a pompous man.

-His wife was watching television!

-That's why the generators

-weren't switched off.

-I thought it was high time

-she left the ship.

-That happened often.

-We called her 'Ma Hewitt'.

-Captain Hewitt was promoted in 1949,

-after Captain Goddard retired.

-Goddard was renowned for his ability

-to read the seas.

-He steered the ship

-from Bangor to Plas Newydd.

-By 1953,

-'HMS Conway' was in need of repair.

-After all, she was built

-almost 130 years earlier.

-She went to Liverpool

-to be overhauled.

-She leaked like a basket.

-We needed to pump gallons

-of water from her hull everyday.

-They decided to take her

-to Liverpool's Alfred Halt quay...

-..to be with your Dad, Sian!

-Her course to Liverpool was through

-the Menai Straits 'swellies'.

-These dangerous waters are between

-the Menai and Britannia bridges.

-To ensure the safe passage of ships

-through the Menai Straits...

-..tugboats and pilots

-were on call to assist.

-But there was bad feeling

-between 'The HMS Conway' captain...

-..and the pilot.

-Their biggest worry

-was navigating the Cheese Rock.

-There was only two feet of water...

-..between

-the cheese rock and the hull.

-That's why they refused to take her.

-"No. We stay here 'til 9.20,"

-said Captain Hewitt.

-"I'm in command of the ship. I'll

-say when we go," he told the pilot.

-The pilot almost cried and begged

-him to leave half an hour earlier.

-They wouldn't listen to him.

-If they'd left half an hour earlier,

-they would have made it.

-The effort to lead the ship

-through the swellies was a failure.

-Leslie Bowles was on board

-'HMS Conway' when she hit the rocks.

-The tide went down about

-an hour after she hit the rocks.

-You could hear planks bursting,

-just like a gun going off.

-It was terrible. She was folding

-against the rocks and breaking up.

-We knew it was goodbye

-and that she'd never leave.

-I was one of the last to leave.

-The tide went out.

-About ten o'clock at night,

-we all decided to go home.

-We were back at six in the morning.

-I left with Captain Hewitt

-and his mates.

-You left her on the rocks.

-Yes, we left her there.

-No-one could move her.

-She was half-filled with water.

-Leslie didn't leave

-'The Conway' empty-handed.

-The sugar bowls

-had 'The HMS Conway' crest.

-There was one on the table

-in our office.

-They emptied the ship.

-I asked Captain Hewitt, "Any chance

-of having that for a souvenir?"

-"Take it," he replied.

-It was in my shed for fifty years.

-I put it on e-bay, and made 80.

-That was worth having!

-Fifty years after

-the loss of 'HMS Conway'...

-..Leslie Bowles still feels

-close to the ship.

-I think about her every day,

-bless her!

-To think that I've been able

-to come ashore...

-..and to say today that I sailed

-on the 'wooden walls of England'.

-Not many can say that.

-We'd only sailed 4 miles, but it

-didn't matter. We had sailed on her.

-That was quite something.

-Four anchors kept 'HMS Conway'

-in place at Plas Newydd, Anglesey.

-The two smaller anchors

-can be seen during low tide...

-..on the shores of the river. This

-is one of the two bigger anchors.

-The other is outside

-Caernarfon's Maritime Museum.

-The location of the two anchors

-confirms the important connection...

-..between Liverpool harbour

-and the harbours of north Wales.

-The best symbol of that connection

-was The Alfred Halt company.

-The Blue Funnel Line.

-When it was time for 'The Conway'

-to be repaired in 1937...

-..the Blue Funnel Line

-carried out the work.

-For the rest of her life, the ship

-was the company's responsibility.

-After being a cadet on

-'The Conway'...

-..my father was one

-of dozens of Welshmen...

-..who worked on board

-the Blue Funnel ships.

-It had so many Welsh sailors

-that the ship was known as...

-..'the Welsh navy'.

-Tony Jones was another Welshman

-who sailed with them.

-He's a sailor to this day. But he

-started on board 'the Welsh navy'.

-Tommy Gwelfor,

-as we knew him as children...

-..was a Blue Funnel bosun

-for many years.

-He worked for Blue Funnel

-throughout his life.

-He filled in

-the application form for me!

-I couldn't read it in Welsh,

-let alone English!

-I attended an interview

-in Birkenhead.

-That's when I first saw

-three Blue Funnel ships in a row.

-They were painted

-and ready to sail.

-The interviewer remarked,

-"D'you know what?

-"I'd never send you

-on a shopping errand.

-"You'd have no idea

-how much change to expect!"

-That was after the arithmetic test.

-They weren't looking for

-accountants - they wanted sailors.

-My first deep sea voyage

-was on 'The Perseus'.

-We sailed through the Panama Canal,

-to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore...

-..and home around the Cape.

-I did three similar trips

-before I was eighteen.

-I was a young lad, from Lleyn.

-I thought it was infinitely better

-than picking potatoes!

-And more dangerous, too!

-A sailor's life is dangerous

-if you don't know what you're doing.

-We were taken under

-the bosun's wing.

-My first bosun was Willie Thomas,

-from Amlwch. He was a nice man.

-He died a long time ago

-but he was a unique character!

-We knew how to tie a knot.

-He taught us the correct terms.

-The language at sea is different.

-The ceiling is known

-as the deckhead.

-Deck, deckhead.

-A wall is a bulkhead.

-You'd get funny looks

-if you said 'wall' at sea.

-The Blue Funnel Line closed in 1967.

-The company was taken over

-by Ocean Transport and Trading.

-But Tony still works on the ships.

-A sailor's life has changed

-considerably since he started.

-Everything is much more serious now.

-You have to wear a helmet,

-gloves and safety boots.

-You can't wear short-sleeved shirts.

-The boiler-suits do up

-right to the top.

-But during my life at sea,

-I only wore flip-flops and shorts...

-..and a handkerchief on my head to

-stop sweat from getting in my eyes!

-I didn't hear

-of anyone getting hurt.

-We meet today to evaluate the risks,

-before tying a ship up.

-I think it's an affront to ask me

-to attend a meeting.

-I've been tying up ships

-for almost 40 years.

-I still have

-all my fingers and toes!

-Tony Jones

-is a rare creature nowadays.

-Of the thousands of Welshmen

-of his generation who went to sea...

-..very few are still sailors.

-But once the sea salt is in your

-blood, it's hard to get rid of it.

-Once her nose is in,

-we'll move to that corner.

-Long after he retired

-as a captain...

-..my father was still

-drawn to the sea.

-He was one of the enthusiastic crew

-who restored The Seiont...

-..a small steamer,

-known locally as the 'mud boat'...

-..and one of Caernarfon's boats.

-# Why can't I go straightaway

-# Overseas and sail back

-to Caernarfon? #

-Whilst Wales exists,

-the sea as well as the mountains...

-..will be a part of our identity

-as well as our heritage.

-# And all the boats loading

-in the harbour. #

-S4C Subtitles by GWEAD