Abercynon Memories.
Hello, my name is David.
At 86 I still have memories of the day in 1944 when Abercynon Park became a U.S.Army Camp.
Later that park provided rides on what must have been Wales,s first Zip-Wire ride.
I remember when the parks sports fields alongside the railway from the Bowls Pavillon to Pontcynon Halt was ploughed up for potato,s,soon after War ended and food became scarce and we kids sneaked in to search for the exposed Codd Bottles which we smashed for the..Pop Alley?
Later when the potatoes were harvested only the medium to large were taken leaving the smaller size ones.
The scene was almost Biblical as the fields were..Gleaned….for the leftovers.
I remember the day when an explosive charge in the quarry above Park View went wrong and sent a chunk of rock into the roof of Ysgol Ganol.
Most exciting was watching a team of Army Women blowing up the stone arch bridge on the disused Pontypridd- Nelson railway alongside the lane to Llechwen Hall. Later I heard they were members of an S.O.E unit that went to France before D.Day.
Best of all. There may still be folk around in Carnetown who went to see …The Coconut..
that mysteriously arrived by post from the West Indies, during WW2. I went to see it..and a lovely lady gave us a drink of homemade ginger beer and a Welsh cake.
There,s lots more, but it’s time for my ..Pills!
Stay safe.
David
