'Gwenllian - Her Story' 'I Remember it Well'

This is the story of Gwenllian's life from her birth in Pontypool Monmouthshire in 1886 to her death in Haverfordwest Pembrokeshire in 1986. A strong willed, kind, loving lady who was small in stature but big in strength of character and will-power. She married Alfred Evans in 1906 and the same year a daughter was born; Phyllis.. They moved from Merthyr Tydfil to the mountain village of Cefnpennar and were shortly joined by her bachelor brother Edwin. She lived for over sixty years in the village. She fought the battle of life to protect and guide her family. A difficult task through miner's strikes and two world wars. Not only did she nurse her husband through a long illness but also her daughter. After her husband's death her brother gave her the strength to go on although times during WW2 were hard. Her home was full of love as during these years not only were my mother and myself living there but she was caring for an evacuee Dorothy Lamb. The end of the '40's brought her much unhappiness as for the eighteen months of her daughter's illness she slept on the settee by her bed at the same time also caring for her brother and raising me. 1956 brought the death of her brother now it was just gran and myself. This was the time when her will to live ebbed but with my marriage in 1959 and the birth of our two children Phillip and Eryl Lynne gran was given a new lease of life. We moved to Pembrokeshire in 1971 and we thought the move would be the breaking point for gran as she was now in her 80's but daily life continued happily with gran taking on the cooking a task she had always enjoyed. At 98 with the birth of her great-grand-daughter Emma she remarked that the years spent with us were the happiest. Her 100th birthday proved to her how much she was loved by friends, family and neighbours. 'Make new friends but keep the old' had been her motto in life. That special day she was surrounded by her family myself, my husband our two children now parents and two great-grand-children David and Emma. The book contains photos of family old and new; neighbours and friends from Cefnpennar and Haverfordwest and photos of those who played a part in making Britain Great. Read and enjoy.