Dilys Paes
All this time, we were aware that awful things were going on. We had the radio on and newspapers. If there was very bad news, we weren't allowed to have a look at it. Dad wouldn't let us look at or read the newspapers. All our social activities were based in Chapel. We all went to the Tabernacle Chapel, a nonconformist Chapel. All our social work was centred there. We went to Sunday school. Three times we went to church on a Sunday. We went to church in the morning, the afternoon to Sunday school and when we grew older, it was evening service as well. It was nice when it was Dad's turn to play the organ. We used to have practices at home on Friday and Saturday evening to choose the hymns that Dad was going to play. It was really very nice. We enjoyed singing. My mother had a wonderful singing voice. She was a contralto. In fact, she won a silver medal and Eisteddfod and she was very proud of this. She really did sing beautifully. We used to have all sorts of practices going on during the evening.
In the blackout we were allowed to go to Chapel to the Sunday school room, which was below the main Chapel. We were allowed to go right in when we were in a group, because there was no light and we couldn't have torches. We used to have different things going on there. For instance, at Easter time there was always a little Tabernacle in the church and we would dress up. Miss Travis Faux she used to have us really well organised, and looking back she really was a very gifted lady with all the Tableaus and plays she used to produce. At Easter it was always some sort of a tableau to do with Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and of course, always at Easter time we had new clothes to wear. It was a tradition. You had your Sunday Best and you only wore it on the Sunday.
Then after the Easter play, we had the school anniversary, which was the anniversary of the time of the Sunday school was first started, and we'd have a little play for that too. Then it was the Harvest Festival and that was lovely because all the church was decorated with the fruit and the flowers and the vegetables all around the pulpit. It was lovely and we had a special service with the children singing all the Harvest hymns. Then, of course, it was Christmas and we always had a nativity play with all the lovely Carols. The younger ones were either Angels or Shepherds and the choir. As we grew older, we had a speaking part. I think the last part I had, which was before I went to college at 15 or 16, I was Mary.
Unfortunately, Joseph was a boy who for some unknown reason had a crush on me. I can't think why, and unfortunately, for him, I disliked him. His name was Derrick Jones. He was taller and younger than me so that I put me off completely, but he was chosen as Joseph. At the part of the play when people heard that Herod was going to slay all the babies, and of course, the Coventry Carol was based on that particular Bible story, I had to sing this Carol. Derek had to bring me from the vestry on to the raised part of the stage, where all the important church dignitaries were and he had to lead me on to a chair, and you never saw a more solicitous Joseph, helping me up the steps onto the platform, the dais, and I sat on the chair with baby in my arms. I sang the Coventry Carol, and then Derek had to help me and take me back. As I say, you never saw a more concerned Joseph in all your life. I must have done reasonably well, because the mother of one of my friends said I sang it so beautifully she felt tears coming to her eyes. That can be interpreted in different ways of course!
Before I left school, I was also a Sunday school teacher. I quite enjoyed that. I just had a group of four or five children, and I would prepare things for each Sunday, and it was rather nice. We also had a youth group there once a week and the other nonconformist people were invited to come. We had the Presbyterian Church. Their Sunday School often used to come to visit our Sunday School and we had special concerts on and likewise I would go to them. Mentioning this, I can remember as a very, very young girl going to the Presbyterian Chapel one Sunday afternoon. They had what they called PSA, pleasant Sunday afternoons, when it would be people talking and singing. Brother Bill sang one time, “O for the wings of a dove” and my mother was invited to sing a song. I can see her standing there. Gwyn and I decided we didn't want to be sitting on our own and we walked forward and we stood either side of mum holding onto her skirt while she sang this song. I don't think she was very pleased. Anyway, this was the life that we had during the war which was a large part of our lives.