Dilys Paes
To finish my story of college, we had quite an eventful journey home on the final journey home. Three of our friends, in our little group, were going to cycle home. We'd all sent our big luggage in advance and we just had suitcases and bits of this and that, like an art roll. My art wouldn't fit into anything. I had it on some string to go around my neck, but Phyl and Hazel and, I forget who the other one was, were going to cycle home. They asked us to take their bits and pieces with us and they would pick them up at our house. We got to the station laden and made quite sure we were on the train which would stop at Holywell Junction. From there, we'd get what we called the little train which would take us up to Hollywell Station. It was an 11:00 train and by the time we got to the junction and picked up the local train we would be home about quarter to 2pm at the very latest. The train was about to approach Hollywood Junction and we were ready to get off but the train decided it wasn't going to stop, it went right through. In fact, it didn't stop until it got to Chester and, of course we tumbled out there and didn't quite know what to do.
We found a friendly guard and he told us where we should go, and which platform to get a train back to Holywell Junction. We asked everybody, including the driver of the train to make sure that we were going to stop at Hollywood Junction, so we thought we'd covered every eventuality. We got the train and by this time we were rather hungry because it was about 12:30 when we finally left, or maybe a bit later than that, I think. One of the girls had a bar of chocolate and she very kindly shared it between the three of us. We stopped I think at Flint and the next stop was Rhyl. The train flew through Holywell junction, through Prestatyn and stopped at Rhyl. By this time, it was about 5:30 in the afternoon, we were absolutely exhausted and laughing our heads off so hysterically the guard on the train came to see what was wrong. When we told him he got a porter and even the station master of Rhyl came out of his office, and he was really very sorry for us. He assured us that the next train into the station was going to stop at Hollywood Junction and he helped us to cross over to the platform.
On the platform were some of our neighbours. They had been to Rhyl for the day and Chris said, to me, your mother was expecting you home for 2 o’clock. I said “So was I” and I explained to her what had happened and she was horrified. Anyway, the train came and now we had the guard, we had the porter, we had the station master all seeing the three of us onto the train. We had a carriage to ourselves and off we set, and yes it did stop at Hollywood Junction, and Thelma and I got out there. The other girl I think was going on to Flint. Our neighbours helped us with all our bits and pieces and helped us get back to where we were living. Mum and Dad were horrified as it was past 6 o’clock. They were so concerned. Anyway, that was our exit from Bangor.
The next thing was applying for a post. I had already applied for a post in Flintshire and I was so pleased that I got a teaching post in Holywell junior school. Now, I was junior and infant trained, but all my teaching was directed to the infant's and this class was 1B. The children’s school was in one part of Hollywell town and the infant school was way over on the other side in separate buildings. The Junior School was mixed as far as lessons were concerned but one side was the playground and entrance for the boys, and the other side was the playground and entrance for the girls. There were five classes and ten teachers, and it was amazing to me that five of the teachers had been there when Gwyn, Selwyn and I were pupils there. I didn't quite know how to address them, I couldn’t say Miss or Sir so I gave their full titles, Miss Williams, Miss Paddock, Mr Field.
Two of the teachers had been at Bangor Normal College, not only that, Gwnyville had been in school a year above me, so she was a year above me at Bangor Normal and Dilys Parry, who I didn't know, she came from a village, I think, up in the countryside. She didn't come from our school but she had been Gwnville's senior in Bangor Normal College. The three of us hit it off extremely well and in fact, Dilys and I remained friends for many years. She had just one son. It was nice to keep in touch and you can imagine we supported each other and the staff were very kind to me having known me as Dilys Morgan. They did call me Miss Morgan and they were always ready to help.
Now I had class 1B, there were five years and the classes had an A and B. I didn't have a classroom. My first year, I shared the school hall with another class, the other class was 5B. Mr Gomo Williams was the teacher. He'd been there when I was there, and his sister taught class 1A. She was lovely, Miss Williams and was so supportive. We were divided by three wooden movable screens on wheels. They didn't go anywhere near the ceiling just about six-
For my second year I had a classroom This classroom was at the girl’s entrance to the school and was a very big room, very high. Now, some years ago I did an English course and I used to go with Marg. One of the things we did was to write a story about something in our past and I wrote the story about my first day in Hollywell Junior school. It was lovely having my own classroom, and it was so quiet. I had nobody yelling and shouting and Miss Williams and I used to come together for some classes. We would take the kiddies for walks in the local woods and look at flowers and I was amazed at how many of the names Miss Williams knew. I knew most of them, obviously, but some of them I didn't and I said to her, “Is there a little book I could get that would help me because I’m sure of some of the flowers’ names?”. She said, “Don't worry”. I said, “Well you seem to know what everything is”. She said, “If it's white and it looks like a star, it's the word star. If it's blue and looks like a bell, it's a bluebell. Nobody's too bothered!”. So, I took her advice and I never bought the book with flower names.
Apart from teaching three hours and everything else to do with my class 1B of 44, all sitting two at a desk. I had class 3A for sewing, PE and games. I'd never taught anybody above the age of six and these were nine-
I was very happy there and at Christmas time we had the usual making a paper hat, calendar and Christmas card. We had a school party and decorated our classrooms and I decorated mine with the kiddie’s paper decorations, little sort of lamp things. I made a white paste mixture and I painted it on the lower windows. To reach them, I had to stand on the water pipes, which ran along the wall and I just managed. I just managed to reach the lower panes. I painted little robins and fir trees right along the row of windows.
The last day of term, kiddies left at midday, and then the teachers had to type up their registers and, of course, make sure everything was locked up in the cupboards. I went to clean the windows but I couldn't get the white paste off. I tried and I tried. Mr. Matthews who was the caretaker, who was there when I was a pupil, and he had pity on me. Some of the staff were quite amused but they were sorry, but they were busy, they couldn't help me. Mr. Matthews came along and said, “Leave it Miss Morgan. I'll make sure it's clean before you come back”. I never used that paste again.