The Old Dy'vorian

The Old Dy’vorian The Journal of the former pupils of Dynevor School www.dynevorrevisited.org.uk Number 24 January 2014 Appeal launched to save key part of our history The school in 1913 on the eve of World War I. There were few Dynevor link photographs with Burt pre-war and Page 4 none during the war. Real gems among those scribblings! Lionel phone many good articles, stories, yarns, call shock By Roger Williams Page 6 arguments, and squibs on the staff YNEVOR School was and the sports teams. founded in 1883. By 1910 This is the sort of material for it had established the tra- which you would prick up your D ears when you hear it on the car dition of a twice-yearly school magazine, which it maintained radio, or which would grab your at- for sixty years through a period of tention in a newspaper. unparalleled economic, cultural The ‘big’ answer to the question is and political change in Britain, in that the magazines record the lives Rocker Ron Wales and in Swansea. of all the generations before we en- honoured The Old Dy’vorians’ Association tered the working world and played Page 7 possesses an almost continuous our part in the social and industrial sequence of editions, with some changes up to the Thatcher era. gaps in the 1920s. These record the Take as an example Dynevor a events and activities and opinions century ago during WW1. which interested pupils over sixty How did the school’s Debating years. Society vote on conscription, or the Why would anyone in 2014 want wish to eliminate German from the to read the scribblings of school- school syllabus, or whether to sup- Big surprise boys of the last century? port relief for post-war starvation in for Fahima The simple answer is that, Germany? Page 8 amongst the mundane, there are > Continued on next page Let’s have a smashing turnout for the annual dinner - see Page 5 2. The Old Dy’vorian Magazines need to ‘live’ and be used > Side by side: This shows the change in the magazine cover in 1931, corresponding to the change of the school name from “The Swansea Municipal Secondary School: Boys’ School, Dynevor Place” to “Dynevor Secondary School Swansea”. < From Page One firmly on the educational map of Wales. How were deaths in action of former pu- s there an alternative solution to creating pils reported, and did Dynevor produce a war Ian electronic record? Simply preserv- poet? ing the original copies in an old-fashioned Which future headmaster was strongly museum-like setting would hardly generate recommended for a DCM after he and his the wide interest and easy access which they men held a trench for 48 hours without food certainly deserve. It would probably relegate and water? Which vital national industry them to the category of “curiosities”, pre- required the voluntary labour of scores of served on dusty shelves. In any case, there is pupils and staff? The answers to all these no dedicated location in Swansea for storing questions are readily available in the school them and generating interest. magazines. The ODA has concluded that the maga- You can then move on to the jazz age, the zines need to “live” and be used, made avail- depression, World War II, post-war recon- able on the society’s web-site, and shared struction, industrial prosperity and conflict. with other institutions such as the National Dynevor functioned throughout, even during Library of Wales. the blitz. Its contribution to life in the Swan- The cost of digitising is around £1150, a sea area was enormous. modest sum considering the value created, his magazine record is a ripe candidate but a large item in the ODA’s annual budget Tfor preservation and use as an internet- and asset base. based collection which could be read and O the ODA is launching an ap- explored on the ODA website www.dynevor- peal to members to volunteer revisited.org.uk Scontributions. Please consider We have identified a commercial company, generously this one-off project and with experience of handling tightly-bound send contributions - however small, volumes, and a track record of working with however large - to our treasurer Steve former-pupils’ organisations. Our colleagues Way at 9 Croftfield Crescent, Newton, from Bishop Gore, Penlan, Llwyn-y-Bryn, Swansea SA3 4UL (Tel: 01792 361992, Glanmor and Mynydd Bach are almost cer- email:[email protected]). tainly not in a position to do so. Once the £1150 target is reached - yes, The importance of the project lies not only we’re being optimistic about this ven- in giving former pupils and staff access to ture! - Steve will close the appeal. Some our collective past, but in preserving this rich amounts have already been received, and entertaining material for wider audienc- and we hope to initiate and complete es – a gift to writers, broadcasters, historians the digitising of the magazines in this and others. It would put Dynevor even more first quarter of 2014. 3. The Old Dy’vorian More ramblings from the editor’s chair ... When the Boys in Blue came round like a shot! ELL, one issue of TOD under N Old Dy’vorian, who asked to re- my belt and I haven’t got the main anonymous, contacted me a sack - so here we go again. Awhile back to tell me an embarrass- WFirst I’d like to wish all Old Dy’vorians ing little tale. and their families a happy and healthy 2014. He said he was walking home through a Hope it’s a good ‘un. part of Swansea late one night and, since he Actually my wife and I spent a few days hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast, over Christmas with one of our sons and his he was feeling a bit peckish. family ‘Oop North’. But his spirits rose when he saw this sign And, as is my habit, being an old hack, I outside a fish and chip shop: picked up a copy of the local newspaper. And I had to chuckle when I read the fol- TONIGHT’S lowing Letter to the Editor written by some- body called Tony Gladstone: SPECIAL ‘Going to bed the other night, I noticed people in my garden shed stealing things. Buy one Fish & Chips I phoned the police but was told no one for the price of two was in the area to help. They said they would send someone over as soon as possible. and get a SECOND I hung up. A minute later I rang again. ‘Hello’, I said, ‘I called you a minute ago Fish & Chips because there were people in my shed. You don’t have to hurry now because I’ve shot ABSOLUTELY them.’ Within minutes there were half-a-dozen po- FREE! lice cars in the area, plus helicopters and an armed-response unit. They caught the bur- Well, this fella confessed he’d fallen for it glars red-handed. hook, line and sinker - and it was only after One of the officers said: ‘I thought you said he arrived home that he realised he’d been you’d shot them.’ sold a pup. To which I replied: ‘I thought you said Easy to understand, isn’t it, why he asked there was no one available.’ to remain anonymous? HANKS to the readers who contacted those involved. Mind you, nothing serious. me to offer constructive comments af- Remember what I said back in Septem- Tter the publication of TOD23. Much ber’s magazine: please keep the ideas com- appreciated. ing and contact me if you have a article in There were, I have to say, just a few hic- mind. cups, for which I take full responsibility. I And do let me know if any Old Dy’vorians know only too well, after more than 40 years are in the news or doing something interest- in the newspaper business, that the buck ing - after all, I live 170 miles from Swansea well and truly stops with the editor. so I’m a long way away from ‘where it’s at’. I’ve put the record straight in separate lit- My contact details, along with those of tle pieces in this edition - so apologies to other committee members, are on Page 20. 4. The Old Dy’vorian Sir John steps up to take a chance EADING Welsh chemist Sir John Meurig Thomas will give this year’s annual Swansea Metropolitan LUniversity/Old Dy’vorians’ Lecture on April 30 - entitled Unpredictability and Chance in Science and Technology. Sir John (pictured right) was born and brought up near Llanelli, where his father and brother were miners. His interest in science was In 1991 he was knighted of Wales and a Member of aroused when as a teenager “for services to chemistry its inaugural Council. he heard his physics teacher and the popularisation of Since 2011 Sir John has at Gwendraeth Grammar science”. been a member of the Scien- School talk about the life The mineral Meurigite, tific Advisory Committee for and work of Michael Fara- a hydrated potassium iron Wales. day. phosphate, is named after The annual lecture, the Later in life, Sir John, who him. seventh since its inception in was born in 1932, would be- The recreations he lists in 2008, will take place at the come the Fullerian Professor Who’s Who include ancient Dynevor Campus of Swan- of Chemistry at the Royal civilisations, bird watching sea Metropolitan University, Institution of Great Britain, and Welsh literature. starting at 7pm. in London, a position held In 2003, he was the first It is expected that, as by Michael Faraday, who scientist to be awarded the usual, a sizeable audience of has remained one of his sci- Medal of the Honourable Old Dy’vorians, university entific heroes.

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