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1950s 'Exclusive' Men's Clubs

"I was a member of PSC (Pigeon Spotters Club), of which I was president in 1959/56. In the 1950s there were 3 'exclusive' men's clubs, PSC, Q and Thirty. Membership was by invitation only and numbers were limited. There was intense rivalry between the clubs. The object of PSC, which wasn't a 'new' club as it had been established well before 1956, was to 'Sh.. on the Concept of the Red Brick University'!

I heard in later years that the clubs were stopped as they were considered to be elitist - which, of course, they were. We met regularly, had talks, splendid, raucous annual dinners and got involved in many, by today's standards, relatively innocent pranks (including, in c1958, sending a team of 'scientists' armed with theodolites and other surveying equipment, to a valley near Caernarvon, which started a rumour that an 'English Water Company' was planning to flood. It got a mention in a local newspaper). There were only some 1000 to 1500 students in UCNW then and we only mixed with students at St. Marys' and Normal at weekly 'hops'."

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Glenys Tyler (nee Griffiths) (Cymraeg, 1953)

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Glenys Tyler (nee Griffiths) (Cymraeg, 1953)

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"I remember my time in Bangor with great fondness.

I was an Arts student (Welsh and French) in Top Coll as we used to call it. The Science students were in Bottom Coll. The main link between the two was Tanrallt where we met for coffee. It was there that I met my future husband Bruce Tyler who was a Botany student. We were married for 61 years until he sadly died 4 years ago.

Close friends were John Sargent, whose widow Eirwen is still my oldest friend. Dilys Carter and Bernard Carter, another Bangor duo, Audrey Millward and Harvey Richards. Another close friend was Heulwen Evans whose friendship and support to Anthony Conran was remarkable. Tony was to become famous as a poet and translator of course.

I remember top table in University Hall where we were invited in turn to Sunday lunch with the warden Dr Martin. In 1953 it happened to be my turn when the announcement of the conquering of Everest came through. A remarkable feat at the time.

Saturday night hops, Bangor pier... happy memories."

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Confirmation of studies at St. Mary's Training College, 1943 - 1945

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“Mae'n rhyfeddol nodi bod carfan gwyddoniaeth ym Mangor yn y 1950au wedi cynhyrchu enillydd Gwobr Nobel a thri arall a gafodd eu hurddo'n farchogion am eu llwyddiannau gwyddonol diweddarach.

Dyma gyfnod gwirioneddol ryfeddol i wyddoniaeth ym Mangor a braint oedd cael fy addysgu yno yn y 50au.”

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“Daw’r atgof hwn o 1958.  Rai blynyddoedd ynghynt, byddai Warden Neuadd Reichel yn dweud bendith mewn Lladin cyn y pryd nos am 7pm.  Un noson, newidiodd y fendith a hepgor y gair ‘benedicimus’.  Sylwodd y myfyrwyr ar y pryd a chymryd fod 'Benny' wedi “marw” a phenderfynwyd rhoi angladd anrhydeddus iddo.

Felly, brynhawn/noswaith 4 Tachwedd, gorchuddiwyd ei arch â lliain du a’i gludo mewn gorymdaith o Neuadd Reichel i Neuadd Powis, lle bu’n gorwedd yn gyhoeddus. Yn hwyr y diwrnod wedyn, 5 Tachwedd, fe'i cludwyd yn ôl i Neuadd Reichel gan fyfyrwyr mewn gynau.  Yn aml, chwaraeid Trig gyda Mi ac ati’n gyfeiliant cerddorol. Ar ôl cyrraedd Reichel, fe’i gosodwyd ar y goelcerth a ffarwelio ag ef.  Trefnodd rhywun i'w enw ymddangos yng ngholofn Er Coffadwriaeth The Times ar 5 Tachwedd.  Bu hon yn ddefod am flynyddoedd lawer.

Bûm yn addysgu Bioleg a Gwyddoniaeth yn y Deyrnas Unedig, Y Gambia a Malta. Yn y pen draw, fe wnes i ail-hyfforddi mewn Tylino ac Osteopathi. Rwyf bellach wedi ymddeol yn Nyfnaint.”

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Anthony Heeley (Chemistry / Biochemistry, 1960)

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Anthony Heeley (Chemistry / Biochemistry, 1960)

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"HOW QUAINT WERE SOCIAL EVENTS"

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Anthony Heeley (Chemistry / Biochemistry, 1960)

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Anthony Heeley (Chemistry / Biochemistry, 1960)

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UCNW University of Wales Championships 1959

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"Arnold Bradbury leading, Bob Holmes lying third, on the way to gaining points in the 1-mile walk."

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"Neuadd Reichel, evening, Guard of Honour for visit of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh; Len Whitehurst in bowler hat and "Honk Jenkins" playing saxophone"

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“Student prank Neuadd Reichel 1956/57. Car left in Dining Room overnight. Evidence at last!”

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TOP COLL AND ST MARY'S ROPE

“How well I remember those times. I was the chairman of Reichel JCR in 1960 and was one of Q who put that rope between the tower of top Col and St Mary's to advertise Rag week.

In the late 50s a rag week banner was raised from the old college all the way across the valley to St Mary's on the other side, on several thousand feet of rope, which had to be walked across and then raised in the early hours of the morning to avoid the traffic. The charity was Save the Children. We ran the line (baler twine) from flagpole on top of College Tower to a tree near St Mary's College. We used orange meteorological balloons inflated with helium 'borrowed' from the Chemistry Dep to lift the line which had the Save the Children banner hanging from it. All done overnight.

As I remember seagulls attacked the orange balloons, so the line and banner didn't survive for long!”

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Derek Earl and Me (cowboy) in Rag Week gear, outside the Annexe on Holyhead Road, 1956

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'ZIP WIRE' FROM ST MARY'S TO TOP COLLEGE, 1958

“Another “event” in my time at UCNW was: in 1957/58 I joined a new club called PSC (Pigeon Spotters Club).  I have no idea what the aims of the club were but, I was involved in the following escapade.  I knew nothing of the details prior to what happened.

What I had to do was to be in position by the GPO on Deiniol Road, at (let’s say) 0100 hours. I had to steady a length of light line that came over the iron railings running at the bottom of the college park, and snaked its way up the street alongside the GPO, heading towards the town centre.  At some time later, a runner told me let the line go upwards carefully and, so I did.  The line floated upwards and out of sight. Later that week a picture appeared, in the Press or in Yr Dyfodol (UCNW’s weekly paper), of a line suspended by hydrogen-filled meteorological balloons, connecting St Mary’s College with the tower on Top Coll.

I was not party to how it was planned, the logistics etc. I was a cog in the wheel.  Apparently, police on the Town beat had given the operation their approval/turned a blind eye, to what was happening that night.”

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BENEDICIMUS

“This, you will understand is from memory of 1958.  Some years before, the Warden in Neuadd Reichel would say a Latin grace before the evening meal at 7pm.  One particular evening, he changed the Grace so that the word ‘benedicimus’ was omitted.  The students at the time noticed and took it that ‘Benny’ had “passed on” and decided to give him an honourable funeral.

So, on November 4th afternoon/evening his black-draped coffin was paraded from Reichel to Powis Hall where he laid in state. Late next day Nov 5th he was borne and accompanied by gowned students back to Reichel.  Often, there was musical accompaniment of Abide with Me, etc. On reaching Reichel, he was set on the bonfire and given a farewell.  Someone arranged for his name to appear in the Times In Memoriam column, on Nov. 5th.  This was a ritual for many years.

I taught Biology, Science, in UK, The Gambia and Malta. Eventually, I re-trained in Massage and Osteopathy. I'm now retired in Devon.”

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UCNW Men’s Athletics team. University of Wales Champions 1959. I am proudly seated third from left.

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UCNW ATHLETICS TEAM’S MOMENT OF FAME!

“Prior to 1959, what was then the University College of North Wales’s athletics team had never won the University of Wales’s Inter-College Athletics Championship. As captain of the team that year I was determined to change that record.

The Championship was held that year in Aberystwyth. Sadly, we had no female athletes, but we had a good men’s team that had done well in competition with other universities. The other colleges – Swansea, Cardiff and Aberystwyth - turned up in with some very talented athletes: we faced a formidable challenge. I knew that we couldn’t win the combined team’s cup as we had no women, but I thought that the men’s cup was within our grasp.

I noticed that the other colleges only entered athletes in their specialist events. Points were awarded for the first three places in each event, so the more events we had athletes in the greater the chance of adding to our points count. When it came to the 1-mile walk, we didn’t have anyone who had ever done any competitive walking.

Team spirit prevailed: Arnold Bradbury, our 6ft 8inch high jumper offered to enter. Bob Holmes, a fellow member of the UCNW 1st XV, who wasn’t a member of the athletics team but had come to Aberystwyth to provide support, also gallantly agreed to enter. Only one other athlete from one of the other colleges had entered, so if our two stalwart competitors could manage to walk 1 mile without breaking the walking rules, (we had to ask what the rules were), we were bound to get points for winning the second and third places. They did!

At the end of the day UCNW won the men’s Championship cup – the first time ever.”