Lower Town’s Carnivals would be one of the highlights of the year. This wonderful photograph shows the Strawbridge family’s donkey and cart surrounded by the children of the locality in the procession in Quay Street.
Martha and Bob Strawbridge opened a bakery in 1921 in the Cwm. Bob was from Honiton in Devon and married local girl Martha Owen on February 7th 1916. Bob, a serving soldier, returned from France to get married and the couple had a special licence to get married on the same day.
The donkey and cart would be used by Jack Owen of Lower Town to deliver the bread from the bakery ordinarily, but on Carnival Day would be at the centre of the celebrations.
We are able to identify many of the children in the photograph. Georgie Strawbridge is holding the bridle , the other boy to the left of the donkey has been suggested as Brynley Owen, Hamilton Street. Standing on the right of the cart is Fred Thomas of Kensington Street, brother to Bryn and Lois.
The young girls on the cart are all first cousins- Peggy and Mair Owen ( daughters of Davy Owen, Parc-y-Shwt); The Carnival Queen Nan Strawbridge and in the front Dorothy Owen (daughter of Will Owen).
On the right hand side nearest the camera are the sisters Lily and Milly Judge, Carreg yr Eos, The Slade.
The Strawbridge family subsequently moved to the West End Bakery in Fishguard in 1926, running a very successful business until it’s closure in 1993. More on the West End Bakery in another post to follow.
Many thanks to Penry Jackson and Roger Strawbridge for sharing these photographs and contributing the accompanying information.
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