Teulu Collins / The Collins Family

No 37 Quay Street is the last house on Lower Town Quay. In such a prominent position, it was bound to have an important role in the 1971 filming of ‘Under Milk Wood’. It became the home of Peter O’Toole’s ‘Captain Cat’. As such it was ‘dressed for the occasion’ with the addition of a ships prow to the first floor.

In the 1971 film, Mrs Minnie Collins can be seen leaving No 37 and walking, shopping basket in hand, towards the village shop.

She had moved to live in the village on marrying Willie Collins in 1934. It is the story of the Collins family, who were the long time tenants at ‘No 37’ which is the theme of this post.

There is mention of them first in 1908, when ‘Mrs Collins’ and her son Baden attend the Sol-ffa class at ‘Capel Bach’ Baptist Chapel at Lower Town.

In 1911, the family were living at ‘Pennar House’, Bridge St, Lower Town. Baden Powell Collins was the eldest son – a 13 yr old schoolboy, born in Pentre, Glamorganshire.

Willie and his elder brother George B. P. Collins were living with their parents at 21 Quay St in 1921 when Willie was a 13 yr old school boy. Baden had already moved on. Their mother, Mary Ann was a Goodwick girl who had married George Collins of Bath, Somerset. In 1921 he was employed at Goodwick Harbour as a watchman for the Cork Steamship Company. His son, George B P, aged 21, was a GWR station porter in Goodwick, born at Mountain Ash, Glamorgan. In spite of George senior being a Somerset man, the whole household spoke Welsh and English.

Having married Minnie in 1934, by 1939, Willie had become a lorry driver for a coal merchant, and his brother had flown the nest. The Collins family had moved to No 37 on the quay and the parents were retired. By this time George senior was listed as a retired inshore fisherman.

Willie Collins, in spite of having just one arm,  was a strong swimmer and could control his little wooden rowing boat with great skill, skulling with one oar from the centre back of the vessel.

Mrs Minnie Collins liked an ordered life. In her senior years she would earn a little in helping others with tgeir household chores and cleaning. She was a creature of habit, taking the bus to and from Fishguard daily, like clockwork. Even on the very day that she lost her husband, she continued to follow that routine.

Rhif 37 Stryd y Cei yw’r tŷ olaf ar hyd  ymyl y llanw yn y Cwm. Mewn safle mor amlwg, roedd yn sicr o fod â rhan bwysig i chwarae yn ystod ffilmio ‘Under Milk Wood’ yn 1971. Daeth yn gartref i ‘Captain Cat’ Peter O’Toole. O’r herwydd fe’i ‘gwisgwyd ar gyfer yr achlysur’ gan ychwanegu darn o long i’r llawr cyntaf. Yn ffilm 1971, gellir gweld Mrs Minnie Collins yn gadael Rhif 37 ac yn cerdded, basged siopa yn ei llaw, tuag at siop y pentref.

Symudodd hi i fyw i’r pentref ar ôl priodi Willie Collins yn 1934. Hanes y teulu Collins, a fu’n denantiaid ers amser maith yn ‘Rhif 37’ yw thema’r erthygl hon.

Sonnir amdanynt gyntaf yn 1908, pan oedd ‘Mrs Collins’ a’i mab Baden yn mynychu dosbarth Sol-ffa yng Nghapel Bach y Bedyddwyr yn y Cwm. Ym 1911, roedd y teulu’n byw yn ‘Pennar House’, Stryd y Bont, Y Cwm. Baden Powell Collins oedd y mab hynaf – bachgen ysgol 13 oed, a aned ym Mhentre, Sir Forgannwg. Roedd Willie a’i frawd hŷn George B. P. Collins yn byw gyda’u rhieni yn 21 Quay St yn 1921 pan oedd Willie, fel ei frawd ynghynt, yn fachgen ysgol 13 oed. Roedd Baden eisoes wedi gadael y nyth. Merch o Wdig oedd eu mam, Mary Ann, a oedd wedi priodi George Collins o Gaerfaddon, Gwlad yr Haf. Ym 1921 fe’i cyflogwyd e yn Harbwr Wdig fel gwyliwr i’r Cork Steamship Company. Roedd ei fab, George Baden Powell, 21 oed, yn borthor gorsaf GWR yn Wdig, a aned yn Aberpennar, Morgannwg. Er mai gŵr o Wlad yr Haf oedd George (y tad), roedd yr holl aelwyd yn siarad Cymraeg a Saesneg. Wedi iddo briodi â Minnie (1934), daeth  Willie yn yrrwr lori i fasnachwr glo(1939). Roedd y teulu Collins wedi symud i Rif 37 ar y Cei ac roedd y rhieni wedi ymddeol. Erbyn hyn roedd George, y tad, wedi’i restru fel pysgotwr y glannau wedi ymddeol.

Roedd Willie Collins, a oedd ganddo un fraich yn unig, yn nofiwr cryf a gallai reoli ei gwch rhwyfo pren yn hynod fedrus, gan ‘sgwlo’ ag un rhwyf o ganol cefn y cwch.

We Mrs Minnie Collins yn hoffi bywyd trefnus. Yn ei blynyddoedd hŷn byddai’n ennill ychydig o swllte yn  helpu eraill gyda thasgau tŷ a glanhau. Wedd hi’n hoffi cadw patrwn i bob dydd, yn dala’r bws i’r dre a nôl yn ddyddiol, fel y cloc. Hyd yn oed ar yr union ddwarnod y collodd ei gŵr, parhaodd i ddilyn y drefn honno.