James Gronow Roberts, Goodwick

My grandfather James Gronow Roberts was for many years the Butcher/Slaughterman on the cattle pens at Fishguard Harbour.

Born in 1903 in Parc-y-shut, Fishguard my grandfather was called after his middle name, his mother being Mary Ann Gronow who had married Joseph Roberts of Fishguard. From an early age he had been interested in animals and he spent countless hours with the animals and butchers in the rear section of the Town Hall in Fishguard, close to the family home at Parc-y-shut. Here the animals would be slaughtered and the meat prepared for sale in the local butchers. He was a patient man and this is where he learnt his trade.

His first job was working for a local cattle dealer, Mr. Narbett who lived in Trefwrgi Road, Dyffryn. He soon became a valued worker and would tour the local farms looking for animals to buy. He was trusted to assess the animals and agree a price. These would then be taken to one of the butchers slaughter yards on Wern Road where they would be slaughtered and the animals cut up in preparation for the local butcher shops.

Gronow married Hannah Mary Vittle (Polly) in 1924 and they lived in a cottage in Dyffryn where Joseph John was born in 1925. They soon moved to a cottage on the golf links and Idris George was born there in 1928. The following year they moved to No 9, Heol Y Felin. These were new Council Houses with three bedrooms,and an indoor toilet/bathroom. The twins, Peter and Lorna were born here in 1935.

The photograph shows my grandfather working for Mr. Narbett, bringing sheep down from Stop and Call to Goodwick. On a similar occasion my father John and younger brother Idris had been helping collect sheep and load them onto the cart and fit the net as seen in the photograph. The boys were sitting on the wooden seat above the wheels. Suddenly the horse bolted and as the wheel came off my father shouted to Idris “Jump!”. The boys and grandfather were uninjured but the horse broke its fetlog.

Working life at Fishguard Harbour

In the 1920’s hundreds of live animals were imported on the ferries on a daily basis from Ireland -from Cork, Waterford and Rosslare. They would be unloaded from the vessels onto a special passage way on the dock wall  and taken along an underground passage under the station and tracks up to the lairage and the vast animal pens. I vividly remember my grandfather taking me through the underground passage  from the cattle pens to the sea wall where the animals would be unloaded. Each animal had to be inspected, and fit animals would be sent in the cattle wagons to the industrial towns of both South Wales and into England. Crossing the Irish Channel in bad weather would result in animals being injured and broken legs were a problem. My grandfather’s task was to dispatch these animals and then prepare the meat for butchers shops. There was no consistency with the weather and no reliable number of animals and meat. A company from Neath with a large number of shops had a contract to buy prepared meat for its shops when available.

This live traffic grew in the 1930’s and my grandfather was noted in the 1939 Register ( similar to a Census) as the Butcher/slaughterman on the harbour. The Second World War put a stop to this traffic and Gronow became an Air Raid Prevention Warden operating out of the Police Station in Goodwick. After the War the transport of live animals quickly restarted and he resumed his previous job as Butcher/Slaughterman.

By the mid 1950’s refrigeration started to be introduced. Irish animals were slaughtered in Ireland and the animals butchered and sent to Britain ready to be displayed and sold in shops. This change depended on refrigeration plants in many localities in Ireland and wagons to transport them across the sea and then by railway wagons throughout the country. As facilities grew  gradually the live trade declined.

I well remember being in my grandparents house at Heol Y Felin, Dyffryn when a message would come from the harbour saying that my grandfather would be putting in an extra half or full shift. My grandmother would prepare sandwiches and I would be instructed as a young boy to go down the harbour and find grandfather and give him the food.  I would try the lairage first, then the “Refreshment room”.

Hats, hats and more hats !

In 1976 the Council decided that the houses in Heol Y Felin need an update. New electrics, new pipes and bathroom/ toilet and my grandparents moved from No. 9 to No. 3 .  Heol Y Felin. My grandmother was an ardent collector of hats. I was in charge of moving the 104 hats my grandmother had ! Best hats were in boxes. Older ones placed in groups of five. My car at the time was an MG Midget, a two seater soft top. Having loaded five hats a sudden gust of wind whipped the top one off the pile and I drove over and squashed the hat. Acting quickly I gathered up the hat and formed a fist to punch it into shape. With that my grandmother appeared! I ended up driving her to Carmens  on  Fishguard Square and buying her a new (and very expensive) hat.

Atgofion da / Happy memories.