Victoria House

Siop ddillad dynion oedd hon a ‘William James y Draper’ oedd y perchenog. Ei fab, Spencer, wnaeth etifeddu y busnes ar farwolaeth ei dad. Mae mwy o wybodaeth amdanynt fan hyn –Siop Y Bobl

Yn y llun 1909, nid oes gennym enw ar gyfer y dyn ar y chwith, ond   gwelir Mr William Roberts ar y dde ger y drws. Roedd yn 18 oed ar y pryd ac yn byw yn y Swyddfa Bost yn Scleddau. Yn anffodus, bu William farw yn ystod Y Rhyfel Mawr ar Ebrill 19, 1918 yn 27 oed. Fel nifer o fechgyn ifanc yr ardal, does ganddo ddim bedd yng Ngwlad Belg, ond y mae wedi ei goffâu ar gofeb Tyne Cot ger dinas Ypres. Roedd yn ‘Lance Corporal’ yn  ail fataliwn y Shrwood Forresters (rhif 72741). Gwnaeth ei frawd, Ernest, hefyd ymladd yn y Rhyfel Mawr. Cafodd anafiad difrifol i’w goes a chafodd driniaeth am effeithiau ymosodiad nwy mewn ysbyty yn Sussex. Yno, bu farw ar y 4ydd o Fawrth, 1922. Mae’r ddau frawd yn cael eu coffâu ar y gofeb rhyfel yn Eglwys St Cwrda,  Trefwrdan.

Cofir bod siop ddillad dynion o’r enw ‘D Bowen Davies’ yn  adeilad ‘Victoria House’ yn yr 1950au. Byddai Mr Davies yn arddangos cwpanau a thariannau  Sioe Amaethyddol Abergwaun yn ffenestri ei siop yn ystod mis Gorffennaf pob blwyddyn. (Mae Mr George Edwards, Stop and Call, yn cofio eu gweld yno).  Un o staff y siop oedd Miss Margaret Evans. (Priododd hi gyda Mr Keith Davies o Drefin. Ymhen blynyddoedd, daeth ei merch, Hazel, i weithio yn siop Boots, drws nesaf.)

Yn dilyn hyn, agorwyd siop ddillad i fenywod o’r enw ‘Carmens’ gan Mrs Barbara Hughes. Am gyfnod byrrach, bu siop ffotograffau yma yn eiddo i Mr Ed Heritage. Heddi, mae ‘Ein Hanes’ –   lle gwych i ddysgu am ein hanes lleol.

This was a ‘gentleman’s outfitters’ and ‘William James the Draper’ was the proprietor. His son, Spencer, inherited the business on his father’s death. There is more information about them here – Mr William James

In the 1909 photo, we do not know who the gentleman on the left is, however, Mr William Roberts is identified on the right near the door. He was 18 years old at the time and living in the Post Office at Scleddau. Unfortunately, William died during The Great War on April 19, 1918 aged 27. Like many young lads from the area, he has no grave in Belgium, but is commemorated on the Tyne Cot monument near the city of Ypres. He was a ‘Lance Corporal’ in the second battalion of the Sherwood Forresters (no. 72741). His brother, Ernest, also fought in the Great War. He received a severe leg injury and was treated for the effects of a gas attack at a hospital in Sussex. He never made it home and died on the 4th March 1922. Both brothers are commemorated on the war memorial at St Cwrda’s Church, Jordanston.

It is remembered that there was a men’s clothing shop called ‘D Bowen Davies’ in the ‘Victoria House’ building in the 1950s.

Mr Davies would display the cups and shields of the Fishguard Agricultural Show in his shop windows during July each year. (Mr George Edwards, Stop and Call, remembers seeing them there). One of the shop’s staff was Miss Margaret Evans. (She married Mr Keith Davies from Trefin. Later, their daughter, Hazel, worked for many years in the Boots store, next door.)

Following this, a ladies fashion shop called ‘Carmens’ was opened by Mrs Barbara Hughes. For a shorter period, a photographic shop was then opened by Mr Ed Heritage. Today, it is ‘Ein Hanes’ – an excellent place to learn about our local history.