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40 YEARS AGO IN THE NEWSLETTER
We don't have a 50 year old Newsletter to refer to so how about one from 1962? The main newsletter then was the Parish one of the "Caerwent with Dinham and Llanfair Discoed" Churches under the editorship of the Vicar, Rev Barrie Evans. Barrie Evans was a gentle but very learned man. His Lent lectures delivered in the village were sponsored by the Department of Extra-Mural Studies, Cardiff University. Rev Evans now lives in retirement at Tutshill. The Caerwent sidesmen's rota included Mr Alexander, a leading Chemist at the Dinham Factory. In the later 1960s he wrote a book "History of the Royal Naval Propellant Factory, Caerwent", as yet unpublished but recently made available for those of us who are studying the site. Mr Alexander, now in his 90s, lives in Newport and is still a fount of information about the processes and the staff of the Factory. The dramatic event of the year was a pantomime - The Sleeping Beauty by "The Venta-Tainers" - a troupe based on the youth club. It was performed in the Institute (now demolished), this being before the days of the Village Hall. The Church clock had broken down and this problem came to the notice of the Parish Council (now called Community Council). Mr Vicarage made the point that the clock was originally installed by public subscription (as a memorial to Rev W Coleman Williams) and that it could properly be regarded as an amenity for the village. The Parish Council then made the generous decision to defray half the cost of the repairs. The interesting suggestion was made that "the possibility of illuminating the clock at night should be investigated. This would certainly add to its usefillness." John Nettleship Caerwent Historic Trust May 2002 |