Upton St Leonard’s WI: Dylan Thomas’s ‘Reminiscences of Childhood’ with speaker Mr George Yiend

DYLAN Thomas’s ‘Reminiscences of Childhood’ was our speaker Mr George Yiend’s subject.

An ex-school teacher Mr Yiend recited freely from three stories, the first, Dylan’s famous from ‘Under Milkwood’; an amazing account of twenty four hours in a Welsh village.

"To begin at the beginning:

It is Spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black, the cobblestreets silent and the hunched, courters'-and- rabbits' wood limping invisible down to the sloeblack, slow, black, crowblack, fishingboat-bobbing sea. The houses are blind as moles (though moles see fine to-night in the snouting, velvet dingles) or blind as Captain Cat there in the muffled middle by the pump and the town clock, the shops in mourning, the Welfare Hall in widows' weeds. And all the people of the lulled and dumbfound town are sleeping now."

This extract and more were well received, the second reading: ‘Reminisces of Childhood’ began:

"I like very much people telling me about their childhood, but they'll have to be quick or else I'll be telling them about mine.

I was born in a large Welsh town at the beginning of the Great War - an ugly, lovely town (or so it was and is to me), crawling, sprawling by a long and splendid curving shore where truant boys and sandfield boys and old men from nowhere, beachcombed, idled and paddled, watched the dock-bound ships or the ships steaming away into wonder and India, magic and China, countries bright with oranges and loud with lions;"

It continues this reading but shows an insight into Thomas’s thoughts.

The last reading was from ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales’.

"One Christmas was so much like another, in those years around the sea-town corner now and out of all sound except the distant speaking of the voices I sometimes hear a moment before sleep, that I can never remember whether it snowed for six days and six nights when I was twelve or whether it snowed for twelve days and twelve nights when I was six."

His story goes on giving us glimpses of his childhood in Swansea, South Wales. Born 1914 – 1953, Thomas married Caitlin, they had a daughter, moved to Lougharne, Carmarthenshire on the River Taff, living in a boathouse.

His short life of thirty nine years ended in Greenwich Village New York after drinking eighteen straight whiskies.

Mr Yiend received a very warm round of applause with vote of thanks from Tricia Freeman.

Diane, president welcomed all ladies with birthday cards going to Lesley, Angela, Jan, Sylvia, Jenny and Pat.

Our boat trip on Wednesday, August 10, 2pm for 2.30pm meet at Gloucester docks.

We lost the skittles by 15 pins; practice sessions will be needed later in the year.

The lunch club will meet Monday, July 25, at Highfield Gardens, 12.30pm.

Ideas for workshops are asked for.

Tuesday, September 27, 7pm for 7.30pm G.F.W.I.

Autumn County Meeting, Pittville Pump room, Cheltenham.

All other news in the G.F.W.I. newsletter.

Our August meeting is to be advised, if not enjoy the summer holiday ladies.

Monday, September 5, The Land Girls, speaker Fiano Waring.

Trade table and raffle.

Upton St Leonard’s Village Hall, 7.30pm.

All ladies very welcome.