MUCH to my delight I am still getting oodles of feedback from those who enjoy our weekly TRM togetherness, and I am often seriously surprised when I receive something from an unexpected source.

Like this email from Aled Jones, of the National Library of Wales: “Dear Jeff, may I congratulate you on such a wonderful article that I read in last week’s Mercury regarding a nostalgic look back at the Rebels rock ‘n’ roll group from the Milford area. I have never been to Milford in my life, and have no affinity with the area, but I have followed proper rock ‘n’ roll with great interest in all of my 42 years.

“This article must have brought back great memories for those who played in the band, and those who followed them around at different venues. I think that Barbara Reynolds summed it all up by saying: ‘Nobody will ever take those days away’.

“Musical styles and tastes have changed so much over the years and decades that I don’t think the kids of today could ever experience such occasions. Best wishes.”

I am grateful to Aled for his welcome contribution to TRMs memories of those wondrous years “before the music died”. Maybe one day he may come down to see what it’s like beneath our special little bit of sky.

Apparently, TRM has also become a regular for some online readers, as Raymond Tassell explains in this email: “I have lived in Buckinghamshire since RAF national service 50-plus years ago. My grandad, J. G.

Eastaugh, of Havens Head, was head gardener in the 1920s and 1930s at St Botolphs for a Major Stokes.

“I was down in Milford earlier this month and read your page in the Mercury.

My first job on leaving school mid-1950s was as a sales assistant in the Yarmouth Stores. The manager was Mr Insole, his daughter did the accounts and his wife saw to the tea breaks. Mr Insole was a good boss and I remember the best sellers were shoes, wellies and flat caps.

“At that time I lived in the prefabs in Marble Hall Road, next but one to Bobby and Graham Oughton. When we were younger we used to play in the fields behind the prefabs. By the way, I seem to remember opposite Backhouse music shop at that time was J. P. Morgan (from Liddeston) Butchers.

“I always look for TRM when I seek out the Mercury on the internet.”

Cheers Raymond. As a kid, Haven’s Head was one ofmyregular haunts, when I would accompany my mum to visit my Auntie Elsie and Uncle Arthur (Archie) Davies. Nowadays, that beautiful place has become one of the walks for me and my pooch Betty.

It has been so busy lately that I have been sitting on one of Ken Goldspink’s old memories for quite some time, so I think I had better stick it in now before I have another ‘senior moment’, and inadvertantly press the wrong buttons again, and delete the whole lot!

Here are Ken’s thoughts: “Do you recall ever making the trek to the Box Factory in Thornton to get bags of sawdust for use on sports day? I recollect such an instance, but I cannot remember if it was for the North Road Board School sports day, or whether it was the Grammar School. I suspect it was the North Road School.

“What I do recall is that it was a bloody hot day and loads of us lads set out on the mission pulling dandies or pushing old baby prams, complete with shovels and lots of empty sacks.

“When we were fully loaded up, we began the return trip. It was easy going until we got to the Masons Arms (the aroma of the beer made it difficult to pass this facility), then it was all up hill until we got to Marble Hall Road and reasonably level ground.

“By the time we got to the school we were all knackered!”

No Ken, can’t honestly say it was one of my sports day activities. My dandy was not a ‘work machine’, it was used exclusively for pleasure in and around the Pill area.

Now for this week’s pictures.

The first one is of another of Milford’s extinct pubs, the Commercial, and I am including it because my dad and I were recently recalling a few of the exploits of my maternal grandfather ‘Pop’ Edwards, of Robert Street, and the Commercial just happened to be one of their Saturday night watering holes.

‘Pop’ was a round, powerful bloke, with a walrus moustache and a twinkle in his eye. My dad recalled one particular incident from back in the late 1940s or early 1950s, when at ‘chucking out’ time a local copper came in to the pub. The policeman, himself a largish man, was greeted by a ‘happy’ Pop with a bear-hug that lifted him off the floor, and who, as his face became beetroot coloured, gasped at my dad ‘Get him home, before I nick him’. My dad duly obliged.

The second photo, kindly supplied by Jeff Edwards, has been hiding in my computer for months, and is a welcome reminder of what Neyland’s Brunel Quay used to be like 50 years ago.

And now it is time to clear up last week’s teaser, the one about the six eggs in a basket.

There were quite a few of you completely flummoxed by this one, the answer being that the person who took the last egg, also took the basket with it. Thanks to all who took part and this week’s front runners included Billy Barrett, Maureen Hardaker, Gerald Llewellyn, Ken Davies, The Tozers, Royston Coleman and Thelma Beer.

Royston also mentioned how much he had enjoyed last week’s memories of the Wally Walters Orchestra, and said that another very popular local band were the Astorians.

With a bit of luck maybe we can include something on them some other time.

For all those who are puzzle guzzlers, here is this week’s teaser.

Sara’s father has five daughters. The oldest is called LALA, the next is LELE, the third is LILI, the fourth is LOLO. What is the fifth daughter’s name?

Right, I have already had some feedback about the old Rosemarket Club, so I should be able to slap something together on that fairly soon, but if anyone feels like adding their own memories, please get in touch.

Before I go once again I am grateful to John Dyble, who has kindly lent me a copy of The Mariner, the magazine of Milford Haven Grammar School, 1979.

Editor, Mr Robert Nisbet, Sub Eds, Maria Giannuzzi, Rose Anne Lawson, Timothy Barrett, and David Werner.

As well as the usual school news reports there were many interesting pieces, including poems by Ghislaine Llewellyn, Wendy Trew, Barbara Moxey, Karen Evans and S E Hunter.

I was particularly amused by some of Gareth Davies (6B arts) ‘Sayings of the Year’ with acknowledgements to lavatory walls everywhere. Here are just a few of them.

“If it is worth doing properly, don’t ask me to do it.”

“Those of you who think you know everything are annoying those of us who do”.

“Jesus saves, but he couldn’t do it on my pocket money”.

“Tolkien is hobbit forming”.

“I hate graffiti, I hate all Italian food”.

OK, that’s me finished for another week. May I just thank Mrs E for the jar of home-made blackberry jam she gave me last week, as usual, it is delicious. I reckon the blackberries must have come from Pill. I must ask her when I see her next.

And now I have just made myself feel hungry, time for a jam sandwich.

Cheers.