2004

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CAMBRIAN NEWS.

Reunion for Tonfannau camp

A REUNION for all ex-Junior Leaders who served at Tonfannau Camp near Tywyn in the 1960s is being arranged for the first weekend in April and so far close over 80 people from a wide area including Canada and South America have promised to attend.

This is the first reunion to be arranged by those who served at the former army camp.

There was close to 300 local people who worked at the camp, they have also been invited to attend on the weekend of 2, 3 and 4 April.

Two flags have been made from a photo of the original camp flag and one will be put up at Tonfannau and the other will be taken up Cader Idris mountain on the Saturday morning 3 April by 10 former Junior Leaders.

Organisers have filled the Corbett Arms Hotel in Tywyn and are now looking for more hotel accommodation in the area.

An official of the Chamber of Trade and Commerce said: "It is a good thing for the area to have such an event, let' s hope it will be the first of many."

Bill Staughton, who is arranging the reunion is on billstraughton@aol.com.

When the Camp closed in the late 1960' s the loss of employment was 269, made up of Tywyn 152, Machynlleth 5, Barmouth 18, Dolgellau rural 94 and the loss to the local economy was well over £250,000 in wages and lost local purchases.

According to medical records 260 adults left the area and from school records there were 250 less children attending local schools after the camp closed.

An estimated 400 Junior Leaders used the trains regularly and 300 families visited the area by train.

The Ratable Value of Tonfannau Camp in 1966-67 was £18,000 equivalent to 10 per cent of the Ratable Resources of the Dolgellau Rural District Council.

The camp wage bill was close to £150,000 and the electricity bill almost 40 years ago was £11,000.

The last use of the camp was in the late 1960' s early 1970' s to house Ugandan Asians who escaped the African dictator Idi Amin.

Over the past 35 years the camp has been cleared of all buildings and the land returned to agricultural use.

Proposals to turn it into a holiday camp or even a prison have come to nothing.

The nearby Morfa Camp where there was an joint services mountaineering centre, closed four years ago.

CAMBRIAN NEWS.

Boys from Tywyn camp meet again

A REUNION for ex-Junior Leaders who served at Tonfannau Camp near Tywyn in the 1960s is being arranged for this weekend and so far close over 80 people from a wide area including Canada and South America and Spain will be attending.

A dozen will climb Cader Idris mountain, 40 years after they used to march or run up the 2000ft peak as part of their training.

This is the first reunion to be arranged by the boy soldiers who were aged 16 and 17 when they trained for between 18 months and 2 years at the former army camp. There was close to 300 local people working at the camp and many of them will also take part in the reunion.

Two flags have been made from a photo of the original camp flag and one will be put up at Tonfannau and the other will be taken up Cader Idris mountain on Saturday morning 3 April by 12 former boy soldiers.

Rene Dee, who is organising the trek up Cader Idris, said: "My 11 fellow climbers do not know each other, the only common denominator being that they all served at Tonfannau and climbed Cader 40 years ago."

An official of the Tywyn Chamber of Trade and Commerce said: "It is a good thing for Tywyn to have such an event, let' s hope it will be the first of many."

When the Camp closed in the late 1960s there was a loss of 269 well paid jobs. 152 jobs were lost by Tywyn people, Machynlleth 5, Barmouth 18, Dolgellau rural 94 and the loss to the local economy was estimated at that time to be well over £250,000 in wages and lost local purchases.

The last use of the camp was in the late 1960' s early 1970' s to house Ugandan Asians who escaped the African dictator Idi Amin. Over the past 35 years the camp has been cleared of all buildings and the land returned to agricultural use.

Proposals to turn it into a holiday camp or even a prison have come to nothing. The nearby Morfa Camp where there was a joint services mountaineering centre, closed four years ago.

CAMBRIAN NEWS.

Boys go back to Cader Idris

LAST weekend's reunion by the former soldiers from the Junior Leaders Regiment who were stationed at Tonfannau in the late 1950s early 1960s could become an annual event.

Tywyn Mayor Cllr Eileen Ellis, who was guest of honour at their dinner on Saturday, said that from all accounts the reunion went well.

She said: "The organisers of the inaugural reunion were very pleased with the arrangements and they are already planning next year's event.

"They have also asked whether a display cabinet could be placed in Tywyn so that their regiment's memorabilia can be displayed."

Close to 50 former 'boy soldiers' attended the weekend reunion and a dozen or so climbed Cader Idris on Saturday morning.

Rene Dee, who organised the 'walk' up the 2000 ft peak along the northern sedate route from Ty Nant, Dolgellau, took along a camp flag.

He said: "Those who went up Cader Idris did not know one another, the only common denominator being that we had all served at Tonfannau and climbed the mountain, with our kits, as part of our training over 40 years ago.

"One person who now lives in Canada and another from Spain took part".

At the formal dinner on Saturday evening, Cllr Ellis said that the Tywyn area had a long tradition with the military dating back to the Militia in 1795.

"I hope that there will be more reunions in future. This area has a long and distinguished association with the military".

Roy Rowlands and Glyn Kirkham, 83, of Tywyn, were driving instructors with the Junior Leaders Regiment.

Mr Rowlands said that many regiments were based in the area before, during and after the war.

"There was a garrison here during the war, but the main camp closed in the late 1950s but was re-opened for the Junior Leaders".

He said that the Junior Leaders were the pick of the young boy soldiers who were trained for the infantry, adventure training, driving and maintenance and other skills. It was to seek out those young with a particular aptitude to become Leaders or non-commissioned officers hence the term Junior Leaders.

Mr Rowlands said that when he and Mr Kirkham were driving instructors there were 269 local people employed at Tonfannau.

Two of the waitresses at the Sergeants' mess in Tonfannau have kept in touch.

Deanna Angell of Bryncrug stayed in the area after the camp closed, but her best friend Carol met and married Alan and they shared memories at the weekend.

Alan and Carol Moore now live in Leicester and they recently celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary.

Carol, nee Prosser, and her family lived in Rhoslefain before they all moved to the Midlands.

Carol said: "My late mother and father also worked at Tonfannau. Even though we all moved away I keep in touch with Deanna and spend regular holidays in Tywyn.

"I think that this reunion is a good thing, even though of all the people here, I do not recognise anyone".

Deanna added: "We were mostly involved with the Sergeants' Mess. No sergeants attended, maybe they will attend the next one?"

Alan said: "I came to Tywyn with the Leicestershire Regiment and that's when I met, fell in love with and married Carol".

They had a large album of photographs, as did many of the other former soldiers and great interest was shown in the collection of memorabilia.

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The All Arms Junior Leaders Regiment (AAJLR) Cader Idris team who climbed up the mountain again at their inaugural reunion, which could now become an annual event.

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Tonfannau Army camp in Tywyn as it was back then.

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Tonfannau camp driving instructors. Back row, second left, Glyn Kirkham and back row, centre, Selwyn Goodchild, both of Tywyn. Back row, second right, Brian Edwards of Porthmadog and front row, far right, Roy Rowlands.

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Looking back at photographs of Tonfannau camp. Glyn Kirkham of Tywyn, Acker Dee of Brighton, Colin Gunning, now living in Canada, Bill Straughton of Northumberland and Roy Rowlands of Tywyn take a trip down memory lane.

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Deanna Angell of Bryncrug with Alan and Carol Moore, formerly of Tywyn who used to be at Tonfannau in the 1960s.

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