The Richard Burton Diaries (23 page)

16 Friday
My name was up on the board to play for the middle XV. We had a fall of snow again today I went down the Co-op for Sis it was bitter. Went down Uncle Ben's to play the usual.

17 Saturday
Did all shopping. The snow is quite thick on the ground. Had 1/- off Mrs Hibberd. Did not go to Pictures but went down Ben's and played Monopoly with Uncle Ben.

18 Sunday
Went to chapel all day. Blinding wind and rain. Went home straight after chapel to do my homework. We did not have a sermon in the morning.

19 Monday
Went to school. Played football this afternoon with the seniors. Mr Smith said that I might play for the seniors against Neath County and County School.
⁵⁷
Stayed in and did my homework. Went down the Co-op for Sis. I've got 4/- on the club.
⁵⁸

20 Tuesday
Did my model in woodwork. Had some fun going home from school with Afan and Gwylfa. Mr Wellington came up our house tonight [...].
⁵⁹
I went down to fetch Rhianon's shoes and so I watched them being done.
⁶⁰

21 Wednesday
Went down Uncle Ben's in the night and had one game of Monopoly. Then I went down the chip shop for Auntie Win with Peggy and Dillwyn: Just before going out Mr Rossiter and son came in and his son said that a vet was a very good job.
⁶¹

22 Thursday
We had to do a lousy drawing for Miss Best this afternoon and I was glad when the lesson ended.
⁶²
Played footer with the seniors and we had a decent game. I stayed in tonight and did my homework.
⁶³

23 Friday
I am supposed to play for seniors tomorrow if the weather holds out. Supposed to be in Tonyrefail. Pop saw all the boys without their caps on except me.
⁶⁴
Pop was very surprised when I told him my age.

24 Saturday
[...] Played for the Seniors in Tonyrefail. We won 13–0.
⁶⁵
Felt awful sick after the match. Went to Cach in the night. Went up Cwm in the afternoon.
⁶⁶
Ivor went to Swansea [...].
⁶⁷

25 Sunday
Went to chapel all day. Dr Rees gave a good sermon in the evening. Went home straightway. I left my stuff in the bus yesterday.

26 Monday
Went to school all day. Played football in the Gym this afternoon. Had a Saint book from the library it is OK.
⁶⁸
We are going to play the County Juniors tomorrow. We have a much weakened team.

27 Tuesday
The team was picked this morning. We are five forwards less than usual. Mahoney says that he will not play again.
⁶⁹
I scored a try against the County and Phillips converted.
⁷⁰
They had a penalty. So we won 5–3.
⁷¹
Went down Ben's.

28 Wednesday
School as usual. Our house is well up. Keen competition among the houses. I am very stiff. Many people say that it was a dirty try against the County but it is all in the game. [...]

29 Thursday
Some very good entries for the poem section of the Eisteddfod. Played football with the seniors. Playing Saturday for the seniors in the front row.
⁷²
We are playing one of the best teams in Wales Saturday so here's luck.

MARCH

1 Friday
St David's day Eisteddfod today. Iestyn won. We came a close second and Morgan 3rd.
⁷³
My name was up on the board to play for the seniors against Swansea Grammar.

2 Saturday
Played against Grammar school in Swansea. It was a very hard game and a hopeless ref. They won 11–5. Went to Plaza in the night.
⁷⁴
I paid 1/3 to go in George Formby in
Come on George
.
⁷⁵

3 Sunday
Went to chapel all day. It is a lovely day today. Went for a walk with Prince over the woods this morning.
⁷⁶
It is light until about 7.30 now.

4 Monday
Went to school per usual. Played football today and when we were dressing in the gym a plane came over and parted my hair for me. Had a Bindle book from the library but it is not such a good book.
⁷⁷

5 Tuesday
Finished my model in woodwork today and I have only to buy handles for it now. Worked in the garden tonight and sawed up a pit prop which I found in the railway line and it was very large. We used the two man saw.

6 Wednesday
Went to see the hockey house match between Leisan and Caradog. We won. We went down to Uncle Ben's and played Monopoly. Dillwyn won under my managership. I had no ink so I did not do my homework.

7 Thursday
Played for the house against Caradog today. We won 8–3. I played sideman to the hooker.
⁷⁸
The tries were scored by C. Owen and G. Parkhouse.
⁷⁹
Trevor kicked the goal and I held the ball. It was an easy victory.

8 Friday
Dillwyn birthday today and of course I forgot to buy the card for him. He was 14 years old today. We had a last minute fixture with Eastern and it was found that Mahoney, Jones, Phillips and Lambourne are unable to play.
⁸⁰

9 Saturday
Played Eastern today with two more absentees. Butt and F. Williams.
⁸¹
It was a hard game and we were beat 8–0. I went to the Cach in the Evening. Graham came down to see me playing. England won today.
⁸²

10 Sunday
Went to chapel all day. After chapel this morn I went with Plum over the woods (played for the Eastern against me yesterday).

11 Monday
Played footer with the seniors. But only a runabout and a bit of scrummaging. We are having the hard game tomorrow on the Athletic field.
⁸³
I have an idea that I will be playing for the seniors against Neath on Thursday.

12 Tuesday
Went to bed early tonight about 9.15. Played rugger with the firsts. Walter Vickery turned out with us and could he play.
⁸⁴
Revised some English. Started woodwork test this morning a dove tail joint.

13 Wednesday
My name was up on the board to play against Neath County in Neath. Dillwyn and I fetched stones for Uncle Ben to make a bed for the cement. After that we broke a box for him. We both had a tanner and a game of Monopoly.

14 Thursday
Played football in Neath County. We lost 20–0. This is the biggest defeat I have ever played in. They were much superior to us. I went down Ben's in the night to play Monopoly. Peggy won for the 1st time.

15 Friday
We had a filthy time in school today. Everyone booed us cause we lost to Neath. Last night when I went down Ben's Miss Griffith saw me walking with Peggy and she told me to do my homework.
⁸⁵

16 Saturday
Went to Majestic to see
Stanley and Livingstone
.
⁸⁶
I had a new trousers off Tom Henry and Graham had one too. Did all my errands in the morning had a 1/- off Tom and I went to the 1/3 in the Majestic.
⁸⁷

17 Sunday
Went up Cwmafan with Rhianon and I went to hear the Party rehearsing [...]

18 Monday
Feeling very ill today but I took up Tom's clothes and heard him sing in the choir. They sang fairly well. I came straight down and went to bed. I did some swotting in bed but I was still pretty bad.

19 Tuesday
Went to school this morning but I felt so ill that I did not go in the afternoon and so I missed Chem exam. Did a little swotting for Geog and Welsh. I did not do much as I couldn't concentrate.

20 Wednesday
We had a not too good Geog paper and a lousy Welsh one. But I managed in both. Went down Uncle Ben's in the night and he ticked me off for not taking the planks back to T.H.
⁸⁸

21 Thursday
Had English exam this morning and it was a fairly good one I did an essay on ‘My Brother’ and didn't I give it socks. Went down the park to play football with Wherle and co.

22 Friday
Sis went to Cymanfa tonight.
⁸⁹
All the Boys went down the Beach this afternoon and we found a barrel of Guinness stout but, the Coastguard tipped it into the sea. There might be a reward.

23 Saturday
Not looking forward to exams at all but they must come. Did not go to pictures because I went yesterday I stayed in the house and had a good read. There will be no school Monday again the same as yesterday. Saw Phipps playing tennis in the Park.
⁹⁰

24 Sunday
Went to chapel all day.
⁹¹
There was a good crowd in school today and in chapel in the evening [...]

25 Monday
Went down Uncle Ben's this morning to fetch stones for the cement bed Dillwyn came with me. Went to Majestic to see
King of the River
.
⁹²
Plaza opened today and it was all crowded out.
⁹³

26 Tuesday
Had exams today Geom and Physics. Physics was better than expected and Geom was good too but I just couldn't remember the necessary things. Went to the park to play with my ball. There is a terrific wind up today. [...]

27 Wednesday
Had exams today. Algebra in the morning but nothing in the afternoon. Went down the park in the night. Have got a new lace to my football off D. and had a row off Sis for playing football with my school shoes on but I can take it.

28 Thursday
We had a trigonometry exam this morning and no exam this afternoon because the timetable was changed. I had an afternoon off reading
Realities of War
by P. Gibbs.
⁹⁴
Went down Park and ripped my nail. Did not play football.

29 Friday
We had arithmetic and history today the last thank goodness. My name is upon the list as reserve but I will play probably against Maesteg.
⁹⁵
Graham and Edie were down. I had 3d off Edie. Went down Ben's for a game of Monopoly.

30 Saturday
Played Maesteg and lost 6–3 and we couldn't blame the ref. this time. Went over the park – all the boys were pinching tennis balls. Went to Cach to see Gracie Fields in
Shipyard Sally
.
⁹⁶
All Propaganda.

31 Sunday
Now that we've finished exams, I'm looking forward to a week of rest. Went all day to Chapel. Mr Bowen absent tonight.
⁹⁷

APRIL

1 Monday
I had a shock today I only had 19 in Welsh but I can take it. Had footer in the gym and had a great time tackling the mattress which was tied in the middle by a string. I had a nasty smack on my neck.

2 Tuesday
Ran in the road race and finished 11th out of entry of 28 people. Our house was last in the race. We are going to play the County juniors tomorrow [...]. I had a fairly good tennis racket off Mr Smith.

3 Wednesday
Played County and lost 5–0. Alun Thomas was the County star.
⁹⁸
Our forwards were outplayed and our backs were slow to force home an advantage. The try they scored was not a very good one and I thought it not.

4 Thursday
Went to see the seniors playing and they lost 3–0 and though they were much the better team. Only about twice they hooked the ball all through the match. Eifion did very well and hooked almost 100%.
⁹⁹

5 Friday
Had a sing song in the Hall and I had to sing alone before the whole school. The song was ‘Clementine’.
¹⁰⁰
Broke up today. Had tennis in the school courts with Royston Palmer. He won.

6 Saturday
Went up Cwmafan. Went to Ivor's and we went for a walk up on top road. There was a car smash on top road last night. Nobody was killed.
¹⁰¹

7 Sunday
Went to chapel morn afternoon and night.

8 Monday
Took my bat over in the morning to have 5 strings put in. I went back in the evening (5) and it was done – cost me 3/-. I had a lend of 2/6 off Sis. Bucket of D.
¹⁰²

9 Tuesday
Went up Mountain and had a bucket of D. Went again afternoon and had another. Played tennis in the park this afternoon with Wherle and co. stayed in tonight.

10 Wednesday
Went up to fetch dung and I washed by the farmer. But he didn't catch me. Played tennis in the park with Roy Palmer in the noon and night. Stinks and D. Walters played with us in the night. Hopeless game.

11 Thursday
Fetched a bucket of D. Prince was chasing the sheep and Daddy James saw him so I can't take Prince up the mountain again. Played football with Eastern in the noon and with Wherle and co. in the night.

12 Friday
Helped to chuck in a load of coal for Auntie Hannah.
¹⁰³
Then I went over Mary Ann Jones to clean her chimney for her.
¹⁰⁴
We had 1/0. Went up the colliery in the noon to fetch Elfed's pay for him.

13 Saturday
Did all my errands in the morning and read a library book in the noon. Went to Cach to see
Four Daughters
.
¹⁰⁵
Came home and read a bit before going to bed.

14 Sunday
The papers has been in a week now only another 51. Went to chapel [...] They are planing the chapel floor so I took my hymn book home.

15 Monday
Played football today with Stan Williams’ ball. There was only about 5 aside. We won easily. I had a row off Sis for getting home late. Played with C. Eynon in the afternoon.
¹⁰⁶
Played cricket and football [...]

16 Tuesday
Went up Pontrhydyfen this morning to fetch a tennis press but it was needed so I did not have it. About 11.0 I went down to Tom's and had dinner there. Went to see Cassie's grave. Rode to park – played football.