Aberdare Boys’ Grammar School

Set by the Glamorgan County Council Education Department this examination was used to select pupils for the Grammar Schools. At this time the results were published in rank order in the local newspaper with the marks awarded as explained in the heading of the article.

The primary school at which each candidate sat the examination is indicated by the following abbreviations: A - Aberaman; Ab - Abernant; Am - Aman; B - Blaengwawr; Br - Brookside School; Cap - Capcoch; C.C. - Cwmbach Church School; Cd - Cwmdare; H - Hirwaun; L - Llwydcoed; P = Park School; R - Rhigos; S.F. - St Fagan’s Church School; S.M. - St. Margaret’s RC School; T.C. - Town Church School (National); T.Cl. - Town Council (later Caradog).

There were four church schools in the valley at this time, three Church in Wales, and St. Margaret’s RC. All the rest were Council schools, but only the Town Council was known as such - to distinguish it from the Town Church, (the National School, Cardiff Street). This may have also been the case in the naming of the two Cwmbach schools.

In 1945, our secondary school was two-form entry with about 32 pupils per class. However it was sometimes necessary to admit fewer than 64 local boys in order to make room for boys who had passed the examination elsewhere and whose families were moving into the district. In 1945, 60 of the boys on this list were admitted, up to position No. 63, with 48= Timothy R. Williams, 50= Haydn R. Stinchcombe and 60 John P. Screach not taking up their places. Boys higher up the rank did not gain entry, although some did in the following year when they were able to resit the examination.

The two Cwmdare boys at positions 1 and 2, J. Gwyn Morgan and John F. Mear, both have an entry in the Former Pupils section of this website. Dave Lewis who sent in the list is at No. 62 !   Arwyn Richards was an accomplished rugby player turning out for the London Welsh 1st XV. After returning home he was the long serving chairman of Cwmbach Male Voice Choir. Derek Morgan is a good organist - he was temporary music master at the school in 1959 when Gethin Evans fell ill. Victor Carney became Registrar at U.C. Swansea; and John Yockney, after a period teaching geography in Luton, studied for his M.Sc. & Ph.D. eventually to become Dean of Education at U.C. Cardiff.

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