Trevor L. Taylor
Headmaster

Trevor Taylor was born 6 December 1921 in Dulwich, London, the son of N.W.F. Taylor and his wife Ceinwen (née Lewis, from Miskin). Trevor’s father became the South Wales manager of the Red & White Omnibus Services, although his first job on arriving in Penrhiwceiber from London was as a conductor with Aberdare Motor Services.

Moving from London at around the age of one year, Trevor spent his early years in Woodfield Terrace, Penrhiwceiber, but moved to 47, Broniestyn Terrace in Aberdare at the age of aged 10 or 11, later moving further up the terrace to No. 60.

While in Penrhiwceiber he attended Pengeulan School which was very close to his home, but he transferred to Park Boys School when the family moved to Aberdare. He transferred to the County School, then under the headship of W. Charlton Cox, in 1934, and gained his School Certificate, and then his Highers in Physics, Chemistry, and Economics. He was a keen sportsman, gaining a Cap in Rugby, and in athletics he captained the school relay team.

After leaving school, too young to attend college, he spent one year as a student teacher at Park School followed by 2 years at Borough Road Teacher Training College in London, 1940-42.

In 1942 he joined the RAF, training as a pilot in Canada. He started operations as a pilot in 1944, flying the Mosquito FB 6 with 248 Sqdn Coastal Command at RAF Banff. This was one of the Strike Wings. His main task was to fly over the North Sea at low level, below radar height, and there to attack the German coastal convoys coming down the coast of Norway normally at dawn. These convoys were usually skulking in fiords during the day. The Mosquitos dived down effectively one at a time onto prepared flak positions and used cannon and rockets to sink the coastal ships. Trevor remained in the RAF for a short period after the war with 248 Sqdn based at Chivenor, and Thorney Island, but eventually his soon-to-be wife insisted on a proper job! He therefore went back to complete his Teacher Training, and qualified in about 1946. Just before he left the RAF, when he had the rank of Flight Lieutenant, he somehow persuaded his superiors to allow him to fly his plane over Aberdare. Whilst over the valley he used his high resolution RAF camera to take detailed photographs of the area. Click here to see these photographs.

After the war in 1946, Trevor married a local Aberdare girl, Dilys Rees from Cwmaman, and took up teaching and life in Ashford, Middlesex. Initially at a school in Echelford, he later moved to a deputy headship in Spelthorne, where he was later promoted to Headmaster.

He returned to Aberdare in the late 1980s after the death of his wife, and lived in Cwmdare until his death in March 2012. He had reached his 90th birthday in December 2011.