Aberdare Boys’ Grammar School
Certificate Ceremonies
Certificate Ceremony, 17th December 1908, for the class of 1908
Aberdare County School.
PRIZE DAY.
The annual meeting of this School took place on Thursday at the Constitutional Hall. There were present on the platform, Mrs. W. Lloyd, Mrs J. Griffiths, Messrs. G. George, J.P., E. M. Hann, J.P., J. D. Thomas (clerk to the Governors), and Mr. W. C. Cox, M.A., (headmaster).
The chairman remarked that that was their twelfth annual prize distribution. Looking backwards over this period they had cause to be pleased at the success attained by the students of the school, and the strides made by secondary education in Wales. Many of the old pupils had reached high positions in scholastic and other spheres, for instance, Mr. Norman Picton, B.Sc., of Hirwain, and Mr, Jonathan Jones, B.Sc., of Aberdare. In view of the insufficient finance the results were indeed very creditable. For the economical and at the same time efficient way in which the school finances had been administered, much credit was due to the ex-chairman of the Governors, Mr. D. P. Davies, J.P. (Applause.) Owing to the lack of finance they had been unable to do justice to the staff or students. The County Authority had drafted certain rules with regard to the apportionment of grants, and if these were approved of by Board of Education, Aberdare would probably receive an increased grant.
The Governors were now preparing to have a separate School for Girls, erected in Aberdare. Sir W. T. Lewis had very generously provided a site for it. —
The Certificates and Prizes were distributed by Mr. E. M. Hann.
Mr. Hann remarked that he was exceedingly pleased to note the rapid strides made by the school. He would urge them to continue their studies, and he expressed the hope that in after days the pupils would utilise their learning, not only to their own benefit, but to benefit their own country. England’s battles in the future would be fought, not with weapons of steel, but with the sword of learning. Other nations were straining their energies to further the cause of education, and Britishers should strive to hold their own in the struggle for supremacy. —
Mrs. W. Lloyd proposed thanks to Mr. Hann. She remarked that brains and not bullets were to be the factors in the building of the empires of the future.—
Mr. G. George, in seconding, referred to Mr. Hann as the propeller of one of their greatest local industries. —
The chairman supported the vote of thanks.—Mrs. J. Griffiths, in moving a vote of thanks to the chairman, hoped that during his presidency good work would be done at the school.—Mr J. D. Thomas, in seconding, remarked that during its whole career the Governing Body had had but three chairmen, Messrs. G. George, D. P. Davies, and D. Hughes.—
The Headmaster presented his report, from which we make the following extracts:—
The average number of students for the year was 279, including 43 pupil teachers. A decrease of 89 in the average number in attendance was due to the opening of the Mountain Ash County School.
During the past year the school was for the first time divided into two sides, the “professional” and the “commercial” side. The establishment of the “commercial” side, which was an innovation, was designed partly to meet the wishes of those parents who did not wish their children to learn Latin, or to enter the teaching or some other profession, and partly to encourage pupils to enter for the various appointments in the Civil Service, which, although open to all British subjects alike, were seldom competed for by Welsh pupils. The commercial side opened with 13 pupils, and as a result of the year’s working one pupil, F. W. Oxenham, had gained the “commercial” certificate of the Central Welsh Board, the only certificate of this sort awarded this year in the whole of Wales; another pupil, Ira Griffiths, came out first in the examination for P.O. female learners in the Cardigan district. The department also gained nine Pitman’s shorthand certificates, three in the senior and two in the junior grade.
Another noteworthy point was that school games were gradually being placed on a properly organised footing. The long-felt want of a school field was supplied by the renting of the Robertstown field. At the same time the physical instruction given to the girls has been improved by the addition to the staff of the County Gymnastic Instructress, Miss Penny.
A third change was that the school was now a fully organised and recognised pupil-teacher centre.
The triennial inspection of the school took place on the 29th November, when Mr. Owen Owen (chief inspector), Mr. Hammond Robinson, and Miss Hentsch at tended for that purpose. As their report was confidential, quotations from it were precluded, but it might be said without breach of confidence that at their interview with the Governors they spoke in high terms of the work of the school. It was a matter of regret, however, that these triennial inspections should be so brief in duration. To form an adequate judgment of the work of a large school such as this, one would think a rather longer period than four hours, the time spent on this occasion, was required.
Certificates and prizes were given to the following:—Winners of Certificates awarded by the Central Welsh Board:
Honours—Isabella W. Chapman, David F. Davies, Mary Howells, Minnie Hughes, Eliz. A. Parfitt, Irene F. Pratt, Arthur Williams.
Senior— Evan W. Davies, Lotta Evans, May George, Dorothy Rees, Margaret E. Rees, T. Brinley Reynolds, Wyndham Thomas.
Commercial— Fred W. Oxenham.
Junior—Elsie Andrews, Katie Connolly, Archie L. Davies, Alice Howells, Griffith C. Hughes, Sarah M. Jenkins, Enid Lea, Thomas H. Lewis, Nellie Mason, Stanley Morgan, Willie J. Morris, Jennie Powell, Aneurin Rhydderch, Tom Roderick, Irene Maud Rosser.
London Matriculation Certificates: W. J. Curnow, D. A. Davies.
Welsh Matriculation Certificates: W. J. Curnow, E.A. Davies, Gwladys John, D. E. Morgan, Trevor J. Reynolds.
Senior Oxford Local Certificates: G. R. Jones, Alice McGillivray, Nancy Williams.
Prizes awarded by the Governors :—
Form VIa.: English and History, Winnie Chapman. Languages, Winnie Chapman. Science, Lizzie Parfitt. Mathematics, David F. Davies.
Form VIb.: General Proficiency, Dorothy Rees. English Subjects, Lotta Evans. Mathematics, Idris Thomas. Languages, Dorothy Rees. Science, Tegwedd Williams.
Form Va.: General Proficiency, Wyndham Thomas. Mathematics, Wyndham Thomas.
Form Vb.: General Proficiency, Archie Davies. English Subjects, Archie Davies. Mathematics, W. J. Morris. Languages, Sarah M. Jenkins. Science, Alice Howells and Tom Roderick (equal).
Form Shell Upper: English Subjects, H. R. Mills. Arithmetic, L. Collier. Languages, M. E. Davies.
Form Shell Lower: General Proficiency, J. Rosser. English Subjects, K. Connolly. Mathematics, J. Rosser. Languages, L. M. Evans. Geography, A. Rhydderch.
Form IIIa.: General Proficiency, Alec McCarthy. English Subjects, Ben Thomas. Mathematics, Geo. R. Williams. Languages, Ben Thomas.
Form IIIb.: General Proficiency, Geoff. L. Thomas. English Subjects, Gwen Pierce. Mathematics, Geoffrey Thomas. Languages, V. Hague.
Form IIIc.: General Proficiency, C. H. Lewis. English Subjects, C. H. Lewis. Mathematics, D. J. Evans. Languages, Annie Woodford.
Form II.: General Proficiency, Amy Minty. English Subjects, Amy Minty. Mathematics, J. Trevor Williams. Languages (Welsh), Sarah J. Rees.
Form I.: General Proficiency, James L. Jones. English Subjects, T. Archie Jones. Mathematics, Dorothy Pardoe. French, D. Hannah. Commercial Form: General Proficiency, F. W. Oxenham. Precis and Correspondence, Dan Hughes. Book-keeping and Shorthand, F. W. Oxenham.
1st year P.T.’s: General Proficiency, Clarissa Rate. English Subjects, M. Ashford. Mathematics, Cyril Richards. Languages (Welsh), David Edwards.
2nd year P.T.’s: General Proficiency, T.W. James. English Subjects, Nancy Williams. Mathematics, Alice McGillivray. Languages (French), Annie Rogers. Drawing, L.T. Morgan (A.L. Davies also qualified). Woodwork, Stanley Morgan (A.L. Davies also qualified). Cookery, Annie Williams. Needlework, Nellie Jones.
The following entertaining programme was gone through : — Chorus, “Now is the month of May,” the School Choir, conductor, Mr T. Price. Chorus, “Tiger, tiger, burning bright,” the School Choir. Chorus, “A Hunting Song,” the School Choir. Display of Swedish Drill, by school girls, instructress Miss Winifred Parry.
“THE SWEEDISH [sic] DRILL.”
BY Mr. J. BOSHER, ABERDARE
Believe me, it was worth while being present
At the Aberdare County Prize Day.
If only to see the girls drilling
In a clever and masterly way;
With a martial step they came on the stage,
Marched around at a rapid pace,
Then, in an instant, on the sudden word, “Halt!”
Every girl stood fixed to her place.
At the word of command each girl did her part,
“Hands up,” “ Hands down,” “Left,” and “Right,”
“Heads forward” “Heads backward,”
“All heads erect,”
It was really a pretty sight;
“Feet firm,” All faces turn to the right,”
“Reverse” “Bend forward, feet still,”
Thus with careful attention, and marked precision,
They went through the Sweedish Drill.
Then, like Fairies, at the word of command,
They tripped around merrily,
Then formed in rows of fours, threes, and twos,
And appeared as pretty as could be;
At times they looked like a perfect maze,
But soon were again in line,
The hearty applause of the audience was proof
That they thought the performance was fine.
To the girls we unitedly say, “Bravo,”
’Twas really A1 from the start,
The drill all through was a perfect treat
You splendidly did your part;
To Miss Penny, the Instructress, we tender our thanks
For preparing the grand display,
And hope to witness another fine drill
On the next County School Prize Day.
Mrs Walter Lloyd was Mary Smith Lloyd. Three years later in 1913 she
was to be the guest of honour and performed the ceremonial opening of
the new Girls’ School in Plasdraw. Mrs Lloyd and her husband, Walter,
were founder members of Trinity Presbyterian Church, Canon Street, and
until her husband’s death in 1883, they ran the newspaper Y Gwladgarwr.
In her old age Mrs Lloyd went to live with her daughter and son-in-law
E. Emrys Evans at 9/10 Victoria Square above the Chemists Shop.- Mrs. J Griffiths was probably the wife of Mr. John Griffiths, headmaster of Park School for Boys, 1882—1911.
G.
George, J.P. — Griffith George, (1847–1910), was the proprietor
of The Bee Hive drapery in Victoria Square. He was born in Llangoedmor,
near Cardigan, but like many other Aberdarians of this period in the
mid-1870s, he had moved from west Wales to the more prosperous south
Wales valleys. He became a J.P., a member of the first Aberdare Urban
District Council, a founding governor of the County School, a deacon
at Heolyfelyn Welsh Baptist Chapel, Trecynon, and a writer who competed
in Eisteddfodau. He died in Tenerife whilst on a visit intended to benefit
his health. 
E.M. Hann, J.P. — Edmund Mills Hann (1850–1931)
was a prominent figure in the Welsh industrial life of south Wales, and
in the civic life of Aberdare. He lived in Aberaman including a spell
at The Oaklands. He was an inaugural member of the Aberdare Urban District
Council in 1894. He was general manager to the Powell Duffryn Colliery
Company, and later a director of the company.- John D. Thomas was Clerk to the Governors and a solicitor with offices at 29 Canon Street.
D.P. Davies, J.P. — David Price Davies was a gentleman farmer living
at Ynyslwyd House on the valley floor between Aberdare and Aberaman.
His family were also landowners, owning much of the land on which Foundry
Town and Davies Town were later built. He played a prominent role in
the civic life of Aberdare chairing many significant committees in the
town. He was a lifelong member at Capel Siloa in the town centre.
Sir W.T. Lewis, later Lord Merthyr, was a mining engineer who lived
at The Mardy in Aberdare. He was Agent for the Marquess of Bute, but
he also owned several coal mines, including the Senghenydd Colliery.
It is his statue that stands near the lower park gates in Aberdare.
D.
Hughes was Alderman David Hughes. He was a very well-known Aberdarian
who was a marine engineer for most of his career. After returning to
Aberdare, he took on several civic roles including Chairman of Aberdare
Intermediate School Governors, 1908–1913.- F. W. Oxenham was Frederick William Oxenham, fourth of the six Oxenhams to attend the school. F.W. was a son of William Oxenham, a master plumber of Whitcombe Street. He spent most of his adult life in Birmingham where he was managing director of an engineering firm manufacturing hinges.
Miss
Penny was Miss Winifred Penny, (1882–1932), who was initially appointed
to the Girls’ Intermediate School as Physical Instructress, but later
became organiser for Physical Training employed by both the Aberdare
and Mountain Ash Education Committees, working across several schools
in the district. She was a native of Wandsworth but settled in Abernant.
She was also active in organising rambles for adults, taking her group
by train to nearby locations for the guided walks. She was also on the
committee of the Aberdare Golf Club.
Dorothy Rees — Dorothy Jessie Charlotte Rees became
a long-serving member of staff at the Aberdare Girls County School; she
was appointed in 1917 and retired in December 1945. Prior to her appointment
at Aberdare, she had spent short periods elsewhere: Compiègne, 1913–14,
Marlborough G.S., 1914–16, and Llandovery County School, 1916–17. She
was the sister of Alderman Florence Rose Davies, CBE, JP. At the age
of 59, and after teaching for 31 years, Dorothy Rees married Johan Schaaf
in 1952.
T. Brinley Reynolds taught at the school for 41 years becoming headmaster
of the school 1952–54. Mr Reynolds has an entry in the Headmasters section
of this website.- Griffith Caradoc Hughes became Senior French Master and then Deputy Headmaster at Barry Boys’ Grammar School.
Mr
Roderick became Agent for Powell Duffryn Collieries in Aberdare, (1940).
Captain of Aberdare Town Tennis Club, member of Aberdare General Hospital
Executive Committee. Married in 1935 the well-to-do Miss Phyllis Harrison
of Cwmdare - who was the Women’s Tennis captain.
(The father of Drew Haman (ABGS 1952–60) succeeded Tom Roderick upon his retirement.)- Mr Tom Price of Merthyr, School Choir Conductor was an accomplished choir master and a prolific composer, winning prizes at the National Eisteddfodau at Caernarfon, London, Brecon, Bangor and Swansea where he won the Blue Riband for composition. For the Carmarthen Eisteddfod he trained three Cardiganshire choirs — and all three won!