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Wigan Album

WIGAN WELSH

9 Comments

Ted and Jack Wigan Welsh signings
Ted and Jack Wigan Welsh signings
Photo: Keith
Views: 1,875
Item #: 24509
A photo of two Welsh players that Wigan signed from Llanelli RU Club in 1938. Ted Ward seated on left and Jack Bowen standing on the right. This photo was taken while their club Llanelli were on tour around 1937.
Both players signed 10 year contracts but the War interrupted their careers, however, they both played after the War and Jack also during some of the war years, while Ted along with several other Welshmen had returned home for the war's duration.

Comment by: Roy on 19th January 2014 at 10:21

Nice photo of your dad Keith, a very nostalgic one, especially for you. Just as a matter of curiosity do you know who the other two lads are? obviously Llanelli players, who, i presume didn't come north.

Comment by: Keith on 19th January 2014 at 11:58

Thank you Roy, my father's "best pal" - the phrase used in those days, is standing next to him, Handel Thomas who in later years became the groundsman (unpaid) at Stradey Park (it helped that he lived yards from the ground and was never away) and one of whose sons Gareth Thomas played for the Scarlets I think in the 1970's. The other person was Tal Rees, all I know is that he was a policeman - many Welsh Rugby players became or were policemen. On our occasional trips back to Wales my father always contacted Handel. Tal is a shortened form of Talwyn a Welsh boys name meaning "tall white".

Comment by: Kath Arkwright on 19th January 2014 at 13:28

Thank you for this Keith.This is the first time I've seen Ted Ward in clothes other than his rugby gear, apart from in M&S in 1953/4 and as I said it was his voice I remembered. I'm not impressed by his wrinkled up suit and your dad looks far smarter. I hope he looked better when he was with my mother!

Comment by: Roy on 19th January 2014 at 14:24

Who Kath, Ted Ward or Keith's dad?lol. Thank you for your quick response Keith, very interesting. What year did your dad leave the Wellfield?

Comment by: Keith on 19th January 2014 at 15:40

Kath :- I know what you mean exactly by "his voice" that Welsh accent - to me at least, it's an endearing feature of Welsh folk (some others seem to hold a different view) and yet strange to say I never noticed it in my father's speech although at times others did and remarked upon it. However when he spoke Welsh to his brothers and sisters I had no idea what was being said but still found the "lilt" appealing. As for the suit well I think we've got to remember they were on tour and this was probably a factor.
Roy :- my father started off as a tenant publican at the Crispin Arms in January 1950 and left for the Wellfield Hotel in Feb 1956, he and my mother retired in May 1974. My mother died in 2001 aged 81 and dad passed away aged 93 in 2009 - he'd enjoyed his usual game of snooker at his local club a few months earlier and retained all mental abilities clearly until the end.

Comment by: Roy on 19th January 2014 at 20:36

Thanks again Keith, my pregnant wife and myself were in the Wellfield on the evening of Oct 22nd 1968, we went home at closing time and then to bed, after a couple of hours she woke me to get an ambulance, we had no phone, fog had come down and i couldn't see more than ten feet in front of me, i ran up the road to the phone box on Beech Hill Ave it took them what seemed an age to get to us, i asked them if i could i accompany my wife in the ambulance and they said yes if i wanted to walk back home from Billinge. Our son was born the day after and my wife always jokingly blamed your dads beer for her waters breaking, i maintained there was nothing wrong with the beer.

Comment by: Keith on 20th January 2014 at 10:33

Roy, I can just imagine your state of mind at the time (having had 3 sons of my own) - thanks for sharing - at least my father, who was always prided himself on the quality of his beer, may have contributed in some small way to your son's safe delivery - I'm sure your tale is now part of your family folklore.

Comment by: Roy on 20th January 2014 at 12:42

Correct Keith, thanks for your conversation.

Comment by: Keith on 23rd January 2014 at 22:04

Hi Kath - I've left a note for you on "Nellie Burton", re:- Ted.

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