THE LATE HAYDN DOBBINS

 

Wallace and his Brother Will came to work in South Wales in the early 1900’s, Will as Groom and later Chauffeur to Captain Leighton Davies of Gowerton and Wallace to work in the Elba works Gowerton.

 

Wallace married May Davies,(May worked in the Pickle factory, Fairwood Road, Gowerton) they lived with his Wife’s Parents , Dai and Sara Hagedon in Belgrave Road, Loughor.

 

Haydn was born on the 7^th November 1918,in Belgrave Road Loughor, his parents moved when Haydn was 7 years old to a house “just around the corner” according to Haydn.

He attended Loughor School and left at the age of 14 to work in the Maerdy works on the “cold rolls”. He attended Swansea Technical College, Mount Pleasant and was later promoted to “Millwright.”

After the works closed he went to work at the Trostre Works, Llanelly as Foreman in the batch annealing department.

On retiring from the works he worked as a Bank Guard in Morriston and later as part time Park Keeper on the bowling greens and tennis courts in Loughor Park and sometimes in the Cemetery at Kingsbridge, until he finally retired at the age of 80.

 

Throughout his life Haydn and his Brother were very enthusiastic musicians, Haydn playing the Saxophone and Trombone and his Brother the Violin.

 

Haydn played with various local Dance Bands including Roy Allen, Dennis Howells and Percy Summers. He was for many years a bell ringer at St. Catherine’s Church, Gorseinon.

Always a very active person he played Rugby for Loughor and Tennis and joined the Gowerton Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club and in the 1950’s he was made Captain of the Tennis Club and played with his mates including Ken Ball, a local of Gowerton, whose Father paid sixpence a week to allow his young Son to play in the club. Other players were Peter Peetham-Baran, Glynwyn Griffiths, Ken Crocker and John Wilmoor Jones, who once played on the outer courts of Wimbledon in an over 45’s match.

 

Haydn and May had two children Alan and Pam and four Grand-children, sadly May passed away in 1977

Until his recent passing, Haydn, aged 84 still enjoyed his Thursday evenings meeting his friends in the Conservative Club, Gowerton for a drink, chat and to discuss when they could play another game of Tennis (weather permitting)

 

At the time of writing this article, it was sadly announced that Haydn had passed away. Before his passing he handed us many interesting photographs for placing on the site. Now those photographs and memories of a remarkable and entertaining man can be enjoyed by everyone.

 

Gladys Spencer