1800s 1900ca Barry/Barry IslandBalticTimber Trade years started/ships crew/info

[Malcolm33]

Hi trellisick

Could not agree with you more about the state of Barry over the years. As a fellow Barrian I have also seen the town (second largest in Wales) go down. Agree with you about all they seem to do is build more houses. Destroy by not supporting entertainment (cinema and fairground are two good examples) is leaving the old town centre a mecca for takeaways and by pushing everything they can to the Waterfront it is just making money for the port owners. Sorry but I could prattle on all day about this.

   This is all so sad.   How about the cafe's under the shelter?   The first two were run by 'Uncle' Frank Thompson, his wife and her family.   Frank died in 1963 in Sydney, but the family carried on for many years that I know of.   The photo would have been taken circa 1945/6 when Frank was demobbed from the RAF and he got a lease from the council on the first café.    Tables were set up outside the back and became the most popular since he and his brother-in-law erected covers on stands for inclement weather.   Trays for the Sands also went well from the kiosk opening out front.

[bigmagicdog]

Cafe's under the shelter. What memories! As a young lad I was always puzzled by the sign 'tea with your own food' Being that young I thought you had free tea!!
How about the Salvation Army band every Sunday on the beach by No. 2 sea wall and when wet played in the shelter opposite the café.
Gosh I was young and still got happy memories of a vibrant part of Barry (Island).

[Malcolm33]

Cafe's under the shelter. What memories! As a young lad I was always puzzled by the sign 'tea with your own food' Being that young I thought you had free tea!!
How about the Salvation Army band every Sunday on the beach by No. 2 sea wall and when wet played in the shelter opposite the café.
Gosh I was young and still got happy memories of a vibrant part of Barry (Island).

   So that is why some items never came back   Frank used to say that there would be one of his teaspoons in the home of every village in the Rhondda Valley - he got them as surplus after the war!!    Anyway you can see some of the mugs that went on the trays in this photo taken in the window kiosk.    Excuse smudged faces but some might just be still alive even though this photo was still in the 1940's.
    I'm sure you will know this Ode to Barry Island by Max Boyce, but for those who don't, it is funny and it is full of memories - "I remember Miners' Fortnight when I was just a lad...."
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzHcVgx7HaY

[mona lisa]

I am wondering if the Baltic ships coming into the Barry / Island ports would have a crew manifest that is available each time?