Our autumn programme

The summer that never was is now almost over and we look forward to beginning our autumn programme with a local history coffee morning tomorrow (Saturday, September 1), at Monkton Priory Church Hall 10.30 am - 1 pm. Please, if you have photographs of local interest, bring them along to share: our meetings are open to all, free and friendly - a chance to catch up with old friends and reminisce. For your entertainment (and to jog your memory!), there will be a film show of old home movies introduced by Pauline Waters, plus an exhibition of old photographs. 

Following on from this, on Friday evening, September 14, we have a talk by Terry John, 'Titanic - fact and fiction', at Monkton Priory Church Hall, 7.30 pm. Terry is a popular speaker, so needless to say, it will prove a good evening. Again free of charge and a chance to enjoy tea and a chat following.

Finally, the Mayor, Clr. Mel Phillips has asked me to publicise her series of quizzes in aid of the lifeboat. They will take place at the Town Hall on the first Monday of the month from September 3, up to including April. Teams of four and entry is £5 (which includes supper).

The Sunderland Trust's new centre

Earlier this year, John Evans came to talk to us at Monkton Church Hall about the Sunderland Trust and its achievements. One of our society's earliest meetings was a visit to the Pembroke Dock Flying Boat Centre and workshop, where we were able to see for ourselves the work of recovery and conservation of Sunderland T9044 which had long lain on the seabed off the Pembroke Dock waterfront. Since its opening in June 2009, the centre has proved a huge success. Setting out the story of the Sunderland T9044 and the stories of some of the pilots who flew it, it has attracted over 22,000 people, many from overseas.

Building on this success, John told us of the Trust's ambitious plans to increase the visitor experience of the Sunderland Trust by opening a new centre in the former Fleet Surgeon's House, one of the fine old Royal Dockyard buildings now restored, under the ownership of the port authority. Those plans are now realised: the Sunderland Trust's new 'Fleets to Flying Boats' Visitor Centre is now open to the public, complete with a coffee and tea shop in the adjoining glazed area, appropriately called the Glass House Coffee Shop.

A lifelong interest

John has done a magnificent job and is the driving force behind all this. I asked him how he had come to devote so much of his life to the Sunderlands.

"It's been a lifelong obsession," he told me, "starting with airfix kits, reading shilling warbooks and reading anything about WWII.

"I was born not long after the war, so it was very much part of my family's history. My father was in the home guard and my mother was a land girl - it was because of the war that they met.

"Coming to live in Pembroke Dock in the 1970s, I realised what a wonderful town it was, a town with a wonderful history - and there was a danger that this heritage was being lost. That's why I started and have carried it on ever since."

John joined the Western Telegraph in its Dock Office, Meyrick Street, in 1969.

"It was owned by the Thomas family then. The editor was Herbert Thomas, news editor Richard Howells and one of the senior reporters was Vernon Scott - all greatly influenced me."

John has built up an international reputation for his work and is author to several books, including three on the Sunderlands. He was involved in the Flying Boat Reunion Committee of the Pembroke Dock Branch of the RAFA: between 1985 and 95, five Flying Boat Reunions were organised bringing thousands into Pembroke Dock from all over the world. When this ended, he became involved in the Museum Trust in 1996, the focus turning to the heritage of Pembroke Dock and the opening of the Gun Tower museum in 2001(presently closed because of damp problems).

The Sunderland Trust

John continued: "It was in 2006 that the Sunderland Trust was set-up with William McNamara, Martin Cavaney and Steve Thompson as trustees with the initial aim of securing a permanent centre in Pembroke Dock for a Battle of the Atlantic exhibition with the Sunderland T9044 as the first main exhibit. I was working for the National Parks at the time and was seconded to the Trust, becoming Project Manager in 2009."

The Trust has made amazing progress; the Pembroke Dock Flying Boat Centre and workshop opened in June 2009 followed now by the opening of the Fleets to Flying Boat Centre. It now has six trustees plus a project team. However, the running of the enterprise relies heavily on volunteers.

"Without our wonderful volunteers," said John, "none of this could exist, they are of the life blood of the organisation. Seventy people have volunteered to help in a variety of activities, including the running of the Flying Boat Centre, this visitor centre, the coffee shop, the educational programme, community events to recovering and conserving the artefacts of the T9044. This year, we won a group award from PAVS in recognition of the tremendous team we have got."

And of the future?

"First we must consolidate what we have here, developing this as a historic centre drawing on all of our community's history to embrace the Royal Dockyard, our maritime and military heritage. Pembroke Dock was not only the world's largest operational flying boat station, but a leader in shipbuilding (building 260 ships, including five royal yachts) and was host to famous Army regiments over 150 years - how many people know that?"

There is so much - John's vision is a heritage trail which could include the Garrison Chapel, Hancock's historic shipbuilding yard where the West Wales Maritime Heritage Society could have an exhibition centre, further afield the Carew Control Tower and Chapel Bay Fort. All are parts of the story which he feels could be marketed collectively.

Aviation Art Exhibition

Helping to launch the centre is a prestigious aviation art exhibition by the internationally famous Guild of Aviation Artists (GAvA). This is their first-ever exhibition in Wales and so represents a real coup for the Trust. I went to the opening of the exhibition last Saturday and would certainly recommend you visit - on display are some 75 aviation and military paintings, the work of seven artists - on display and for sale. The paintings are stunning and many of them are of Sunderlands. I bought a raffle ticket - first prize is a painting of Sunderlands sweeping over Caldey Island (valued at £400) by Tim Jenkins who very generously donated his painting to the Trust. So fingers crossed!

The centre is open Tuesdays to Saturdays between 10 am - 4 pm and the exhibition will run until September 22.

Contact

If you have any stories or photographs for this column, please contact me, Linda Asman, on 01646 622428, email [email protected]">[email protected] and visit our website http://www.pembrokeandmonktonhistory.org.uk">www.pembrokeandmonktonhistory.org.uk