Streetly Camp Gronant Childhood Holidays

One day when at school I was asked about holidays I answered honestly And said from home I had never been away So I was chosen to go to Streetly Camp It was like in a forest With log cabins cold and damp My very first time away from home I missed my brother and sister And I felt quite alone But I soon settled in And with others I did mix Learning about forestry

And many other tricks We had an open evening Where everyone told tales Some said pieces of poetry To me, that never failed One lad had us in stitches With his tale of Goliath of Gath And his sword of brass Who sat upon the grass One of my finest memories When I attended Chuckery School My first holiday away from home And for one week I played the fool

There was a place in West Wales – right upon the coast, As a child we holidayed there – a place I loved the most. Looking back a shanty town was all that was there, But we were able to run and jump off sand dunes without a single care.

We stayed in three railway carriages in between each a gap. Water came from filling bottles at a local tap. Each day the calor gas man came to site with gas and papers too, Once a week the latest comics were on sale for all the kids to view.

The steam trained passed alongside the site for all to see, No one was more excited that a six year old little me. A trip to Rhyl to visit the Fair – an exciting show, Dad tried to win on the shooting range but failed nearly every go.

The toilet was a bucket in a shed – that outside could be found, No sluice or sewage for the waste just dig a hole in the ground. We had a cut grassed area for football and cricket games, I was Garfield Sobers or any current player famed.

Our holidays saw us joined by members of our extended family, Staying in all shapes and styles of buildings you would ever see. One was Uncle Frank – popular with all the little mites, He taught each and every one of us of how to fly a kite.

A walk along Talacre beach and trying to find the sea, Spotting the lighthouse at the point was always a highlight for me. From those early days I have always loved to see the light, I love the security that they suggest seeing off the sea and its stormy might.

On the site were two shops – one known as the drug store, Here you could buy provisions, buckets, spades and even more. The other shop was a little posher so we did not go there often, It sold perfume, trinkets and creams to make your skin soften.

Just outside of the camp and over the bridge was a penny arcade, We did no go there either as there were cricket games to be played. It always seemed to be sunny when we were on holiday, Time on the beach was all we wanted if we could have our say.

Now there was one downside to this place, The wind whipped up the sand and blasted your legs and face! But I would go back in a flash to our lodgings if I could, But sanitised caravans are there now instead of homes of wood.

They may have been a hazard and not really sound, But they provided the greatest holidays for only a couple of pound. So I have to rely on memories and a few black and white pictures, To take me, in my mind, to “My Gronant” – happy permanent fixtures.