YESTERDAYS 1953
A 57-YEAR-OLD tramp, who three years ago was certified “as having died from natural causes,” and seven months later turned up at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court charged with begging, was found dead in the early hours on waste ground in front of Cardiff Central Station.
In April 1949, the body of a bearded tramp was found on Leckwith.
Police officers thought it to be wellknown figure in the Cardiff streets, Ivor John Morris, of Penygraig.
Eventually his brother William James Morris called at the mortuary, identified the body as that of his brother and it was buried under the name of Ivor John Morris, of no fixed address, born Appletree, Dinas, Rhondda.
On Saturday, December 13, Morris appeared before Cardiff magistrates charged with begging and perplexed police officers had the task of explaining that he had been “dead and buried since April”.
This earned Morris, a man of many similar convictions, an absolute discharge.
He later called at the South Wales Echo office to prove that he was not dead and told a reporter: “I am not a vagrant, just an ex-serviceman.”
The problem facing the city police now is who did they bury in April 1949? Tonight the brother, Mr William Morris will be travelling again to the Cardiff mortuary to identify his brother. SUGAR rationing, it is confidently believed, will end tonight, but wholesale and retail grocers in South Wales do not expect a rush on their stocks.
“There may be a very slight rise in sales during the first week,” Mr H Ridgeway, president of the Cardiff and District Grocer’s Association told the South Wales Echo.
“Many people do not buy their full ration which is 1lb a book and seems to be quite ample for most needs,” he said.
“So although families may buy extra at first, the sales should soon level out again.” WHEN a father heard his 16-year-old son had stolen a £40 box of tools from a TV engineer’s car, he said: “I hope you get 10 years for this.” This was a very unsatisfactory state of affairs, and an example of the boy’s very poor home life, Mr D Quayle, manager of Cardiff Docks Girls’ and Boys’ Club told a juvenile court today.
“Everything at home is far from well,” the manager added. “The father is not interested in the boy and has washed his hands with him.
“The parents are unable to control this boy and they do not feed him,” said Mr D Lloyd, the approved school’s welfare officer. A BRIGHT idea brought four boys to Cardiff Juvenile court today.
They wanted some nails flattened to use on their fishing lines – so they stuck them under the wheels of the London express near Ely Station. But their bright idea misfired. They were spotted by a police officer, who said he found the nails placed on the stretch of the main South Wales to London line. Fining them five shillings each for trespassing on the railway, the chairman commented: “We don’t think you are bad boys, but don’t do this again. You might have been killed or injured.” THERE is no truth in the report published in some London newspapers that foul play is suspected in connection with the recent death of “Taffy” the goat, which was mascot of the 5th Battalion the Welch Regiment (TA) and the police are investigating. Taffy was kept at the battalion headquarters at Pontypridd.
He was taken ill on September 18 and although a veterinary surgeon was called and everything possible was done for him he died on September 20.
The commanding officer of the battalion Lieutenant-colonel TD Fitzpatrick MBE told a South Wales reporter that there was no suspicion of foul play