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Remembering HMS ConwayLast updated: 06 April 2009

Former cadets of HMS Conwayswap tales at the opening of anew exhibition about the navaltraining school on the edge ofthe Menai Strait.

The school was originally based onboard the HMS Conway,moored in the Menai Strait, but more use of the school's baseat Plas Newydd was made after the ship was destroyed in afire in 1953.

The National Trust have put together an HMS Conwayexhibition in Plas Newydd coffee shop, formerly the schoolmess room, where some of the 'Old Conways' gathered forthe opening and reminisced about their schooldays.

Elfed Roberts from Perth, Australia (1951-53)

Most of the boys from myhome village of Abersochwanted to go to sea. I got thefirst scholarship offered byCaernarfon County Council toattend HMS Conway when Iwas 14. I hadn't really leftPen Llyn before coming here;it was a bit of a shock.

Even though there were boys from all over the world -Australia, America, Hong Kong - it was an English school.There were about 12 of us from the area, but others didn'treally like us to speak Welsh.

I happened to be on the ship when she went aground. I washauling ropes on the tugs which were pulling her from PlasNewydd to Bangor for a refit. The tides are extremely strongin the Menai, so we'd waited 10 minutes for the right time topull her between the bridges.

But the tide suddenly changed on us in the most dangerouspart of the Strait and there wasn't enough power in the tugsto pull her off the sand.

Only half of her was stuck, but when the tide went down,there was nothing to support her back half and she broke herback. So when the tide rose again, she didn't lift; waterpoured in and we had to get to work removing files andpaperwork from the offices. We hauled everything up throughthe trees on the Caernarfon side of the Strait.

Because it was too dangerous to move her, the Conway

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stayed where she was until she went on fire some monthslater. No one seems to know how she was set on fire; it's amystery to this day.

It was a weird feeling returning to school without the shipbeing there. They built huts on the Plas Newydd land andhaving the stableblock for classrooms was actually better, butwe did miss training onboard ship.

I particularly remember Officer Brooke-Smith. Everyone reallyliked him. He'd never get stressed about anything. Iremember climbing the mast for the first time and there hewas, standing about 40 feet up on the part where you've gotto climb out over the rigging.

He had on his smartest shoes, uniform, cap and glasses andwas just holding on with one hand, helping the boys climb upwith the other.

I didn't have a great time here, but you always look backmore fondly on your schooldays.

There are Conway boys all over the world. I settled in Perth,Australia, working as a ship's pilot, and we've got an HMSConway group over there. The relationship with the oldschool is still very strong.

More memories of life at HMS Conway Take a picture tour of HMS Conway


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Mervyn Thomas from Rhos-on-Sea (1958-61)

I won a scholarship fromFriars Grammar School when Iwas 14. Even though I camefrom Bangor, I was onlyallowed to go home once aterm. But they were definitelythe best days of my life.

The executive branch, in theiruniforms, would teach us

maritime studies and the academic branch would make surewe kept up with our education. And there was a lot of sport.There's a saying though that Conway cadets were greatseamen but lousy academics.

Saying that, the Poet Laureate John Masefield was a Conwayboy, as well as Iain Duncan Smith, the ex-leader of theConservative Party, and England rugby coach CliveWoodward.

And every transatlantic ocean liner has been commanded bya Conway boy - except for the Titanic, which says something!

Captain Matthew Webb who swam the Channel was also aConway cadet. He sadly died trying to swim across NiagaraFalls. Last Sunday we had a commemorative service forLieutenant Ian Frazer, who won the VC for getting his subright underneath a Japanese battleship during World War II.

Each Friday night girls from St Winifred's and Bangor GirlsGrammar were bussed in for dancing lessons. It was part ofour training to be officers to learn how to dance, use thecorrect cutlery and have good manners.

I remember getting my name in the punishments book forbeing caught 'snogging in class' by some prefects.

That makes it sound as though I was snogging a maleclassmate, when in actual fact I was caught taking a girl toan empty classroom after the dancing for a good-night kiss.They just didn't quite write it up properly!

Some of the boys would also take a boat over to PortDinorwic each day to pick up the masters who lived overthere. But sometimes we'd deliberately run the boat ashoreas the tide was coming down.

The girls would go to Orme's Café at the end of the jetty atthat time, so we'd have to stay until the tide came up to





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return to school.

Captain Don Houghton (1953-55)

I came from just up the roadin Benllech. We were allowedout on certain days and I'dtake my friends to my housefor a bit of a feast.

I was in seventh heaven withall the sport here and didn'tpay too much attention to mystudies. I rowed, ran, playedin the first XI and first XV.

Rugby was almost like a religion here and being in the firstXV had certain benefits. Captain Hewett was quite enamouredwith the rugby team and the others said we were thefavourites. We definitely got looked after.

I carried on at sea for ten years before leaving because I hadtrouble with my eyes. I went into education and my timehere definitely stood me in good stead as a headmaster.

My life was set up by being here and I'm now chair of theConway Merchant Navy Trust. We sponsor young people withgood A-level results to go on to gain a degree in nauticalstudies.

Richard Bleakley from Llandudno (1957-1959)

I was 14 when I came herefrom John Bright GrammarSchool. My mother wanted tosend me away to school; itwas a choice between KingWilliam on the Isle of Man,too far; Rydal, too near; orHMS Conway.

We only ever played soccer atJohn Bright though, so when we came here, it was strictlyrugby, which was horrible for the first term. But I soon gotinto the first XV and really enjoyed it.

The juniors lived in Plas Newydd. Then, as seniors, we wentto the huts, up by the entrance where the car park is today.We were cut off from the Marquis of Anglesey's quarters ofcourse - we weren't allowed on the lawns round the front,only round the back.

I particularly remember old Captain Hewett who was a realstickler and disciplinarian. If you stepped out of line you gota rope over your backside. Even the senior cadets had theright to do that - six or maybe 12 of the best.

I went to sea when I left aged 17 and was gone for a yearon my first voyage. We saw all the Far East when it wasworth seeing.

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Captain David Smith from Southern England (1942-1944)

During my time the Conwaywas moored in the middle ofthe Menai Strait, just offBangor pier. It had beentowed here in 1941 fromLiverpool because of the war.

There were 240 cadetsonboard and I have veryhappy memories of learning

the skills of seamanship and boatwork here. We'd study fortwo years before joining either the Merchant or Royal Navy.

There was perhaps a different atmosphere during wartime;you were encouraged to learn all the nautical skills becauseyou knew you might need them literally to survive during thewar.

I lived down south and had never been to Wales before.When I stepped aboard the Conway it was into an entirelynew and foreign environment. We soon discovered that eventhe cadets who'd arrived just a term before us were ourseniors and would teach us the ropes.

It was a pretty tough existence. We were kept busy from thetime we turned out at 6.30am until we turned in at 9pm. Sowe'd soon be asleep in our hammocks - unless we were onnight watch.

I particularly remember one warrant officer, Fossie Phelps. Hecame from a famous rowing family on the Thames and wasalso a Queen's barge master. He taught us cadets how to pulland race our cutters and kept us very busy onboard.

David Holbert from Liverpool (1953-55)

HMS Conway had already goneaground when I arrived. Theyput the senior cadets in ex-army tents up on the rugbypitches on Plas Newydd land; itwas probably the wettestsummer we'd had for a longtime, so the poor devils wereliving in a quagmire.

When I returned after the summer holidays a massive camphad been built to house all those who couldn't be fitted into





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Plas Newydd. This was a great logistical feat. The only thingthat was lousy was the food.

The small kitchen had to suddenly cater for 300 instead of100 and it really was the worst food I've had in my life. Itwas all disgusting, and not much of it, because the rules ofseniority decreed that the older boys got the better portionsand the younger ones got the remains.

But where the National Trust ticket office is now was thecanteen, run by Taffy Walters and his wife. We'd spend ourpocket money there on beans on toast and fried eggs - life-savers, along with the food parcels from home each month.

I got to be coxswain of one of the motorboats during my lastterm, so I spent most of my time out on the Strait, pootlingabout bringing people and supplies over from Port Dinorwic.We'd have rowing and boat races against a similar schoolbased on the Thames; these were definitely needle matches,but we'd hold our own.

Derek Parfect, Birkenhead (1942-44)

I got involved in setting upthe Memorial Chapel for HMSConway in the BirkenheadPriory. We've got the historyof the ship from its start inLiverpool to its towing over toAnglesey in 1941.

We also have models of theship, its altar and lectern,

oars from the gigs and citations of old boys for Victoria andGeorge Crosses. The ship is no more, but we still rememberthem all.

The chapel is open Wednesday to Sunday, but you can call atrustee on 0151 653 5665 if you want to visit another time.

More memories of life at HMS ConwayTake a picture tour of HMS Conway


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Life at HMS ConwayLast updated: 06 April 2009

HMS Conway arriving in Bangor for the first time in

1941.

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Take a trip through life at the HMS Conway training school asOld Conways share memories.

your comments

Phil Ford, ExeterI`m sure I can remember the hulk aground in the Straitseven after she caught alight. When we used to visit Nain'sfor our summer holiday we`d see it as you came acrossMenai Bridge. Can anyone put me right? I`m thinking about1956+.Mon Aug 17 12:03:47 2009

Glynne Parry (Perth W.Aust)As a boy, I passed the Conway each day going to theGrammar School at Beaumaris. When she was moved toPlas Newydd, my father used to pass her quite often in oursmall rowing boat. In my teens, I boxed on the Conway andgot my nose broken for my pains. In the early 50s a goodfriend of mine, Trevor Strange, was given a scholarship togo to the Conway. Shortly after he left, he was sadly killedon a Clan Line tanker in Glasgow. I was in the RAF for myNational Service when I was told that the grand old lady hadended up with a broken back on the shore of the MenaiStrait. A tragic end. I later joined the Royal Navy, andvisited the Victory, a sister ship of the Conway, whichbrought back many memories.Mon Aug 10 09:42:26 2009






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Graham Vine - WokingWhen HMS Conway arrived in the Menai Strait, sheremained at her mooring for the whole period of the SecondWorld War at a point near the Anglesey shore between theGazelle Hotel and the Bishop's Palace at Glyn-y-Garth,opposite the sea bathing pool on the Bangor shore. I recallher being right in front of my bedroom window on the topfloor of 14 Menai View Terrace with all the moored Catalinaflying boats in line astern from her towards Beaumaris. Sowhen was she moved from here to Plas Newydd?Mon Jun 22 10:53:29 2009

Brian Lloyd, Saskatoon, CanadaI was a cadet aboard HMS Conway in 1951 and 1952.During that time, I think probably in 52, the BBC were doinga TV programme on North Wales and included a visit to theship. As part of the programme cadets were sent aloft onthe main mast. Pictures appeared of these young menclimbing the rigging which probably impressed the viewers.What impressed most of us was the BBC cameraman, whowas invisible to the viewers, also climbing around the mastand rigging and, at the same time carrying and using a largeTV camera. Tue Apr 14 09:40:07 2009


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The HMS Conway moored on the Menai Strait in front of

Plas Newydd.

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The boys slept in hammocks on board ship.

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HMS Conway runs aground in the Menai Strait.

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Tents provided temporary accommodation after the loss

of the ship.

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Huts were built to replace the ship's classrooms and

accommodation.

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Rugby was a big part of school life. This is match from

1967.

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Practising for a gig race on the Menai Strait.

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The figurehead, rescued from the HMS Conway.

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