14 Liverpool and Gwynedd Exhibition

Since undergoing surgery in July I haven't been able to do much during the past weeks but on Saturday morning I managed to attend the Official Opening of the Gwynedd-Liverpool Connections Exhibition at the Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery in Bangor. The Exhibition has been organised, during Liverpool's year as the European Capital of Culture, to celebrate the Gwynedd and Liverpool connections over the last three centuries.

The Exhibition was opened jointly by Alun Ffred Jones, Arfon Assembly Member and Minister for Culture in the Welsh Assembly Government, and the Rev Dr. D Ben Rees, who has recently retired following 40 years as a Presbyterian Minister in the city and author of numerous books on the Welsh in Liverpool in both Welsh and English. In the opening ceremony both men gave enlightening speeches which I found extremely interesting and I was glad that I had made the effort to attend.

My other reason for attending was that I had responded to an appeal at the beginning of the year and had provided some items of my own for possible use in this exhibition and I wanted to see how many, if any, had been used! I wasn't disappointed. As soon as I walked into the main hall I noticed a blown up photo on the wall of a ward in the Royal Southern Hospital which I had provided. The photo is shown above and my mother can be seen standing on the extreme right hand side as you look at the photo. It was taken in the Men's Ward during Christmas 1934 and I have a number of other photos in which my mother appears taken in different wards at different dates during the 1930s. The Royal Southern, now long demolished, was located near the docks and was the hospital used by sailors. I remember my mother telling me that it was a very rough area but she and other nurses never felt frightened when walking home at night after a late shift. In those days nurses were respected and were not attacked or abused on the streets.

I had a brief look round the exhibition and spoke to a number of people before the opening ceremony but after the ceremony had finished I felt too tired to stay much longer and had to be taken home. However, from what I saw I could see that the presentation was excellent with well produced information boards with photos on the walls and well set out items in display cabinets. I shall certainly be going back within the next few weeks when I'm feeling stronger in order to see and enjoy the exhibition properly and, of course, to find out whether any more of my items have been included!

The Exhibition is at the Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery in the centre of Bangor and will continue until 25 October. The opening hours are Monday to Friday, 12.30 to 16.30, and Saturdays 10.30 to 16.30.

The Gwynedd Family History Society meetings are starting up again and the meetings for the next four weeks are:
Bangor, 7 October (first Tuesday of each month) 7.00pm at the Quakers Meeting Hall, Dean Street: Gareth Haulfryn Williams, "Using Probate Records" (Sorry, I've missed the first meeting on 2 September)

Caernarfon, 25 September (last Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the The Library, Lôn Pafiliwn: Margaret Dunn, "Adeiladau Tuduraidd yn Eryri"

Dolgellau, 11 September (second Thursday of each month) 7.00pm at the Royal Ship Hotel Margaret Dunn, "Dyddio hen dai yn Eryri"

Llandudno, 8 September (second Monday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Ebenezer, Abergele Road, Old Colwyn (please note new meeting place):
E Rowland Pickering, "A trip to Heritage sites".

Llangefni, 18 September (third Thursday of each month) 7.15pm at Capel Smyrna, Ffordd Glanhwfa: Margaret Dunn "Dating old houses in North Wales"

Pwllheli, 19 September (third Friday of each month) 7.00pm at Capel Seion, Lon Dywod:Dr Parch Harri Pari, "Meddygon Dafad Wyllt"