Welsh Journals

Jonathan and Andrea would come home from a night out with their friends to find that Nan, unprompted, had created a spread for them all. She was a keen gardener and spent hours in her greenhouse, growing plants for her own garden, swapping plants with neighbours and filling Andrea's garden in Brighton. Nan was also an excellent seamstress and would make clothes and furnishings for the family and was always taking in other people's clothes and curtains for adjusting. She was also secretary of the Ebbw Vale Family History Society and spent hours tracing her own family. On many evenings and weekends Byron would find himself miles from home, the light fading, scouring churchyards for gravestones of relatives. Nan helped a BBC researcher, who was putting together a programme on the Battle of Isandlwana, discussing a family member, Private John Watkins of the 24th Regiment who was killed there and whose memorial is in Abergavenny. She took part in a family reunion when descendants of Solomon Chilton, a 'wise man and healer' from Llanelly Hill, travelled from Canada and America to meet for the first time. It was here that an amazing coincidence occurred when it was discovered that a distant cousin who had travelled from the USA was also called Nan and she had two children called Jonathan and Andrea! Nan took on an unofficial role for Byron and GAVO in administering the membership of the Gwent Local History Council, assisting with journal mail-outs and helping with one-day schools and AGMs. Nan and Byron travelled extensively around Europe, in particular France and Italy, and she also loved to go on shopping trips with her daughter to Amsterdam. She was delighted when her children ended up living near each other in Brighton & Hove and she spent many weekends there. Nan overcame serious illness on two occasions 25 years ago and had enjoyed excellent health until last year when she died on 28 December. She held a unique place in people's affections which has been demonstrated by the huge amount of support and wonderful words from friends, neighbours and colleagues. People have been in contact that hadn't seen Nan for many years. She will be sadly missed but fondly remembered by all who knew her.