MYFANWY Haycock is one of this Valley’s most enduring and celebrated citizens of the twentieth century.
Born at Mount Pleasant Hospital in Pontnewynydd on March 23, 1913, she was the youngest of the three daughters of local builder and mason James Haycock (known locally as Jimmy Pearce after his step-family) and Alice Haycock (neé Perry).
From an early age all of the Haycock children were encouraged in the arts by their talented father and regularly won prizes in their school and chapel Eisteddfodau.
Myfanwy was educated at Cwmffrwdoer Infants & Primary School, The County Grammar School for Girls, Pontypool and at Cardiff Technical College (later Cardiff College of Art).
Whilst at college in Cardiff, Myfanwy became editor of the college magazine.
She also won several Eisteddfodau chairs including, in 1933, both the Ebbw Vale Eisteddfod (her chair is in the Torfaen Museum Trust collection) and Port Talbot National Eisteddfod (where her prize was presented by W H Davies).
From 1936 her poems and stories, often illustrated by Myfanwy with drawings, appeared regularly in the Free Press of Monmouthshire and The Western Mail as well as various local and National newspapers and journals.
This photograph shows Cwmffrwdoer School in 1922 with Myfanwy second in on the right with a big bow in her hair.
This picture is 98 years ago, and now, Torfaen Museum is currently calling for more recent school memories from growing up in the borough as a project during lockdown and for their archives.
Nostalgia is provided by Torfaen Museum.
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