| Description | Track 1 [01:31:43] [Session One: 26 February 2018], Thomas Conway [TC] born in Wigan, March 1930. TC talks about his family background and their involvement in mining. TC describes his father’s ill health due to mining. [00:03:49] TC describes move to Gill Head on Lake Windermere in 1933. TC talks about being sent to convent in Preston due to parents’ ill health. TC talks about move to Southport. [00:06:40] TC describes his schooling at Norwood Rood School [NRS], an infant school in Southport, and the headmistress Mrs Dunsen. TC compares NRS to the local Roman Catholic church school and Lineker Street Boys School. [00:09:17] TC talks about taking the Eleven-Plus exam. TC describes his schooling at Christchurch Secondary School, including the effect of war time. [00:10:27] TC talks about leaving school at 14 and describes the available jobs: telegraph boy and railway ticket seller. [00:11:17] TC talks about parents’ positive attitude regarding education and his enrolment at the technical college, a night school. TC talks about Derek Gaver, a fellow pupil at night school. TC talks about the high quality of the teachers. TC talks about the subjects he took. TC describes the Senior Science Section and its advantages compared to grammar school courses.TC talks about Alan Herbert [AH] and Keith Ward, two pupils at night school. [00:17:04] TC talks about trying to get into university. TC describes getting a place at Swansea through guests at his mother’s boarding house who knew Swansea lecturer Gwyn Williams. TC talks about AH being accepted at Swansea University as well. [00:19:48] TC talks about living in student digs and describes his loneliness. TC describes moving multiple times and experiences with landladies and landlords. TC compares AH’s living situation to his own. [00:27:02] TC talks about failing his degree in 1951. TC describes his work as a researcher at British Insulated Callender’s Cables [BICC] in Liverpool from 1951-52. TC talks about doing his national service in the Royal Navy. TC describes his work at BICC in Cheshire in 1955 and going to a night school for maths. TC mentions getting married in September 1955. [00:31:16] TC describes his experiences during national service. TC talks about being selected for Officer training and talks about the conditions of the ship during training. TC talks about volunteering for a cruise and having to cook for the whole crew. [00:38:20] TC talks about the high number of students at Swansea who were ex-servicemen. TC talks about their attitude towards studying and the life experience they brought to the political and debating societies. TC talks about the influence of ex-servicemen in sports, especially Hockey. TC talks about ex-servicemen, including Canon Reverend Ivor Davies [ID] and Jack Dutton [JD], and their experience of the war as well as their later lives. [00:50:26] TC talks about his involvement in sports at the university, including Hockey, Athletics and Boxing. TC describes the facilities at the Sports Pavilion. [00:53:12] TC talks about AH’s career in the Navy and later as a grammar school teacher. TC talks about the debating society and its speakers, including ex-servicemen. [00:57:00] TC talks about a satirical mock trial held at the end of the year by the debating and political societies. TC talks about the involvement of the hockey team and lists students who participated, including Sid Bevan [SB].TC talks about staying in contact with SB and describes the letters they send each other. [01:01:55] TC talks about his study places. TC describes his job in the library, helping with loaning out books. [01:03:00] TC talks about going back to Swansea University in 1958 and describes his living situation. [01:04:14] TC talks about meeting his wife Gladys at a hospital in Swansea. [01:07:00] TC talks about people who have met their partners at the university, including Dai Davies and Anthea as well as Boyd Burgess [BB] and Cathleen. [01:09:38] TC talks about his experience doing a summer course for the Royal Aircraft Establishment [RAE]. TC talks about visiting the Aeronautical Engineering Department. TC describes his experience at the Supersonic Department. TC talks about the intensive study and being assigned to a department. TC talks about being posted to the outstation of the RAE at Fleet to analyse missile firings from the Welsh coat. TC describes meeting Major Philip Slater whose golf course was used for research. [01:17:00] TC talks about his work as an Honorary Secretary for the Student Union House. TC talks about the landlord, Mr Wright, and his family. TC describes the amenities available at the union house. TC describes buying a piano for the union together with Glanmor Williams [Professor of History at Swansea University], who was the treasurer of the student union. [01:24:00] TC talks about his grandson, who joined an athletics club. TC describes his grandson’s injuries and his own. [01:25:48] TC talks about his course and his lecturers. TC compares the lecturing skills of Physics lecturers Professor Llewellyn Jones, Professor Granville Beynon and Professor Lazarus Wright. TC talks about Mathematics lecturers and tells an anecdote about a bad Polish lecturer. [01:28:59] TC talks about writing letters of complaints to the Daily Telegraph, including a letter on smart metres. [01:29:42] TC talks about his timetable and compares it to a modern university timetable. TC talks about technology at the university. [01:31:43]
Track 2 [01:09:16] TC talks about Principal John Fulton [JF], JF’s expansion plans and the difficulties he faced. TC describes the buildings at the university in the 50s, including the library and the Engineering building. TC comments on the lack of modernisation after the war and describes the modernisation process in 1959. [00:07:45] TC discusses Fresher’s essays which were instituted by JF after TC had left. TC talks about writing an essay for the Eisteddfod in 1949/50. [00:09:53] TC describes his experiences as an Englishman at Swansea. TC talks about the university’s Welshness, including bilingual signage, a Welsh society and staff members fluent in Welsh.[00:11:25] TC talks about standing for the Student Union President in 1951/52 and being beaten by Welsh speaker Keurig Davies. TC talks about the presidential campaign, including a public hustings. [00:13:30] TC talks about the student body and the working-class background of most students. TC highlights the importance of a positive family attitude regarding education. TC describes the role of grammar schools in facilitating access to university and talks about Swansea Grammar School, Dynevor Grammar School and Gowerton Grammar school. TC praises grammar schools and is critical of government policy regarding education. TC talks about Rowena Davies [RD] and Gilbert Bennett, who were educated at a grammar school and later taught there. [00:17:49] TC talks about the relationship and the high degree of separation between the university and the town. [00:20:19] TC describes the changes to the university, especially regarding campus size and student numbers. TC talks about degrees that ceased to exist at Swansea University before 2018, including Chemistry, Metallurgy and Oceanography. [00:24:16] TC talks about the United Kingdom’s nuclear development until the 1980s and is critical of the government’s fixation on markets. TC compares the profitability of wind energy compared to nuclear energy. [00:28:47] TC talks about the Survivor’s Club and its origins. TC talks about reunions organised by ID and Terry Shurrocks. TC reads out a document aimed at those born before 1940, which lists language changes and all modern amenities that didn’t exist. TC talks about taking over as president of the Survivors Club from 1999. TC talks about former students he is still in contact with, including RD, BB, SB, JD and Johnny Thomas. TC describes the difficulty of seeing old friends die, e.g. Selwyn Kronenberg, Keurig Davies and Eric Moonman. TC talks about Johnny Armour, a member of the hockey club. [00:40:20] TC describes his Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves (RNVR) officer training course on the HMS Indefatigable in 1952. TC talks about the elite backgrounds of the officers on the ship. [00:44:45] TC talks about his position as Assistant Navigating Officer and watch-keeper on HMS Termagant. TC describes taking specialist courses about torpedoes and mine countermeasures. TC talks about his service on a minesweeper and gaining his qualification to command ships. TC talks about the ships he commanded from 1969-1975, including HMS Mersey and HMS Kilmorey,and his experience of the Northern Ireland Troubles. [00:54:31] TC talks about his career after leaving the Navy in 1954. TC mentions his girlfriend, Alex. TC talks about a job at a thermoplastic company until 1958. TC mentions returning to college and finding a job in a nuclear power plant and getting a diploma in Nuclear Reactor Engineering at the Royal Technical College Salford. TC praises the quality of polytechnics. TC talks about his experience at the Calder Operations School and learning about reactors. [00:59:30] TC describes the difficult shift conditions at his job at Bradwell Power Station. TC talks about becoming an Operations Superintendent at Bold Power Station, a coal-fired power station near St Helens, and describes its functions. [01:03:00] TC talks about becoming a Senior Commissions Engineer at the Wylfa nuclear power plant on Anglesey in 1968. TC describes his job and how the power plant works. TC talks about quality assurance measures related to nuclear reactors. [01:07:31]TC talks about his voluntary retirement in 1992. TC talks about being a chairman of the Wylfa Pensioners Association and chairman of Cemaes Bay football club. [01:09:16]
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