My Life at Mumbles Coastguard Station
by John Jeffers
The Mumbles Coastguard Station, then at Westbourne Place, was much larger than we had previously experienced. It was the Divisional Headquarters where the Cambrian Divisional Officer Cmdr. R. G. Hurst had his office, the District Officer was stationed there along with a Station Officer (Dad) and seven coastguards. One (Mr Jenkinson later on Mr Hore) was a 'Writer' the navy name for a clerk who worked for the D.O and Inspector, carrying out administrative chores and paper work. The 'Lookout' on Tutt Hill always known as the 'Tut' was a constant watch station and a Lloyds signal station. This meant that the coastguards were on duty on six-hour shifts day and night and would transmit orders from Lloyds to ships coming into the bay, either by flag hoist by day or morse lamp by night.
Mumbles Coastguard Station lookout, known as the 'Tut'.
THE JEFFERS FAMILY Albert & Nellie
with their sons, L to R - Bill, Albert George, John, Richard & Herbert
Four of the Jeffers Boys, Left to right - John, Herbert (Bert), Dick & Bill
I used to spend a lot of time up there, the coastguards (known as Gobbies because the flag hoist in the Lloyds signal book was GOBI) all ex-navy or marines, were full of interesting tales of bygone years and always worth listening to. Of course, spotting the ships as they moved past the Mumbles Head was a joy and these movements were reported daily to Lloyds of London, the Coastguards receiving two and a halve pence per ship reported. It was nothing to see between ten and twenty ships anchored off The Mumbles Roads either awaiting orders or the tide to go into Swansea docks. In about 1936 when the Mumbles lighthouse light went automatic the Coastguard in the lookout on Tutt Hill operated the light house fog horn by remote control
A modern view of Mumbles Coastguard Station, Westbourne Place
A modern google satellite view of the former Coastguard Cottages
We moved in to No.1 the Station Officers house, which had no water supply inside but two mains water taps which had superseded a well with a pump (which still worked) were available outside on the terrace for all to use. The lavatory was a flush one but situated at the top of the garden about twelve meters from the house. The lighting was gas, but just a direct flame like a Bunsen burner, these were modified during our first year there so that a gas mantle could be fitted - what a difference that made! It seemed just like daylight! A full size bath was in the kitchen, but water for it had to be heated on the gas stove. A communal 'wash house' was situated half way along the terrace where there were washtubs which all could use for their laundry. Later when the mains were plumbed into the houses the 'wash house' was made into offices for the District Officer and Divisional Inspector. Milk was brought around by a man having a yoke across his shoulders from which were suspended large cans holding milk, the milk was ladled out into pint or half pint measures and then into a jug proffered by the purchaser of the milk.
Mumbles Coastguard Station, Westbourne Place
Several years later this method was superseded by sealed milk bottles. Refuse was collected weekly and was largely made up of ash from indoor heating fires, dustbins were known as ash cans for that reason. The cart collecting the refuse was open to the elements and it was our custom when we passed it to hold our breath and then when well clear spit. This was thought a good method of avoiding catching an infection. Later on, a lorry having sliding covers was used and we considered that an excellent move forward. Each house had a stretch of garden in the front and quite a large allotment at the back. At Easter we always had a boiled egg given to us which had been boiled in onion leaves which deposited a dark brown stain on the shell and we would scratch designs on them using something with a sharp point to do the job.
Mumbles Lighthouse and the old Coastguard Station at Tutt Head, Bracelet Bay, overlooking Bracelet and Limeslade Bays >
In about 1933 Dad was promoted District Officer and we moved to a larger house with lawns and gardens, its front entrance was in Westbourne Terrace and side entrance in Upper Church Park road. It had a lounge, a large living room, a kitchen, a scullery, a cellar, a very large bedroom, two sizeable bedrooms a large bathroom with hot water supplied from a boiler situated at the back of the kitchen stove, an upstairs lavatory and an outside lavatory and a sizeable back yard. It was a lovely house to live in fitted out with gas for lights and cooking. In the early thirties electricity for lighting was fitted in all the Coast guard houses. All the houses had an excellent view of Swansea bay and on a fine evening could witness a large red glow in the sky caused by the tapping of blast furnaces at Port Talbot.
The ‘Watch Room’ was at the end of the terrace and built on to the Station Officer’s (S.O’s) house. This wasn’t for watching anything, but was used by the S.O for chart work, paper work and briefings. Below the Watch room was a cellar, which Jack Page, a Coast Guard's son, and I used as a workshop. Opposite the Watch room in the corner of the housing area there was what we called The Playground about 1000 feet square raised about 10 feet above the gardens and having a sheltered portion running alongside a wall that lay between the playground and the outside road. I suspect that it was used as a parade ground in days gone by.
Walking over Mumbles hill was a pleasure and half way along it are the foundations of a very old Coast guard 'look-out' hut which has a commanding view of Swansea bay and most of the channel to Oxwich Point. However the look out position must have moved before the First World War because at that time it was positioned on Tutt hill and had an accommodation hut large enough to berth about six men during that war and a small 'Lookout' hut was positioned about twenty yards from it (this hut burned down not long before our arrival at Mumbles and the accommodation hut was then used as a lookout). There was a signal platform in between the two huts raised about ten feet from the ground from which signals could be made by semaphore, this was taken down in the late twenties or early thirties.
A later view, inside the lookout, 1960s.
Mumbles Life Saving Apparatus and crew, 1919.
Coastguards Practicing with 'Life Saving Apparatus'
Dad could not drive a car when promoted to District Officer so when he inspected the various Coast Guard Stations under his control he negotiated a contract with a local taxi man who conveyed him. There were times when a surprise visit would be called, usually during bad weather, to see if the duty watchman was alert. If there was a cliff accident or wreck Dad would always try to be on scene if he could. There was 160 miles of coast in his 'Patch' so it was quite a job. One particular incident always comes to mind when thinking of him, it concerned the wreck of the Roche Castle, a steam trawler which had run on the rocks off Port Eynon Head and the skipper thought that he could refloat her on the next high water so the crew stayed aboard. Unfortunately a full gale blew up and the vessel was taking a hammering. The Rhossilli Coastguard Life Saving Apparatus was standing by so when the steamer's captain called for assistance, (by then it was dark), a line was sent aboard and a breeches buoy sent out. The situation was then very serious so, despite instructions to the contrary, two sailors got on to the breeches buoy, which was only designed to hold one, and as a result they fell out. Dad was in the surf and saw a man fall so went in to the raging sea after him and brought him ashore. The other drowned.
Dad arrived home when I was preparing to go to school and said he must be getting old because he felt tired, I think he was about 54 at the time. He was wearing thigh boots and sat down, Mum gave him a hand to take them off - they were full of water! Little was said of the night's work other than it was a job well done by the L.S.A.crew. A few weeks later a telephone call from the Swansea Evening post editor let Dad know the crew had put some money together to present him with a silver rose bowl suitably inscribed detailing his selfless action.
Four of the Jeffers Boys, Left to right - John, Herbert (Bert), Dick & Bill
The story entitled- ALL FIVE OF US BOYS moves on to their war years by John Jeffers
During our holidays we accompanied Dad on his visits and as a consequence got to know the South Wales coast very well.