Mumbles’ Unofficial Memorial
Parade Gardens, Southend, Mumbles, Swansea c1915
Nanna Todd's shop was near the centre of the row of shops
Mumbles’ Unofficial Memorial at Nanna Todd’s Shop
Nanna Todd’s sweet and vegetable shop, was situated to the left-hand side of Hall Bank on the Parade and is now SA3 Bistro. During both wars, her window was a focus for a display of photographs of the local men who were away serving in the forces.
All except two of these photos may have been displayed at Nanna Todd's
One of the famous Libby’s letters > on 28 October 1941, recalled that-
Mrs. Todd would like to be remembered to 100s of the local boys who know and respect her. Last war, she collected photos of the folk in the forces and had them in frames in her shop. She is repeating the idea and three large frames are full of faces. Some people think the blokes in the last war were better looking.
The displays were gradually and tragically transformed into spontaneous tributes for those who had been killed.
In 2018 many of these photos were shown againin Oystermouth Library along with further research :-Mumbles Remembers The Great War 1914 - 18 >
Nanna Todd was a tall, thin, white-haired bespectacled lady, who was said to be ‘a good age’ in the 1920s. Some of her customers were the local ‘boys’, who were in the habit on a Sunday evening, of sitting on a bench in her shop, to socialise and enjoy her home-made ice cream. Perhaps this could partly explain her practice of displaying the photographs of ‘her boys’, who became local war casualties.
Margaret Ann Todd died in 1950 aged 91 years.
All except the two photos on the right may have been displayed at Nanna Todd's
As they had pin holes in their cormers.