Resolven Male Voice Party

Mr J A Cousins of Porthcawl ( though a native of Resolfen and a former employee at Rheola Aluminium Works) has recently kindly given the Society a number of interesting photographs which have been digitally enhanced. Some are too large to post on this site and it is intended to display these at the Community Centre. This photograph shows the Resolven Male Voice Party which had back to back victories at the National Eisteddfod. The first being at Aberpennar ( Mountain Ash) 1906 and the second at Swansea in 1907. When one considers that each competetion would have had dozens of choirs competing this is a phenomenal feat. Another notable feature is that choirs of this size, seventy plus voices, would be quite normal at this time and sometimes whole trains were used to ship choristers and supporters. Phylip Jones informs me that his grandfather is in the choir as well as William Rhys Herbert one of the three Doctors of Music. Hopefully,we will be able to name all the choristers in due course.

John Rees has just sent me the names so here they are:

Back L-R
..T.H.JONES..?.CANNINGS..W.EVANS..H.PLACE..W.CLARK..E.JENKINS..J,D.EVANS..W.THORNE..E.R.McGREGOR..W.LEWIS..
G.MORRIS..E.T.WILLIAMS..W.BADHAM..D.DAVIES..J.K.JONES..T.THOMAS..IVOR.ROWLANDS
3rd row
R.WILLIAMS..D.REES..W.D.JONES..EVAN.THOMAS..ANEURIN.JONES T.JENKINS..EDDIE.JONES..G.HITCHINS..D.WEBBER..
D.J.MORGAN..W.DAVIES..B.DAVIES..D.WILLIAMS..W.H.GRIFFITHS..D.J.HERBERT..E.MORRIS..J.E.JONES..A.ROWLANDS..
2nd row
W.J.JENKINS.. W.J.IRELAND..W.WALTERS..Geo.JONES..W.CUXSON..T.MORGAN..C.JONES..F.JENKINS..H.GRIFFITHS..
Gran.ROWLANDS..D.DAVIES..W.DAVIES..J.DAVIES..W.DEVEREUX..R.FUDGE..S.WILLIAMS..J.WILLIAMS..Idris.JONES..
Gwilym.LEWIS
1st row.
D.Cynon.EVANS..J.M.BENNETT..M.EDWARDS..D.DAVIES..R.THOMAS..W.MORGAN..T.J.WILLIAMS.sec.W.THORBURN.accomp
Rhys.HERBERT..chairman..T.G.RICHARDS.conductor..W.J.ROWLANDS..sub conductor.J.WEBBER.accomp..W.THOMAS.treasurer
T.E.DAVIES..J.PRICE LEWIS..S.COBLEY..Hy.EVANS..W.W.DAVIES..W.J.WILLIAMS..J.THOMAS.
J.LLOYD..steward Rees.WILLIAMS.steward

Trefor Jones