Many of us will not remember the Blind Cobbler Mr. Evan Hughes who plied his trade from the “old” Dunraven public house which is now part of Cwmgwrach Rugby Club.
There are not many people who can turn around a life changing war injury and make a success of a new profession. That’s what happened to one Cwmgwrach resident. We are talking about Mr. Evan Hughes who lived in the village and lost his eyesight during World War 1.
Before the war Evan was a miner, but enlisted in 1914 into World War 1.
Evan Hughes the blind cobbler with his wife Eva and young daughter Winifred, the 2 ladies in front are Evan’s sister and mother-in law, the cobblers shed is to the left, the house and shed are all part of the Cwmgwrach RFC club house now.
A Few Facts about World War 1:
In Great Britain there were 908,371 dead (which equates to 6% of the population or 12.5% of the men serving);
On top of that, there were 1,090,212 people wounded.
The Grand Total was 8,528,831 dead; and 21,189,154 wounded.
I’ll let that sink in for a minute……. 21 million people wounded.
The typical injuries that the soldiers received can be put into four categories, gas injuries, shell shock, diseases and wounding. Nearly six million British and German men were disabled by injury or disease between 1914 and 1918. Many returned home with paralysis due to damaged nerves; others came back missing one or more limbs, many were blinded.
Unfortunately Evan was to become one of those statistics, in 1918 a German shell exploded close to him and it left him completely blind.
Healing and Vocational training:
To aid the soldiers recovery they would have been returned to “Blighty” to undergo surgery, then when they had recovered from their injuries, to help them return to some sort of normal life at the end of the war they undertook vocational training. Typical vocational training courses were, basket making, joinery, woodcarving, wood turning, hand weaving.
For the soldiers such as Evan who were blinded, they were first taught to read braille and to be able to work a typewriter. They then went on vocational courses such as boot repairing, mat and basket making, joinery, poultry farming, market gardening and massage. They also were able to undertake social activities such as sport, dancing and debates which were also part of the rehabilitation process. The end result was to enable them to take their place as a productive member of society.
St .Dunstan’s:
During the early years of the war, blind soldiers were not expected to lead useful, independent lives, they would have had to face a very uncertain future. But, as thousand of soldiers started to be returned to Britain from the front something needed to change.
That change was brought about by Sir Arthur Pearson, the founder of the Daily Express. He was losing his sight from glaucoma, so fully understood the problems these servicemen would encounter. He vowed:
Sir Arthur Pearson
“I shall soon be blind, but I will never be a blind man, I will be THE blind man.”
He originally found the pioneering organisation called “The Blinded Soldiers and Sailors Care Committee” on the 29th January 1915. It was later known as
St Dunstan’s, before becoming the Blind Veterans UK. “The goal of St Dunstan’s which was quite radical at the time, was to provide vocational training rather than charity, so that the blinded servicemen and women could lead independent and productive lives.”
Evan was to go through St Dunstan’s in 1919 – 1921, but all was not bad news as during this time he met his wife, Eva.
Evan Hughes life in the village:
The following story of Evan has been taken from an article written by the village news reporter at the time, Emlyn Eynon, and was published in the Aberdare Leader on the 10th July 1961. The article was collected by Glyn Davies from the offices of the Aberdare Leader. I have copied the newspaper article to the side.
Evan opens the article by saying:
“If the laces are good, I’ll repair them.”
Evan Hughes
this motto was carried by Evan Hughes through 40 years as a leading cobbler.
There were many cobblers in the Vale of Neath, but none carried out their profession as a blind person, as Evan did throughout his 40 years in the business.
After returning to Cwmgwrach from his training, Evan carried out his business from the shed at the side of the old Dunraven Arms public house, which is located next to the Cwmgwrach Rugby Club, and is now part of the social club.
(Ed. Note: It is nor clear at this time whether the house was bought for him by St Dunstan’s, if I find out more I will update this article.) You can see the shed at the side of the house in the photo attached.
Times were hard after the war and people did not have many pairs of shoes, in some cases they only had one pair of work shoes. This meant that people would wait barefooted whilst Evan carried out “running repairs on their shoes.
In his time Evan has worked on hob nailed farm and miners boots to fine calf skin shoes. The business was very successful as more and more people came to the village to live. As the years progressed Evan had the help of his nephew Tudor Hughes, and many of the residents of the village will remember Tudor and the cobblers up the Cwtch.
In the June if 1934, Mrs Waterfall sent a note to Evan from the school, saying they had had a present of some fresh cream donated to them and as they could not use it all they gave the rest to Evan. (See attachment, and thanks again to Glyn Davis for saving this note.)
In July 1961, Evan eventually retired at the grand age of 64 saying, “his touch is not quite the same and without help it will be a little too much for me.” His retirement may have been accelerated by the new trend in ladies shoes which were not so well constructed with thin soles and stiletto heals, which did not suit his experience and skill set as a cobbler. He mentioned that, ”Olden day footwear required a hammer, last and pinchers,” but the shoes of today require an electric drill, screwdriver and a dozen other implements before they can be repaired.
The village was to lose a highly skilled, experiences cobbler, but this gave him time for his other hobby of playing Dominoes. He was a champion Domino player and many have tried over the years to beat him, but he has beaten all that have tried.
Peoples memories of Mr. Evan Hughs:
Glyn Davies remembers: As a boy I used to deliver the finished shoes for Mr. Hughes.
Richard Brown posted: When my father and mother (Evan and Lynwen Brown) first married, they had rooms with Mr & Mrs Hughes at Dunraven house. Mr Hughes was blinded (In the first World War I think) and was trained as a cobbler by Saint Dunstans The Hughes’s daughter Winifred was a talented singer, who after marriage moved to Swansea. Mr & Mrs Hughes, moved to No.9 Heol Y Felin, after selling their house and orchard to Cwmgwrach RFC. Mr Hughes had his workshop in the converted garage at the side of the house, where he trained and worked with Tudor Hughes. As a child I used to call into the workshop to say ‘hello’ to the two of them. I’ve got a feeling (but I could be wrong!) Nurse Francis lived in No 9 before the Hughes’s My parents always spoke highly of the Hughes’s
Russell Stanley say’s: Although blind he was virtually unbeatable in dominoes in the Colliers.
Shiela Philips remembers: I remember the blind cobbler up past the Star. He had Tudor Hughes working with him.
Jennifer Lake mentioned: The blind cobbler was related to my mother.
Rhian Jenkins say’s: I remember well sitting in the shed waiting for shoes to be repaired by Evan Hughes and Tudor Hughes. I can even still smell the leather and hear the hammering.
References and Resources:
Article from the Aberdare Leader dated the 10th July 1961, courtesy of Glyn Davies, along with the two photos and the note from Mrs. Waterfall.
Photo of Cobblers trying at St. Dunstan’s courtesy of