Washi Bach : My Nain And Taid Pentraeth

by Einir Roscoe
(Perth in Western Australia )

Hi there Wil

I am 50 years old and now live in Perth Western Australia but I was born in Pentraeth, Anglesey, which is where I remember the name Washi Bach.

My Nain and Taid Pentraeth used to talk about him. Sadly, my memories of the conversations are very vague, but my Taid used to talk about him with a lot of respect and that he would walk through Talwrn to Pentraeth. However, I do remember snatches of a story about Washi Bach:

A man named LLEW MAWR? used to give him some tobacco and all Washi would do was tip his hat and nod. I don’t know who LLEW MAWR was, nor do I know his surname name except that he was a big tall man and I saw a a black and white photograph of him once one. That’s all I remember to be honest and I wish it was more.

My Taid Pentraeth used to tell me all sorts of stories when I was little. Another character apparently was a man called JOHNNY ONIONS who rode a bicycle with a string of onions around his neck, which he used to go selling from house-to-house in Pentraeth.

Einir

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Sut mae, Einir.

Popeth yn iawn gyda chi draw yn Awstralia bell?

Check out some of the more recent messages about Washi Bach and you'll read the memories of a gentleman called Gwilym Hughes from Pentraeth as well. Not much older than both of us. Gwilym may well know who Llew Mawr (Big Llew) was.

I remember Johnny Nionod or Johnny Winwns, who used to cycle to the top of our road in Llangefni and shout out something before coming around to sell onions. I was not allowed at the door because he was a foreigner. It was the early 1960s.

Imagine our shock when a man wearing a turban came around selling shirts from a big suitcase. I'm afraid he was robbed blind when he went to Bodffordd Farm where the local board was located.

I cannot give Johnny Nionod a face.

I'm glad that our messages here took you back and I thank you for giving me a present and reminding me of something hidden in the dense foliage of my childhood memories.

Diolch o galon. Mae'n bwrw glaw yn Sir Fon heno, by the way.

Wil