Teenagers Camping & Boating C.1970

A Memory of Red Wharf Bay.

Hi All. Den from St. Helens. Summer in Anglesey, first car, first boat, first meetings with young ladies of Llangefni. It could have been 1969, I'm not sure now, a group of mates from St Helens set out on holiday in a Triumph Courier Van in grey, Reg No 837 EDM. On top was a polystyrene white boat and inside a top of the range tent, all belonging to Prescot Camping. The weather then was always glorious in summer and we were on our first adventure. We met some ladies from Llangefni and we all spent the days and evenings together, they then walked home and we walked around to the pub (The Ship). What we didn't realise was that pubs were shut on Sundays. The first Sunday, because we didn't have enough money to join St Davids Club, we drove all the way home to St Annes Club in Sutton. We then drove all the way back to go to sleep and prepare for another day of heaven. (I don't know how we did it, but that's youth.) During the next week we got friendly with the steward in charge of St Davids Club, he was from St Helens, an oasis in the desert, he allowed us in without paying a fee.......Great..... It was in the club one day that we met a very old, down at heels man. We had very little but he was counting his pennies (yes, prior to decimalisation). So what did we agree on? Every time we got a pint we would buy him one. All agreed. This went on for a few days and to be quite honest it made us feel good that he could get out each day because of our charity. On one of our last days at the camp the steward (I just can't remember his name) said 'Why do you keep buying drink for someone you don't know?' I said, 'He's old and he aint got much and he's quite good company, we'll be like that one day'. The old man didn't come in that day and thank goodness it was a cheaper day. The next morning the three girls from Llangefni were there at the tent cooking a beautiful breakfast. It was our last day. We had had the best holiday that anyone could have. We met locals, we met tourists. We spent our last few hours in the Club and who should come in but the old man. He wouldn't have a drink but he said 'Any time you come to St Davids, everything is yours, you have all made an old man happy'. Wow. He then left and the steward said 'Go and look out of the window, he will wave to you'. So off we go. I then saw this RED ROLLS ROYCE with a chauffeur opening the door. My old man waved and then disappeared. I said to the steward 'Who was that?' He laughed. I was not very happy! 'Who is he, I said?' 'He is the owner of the camp site and all of the land you can see for miles around.' At that point I didn't know whether to laugh or scream, we had been ripped of by a millionaire, all we could do was laugh and put it down to childish youth. I don't know who he was but I was assured of a welcome at St Davids whenever I pleased. What a totally stupid true story. I have now retired after a career in the Merseyside Police and I now have time to retrace my steps. I have a cruiser dry moored at Deri Isaf, Ynis Mon, at my friend David McReadie's. Visit his smokery, it's Fab, we have been friends since 1959. Plus visit my friend Alwyn Rolands at Dulas Boats, Al is an RNLI man at Moelfre, God bless the crew. All I want to know now is -Who was that old Man. Someone please reply 01744 759703 or mobile 07801 858739. I would love to retrace my steps and stay at St Davids Head and buy that man another drink and tell him my stories...Denis Anthony Mee (Merpol Ret )