Tenby Rotary Club’s guest speaker at their recent monthly dinner meeting was Ian Nicholls.

Ian (seen with Joan Nicholls, Tom Cullen president of Tenby Rotary Club, and Helen Wood) celebrated his 90th birthday earlier this year. He was born in Tenby in 1929, but has lived in Saundersfoot for many years.

Indeed, Ian was a founder member of Saundersfoot Rotary Club when it was inaugurated 43 years ago. He is the club’s oldest member.

Ian has given numerous talks on various subjects over the years. Last week he decided to regale his fond childhood memories of the Second World War in Tenby.

When the war commenced Ian was actually recovering from a major operation in Tenby Cottage Hospital.

He had fractured his skull in an accident on the swing boats at St Margaret’s Fair.

During his younger years, he worked as a Telegraph Boy delivering telegrams on his bicycle throughout the Tenby area. In fact, he spent the whole of his working life with the Post Office and retired as Postmaster of Saundersfoot about 30 years ago.

Ian’s talk was fascinating and he captivated Tenby Rotary Club’s members. He recalled several bombs landing on Tenby in Queens Parade and Church Park etc.

The sand dunes were mined from the South Beach to Giltar.

The old storage tanks on fire at Llanreath in Pembroke Dock could be seen from Tenby.

Music was a big part of Ian’s life in those days. He played in several bands. Although he was too young to attend, he remembers that the dances in the De Valence Pavillion were very popular.

Many hundreds of foreign soldiers were based in Tenby during the war.

Initially it was the Belgians and latterly the Americans.

Most of these were from Texas.

The whites and the blacks were segregated in terms of accommodation but they socialised together in the pubs and the De Valence. These were exciting times in Tenby.

Ian became friends with a number of American soldiers and has visited Texas on several occasions.

Unfortunately, most of these have passed on but he has remained in contact with their families and two daughters visited Ian and Joan in Saundersfoot last year.

Tenby Rotary Club is very grateful for Ian’s extremely interesting and witty talk.

Everyone was thoroughly engrossed and wished it could have lasted longer!

Footnote: Whilst Ian was speaking, Helen Wood, the partner of Tenby President Tom Cullen, she became a grandmother for the first time!

Her son’s partner gave birth to a little boy in Keynsham, near Bristol.