On Saturday, December 11, Michael Nevin will give a half-hour lunchtime talk at the Pater Hall, Pembroke Dock, on ‘The Life and Times of Alderman William Thomas Nevin, Mayor of Pembroke Borough, and the story of Pembroke Dock, 1894-1961.’

The talk will mark the anniversary of the opening of the Pater Hall on December 11, 1957 by Alderman Nevin and his wife the Lady Mayoress, an event commemorated on a plaque at the entrance to the Hall.

Their grandson Michael will tell their story and the history of Pembroke Dock through the First World War, the Great Depression and the Second World War, when Pembroke Dock was the most blitzed town in Britain relative to its population size.

The talk will conclude with the subsequent years of the town’s renewal during the 1950s, culminating in the development of the Pater Hall to replace the old Temperance Hall that had been destroyed by enemy action in 1940.

“My grandfather was 60 years old when I was born, and in December it will be 60 years since he died, so it seems an appropriate moment to tell his story and that of Pembroke Dock during the first 60 years of the twentieth century,” commented Mr Nevin.

“The talk will recall the very significant contribution made by the people of Pembroke Dock to our safety and liberty during that period, and its role in helping to win the Battle of the Atlantic in World War Two.

“The part played by the town and the Royal Naval Dockyard is often overlooked, yet Pembroke Dock’s endurance through a turbulent, difficult and dangerous era should be remembered, and remembered with honour.”

Doors open at midday. The talk begins at 12.15 and finishes at 12.45 pm, with an opportunity for questions and discussion afterwards before closing for lunch at 1 pm.