“My time at Swansea University brought me life-long friendships and after graduation took me down a long and interesting career path which most women at that time could only dream about. I feel privileged to have been an active member of such a special centre for further education and it is important for me to give back with regular donations as a way of saying thank you."
In October of that year, I arrived at Swansea University in time for Freshers’ Week, where I began my time in Beck Hall, a place I would live for the next 4 years. The Warden of the Hall was Miss Mary Wilkinson, who summoned the new students to the Common Room after dinner one evening in order to demonstrate how we had to make our beds. “Envelope Ends” were mandatory.
No mention was made, however, about how we should light the fires in our rooms to stay safe. There was no central heating in those years and we were provided with one scuttle of coal each day, which most of us would save for the evening. Sometimes we would even camp out in friends’ rooms and share a fire in order to save our supply of coal! One abiding memory is of the day Miss Wilkinson left a note on the Hall table asking me to see her. I was initially worried that I had done something very wrong but unbeknown to students was the news that a banana boat had docked in Barry, South Wales and anyone carrying a blue ration book was entitled to a single banana. Blue ration books were only held by those under the age of 18 so I was the only student who qualified. It was a rare and exciting moment to be able to share that banana after dinner with my friends since none of us had seen or tasted a banana for over 6 years. I admit that I still covet bananas more than any other fruit.
The October I started life at Beck Hall, a group of around 20 US soldiers also joined the University, much to the excitement of the women! They were part of a scheme offered by some universities to give places to American servicemen stationed in Europe who had had their home university studies interrupted by the war. This was a way to enable them to become acclimatised to university life before eventually resuming their studies in their own country. The Americans were generous and at Thanksgiving in November, they arranged a dinner at the Canopic Restaurant in Mumbles and each was allowed to invite a guest. At the end of that autumn term, all the Beckian women were invited by the American servicemen to a Farewell Ball held for them at Brangwyn Hall. Beck Hall also held a Christmas Party and we were allowed to invite one guest. The servicemen were much in demand and the engineers were always great company! On Saturday evenings there was usually a “hop” held at one of the temporary huts located near the Refectory. Afterwards, some of the American servicemen would escort the women back to Beck Hall before Miss Wilkinson locked the front door at 10.30 pm. The men would walk away singing, “Good Night Ladies!”
