Monthly Newsletter
August 2025
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What’s On at The Met
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Lunchtime Theatre presents:-
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Days After (The Great Train Robbery of 1963)
Thurs 4th September 1pm
Tickets from £7
Guidance – suitable for over 16's only
For more information on these and more visit:
https://awenboxoffice.com/the-met/whats-on
or tel 01495 533195
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Museum Opening Times
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The Museum is open to the public, free of charge:
Thursday to Saturday 10am – 1pm
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Contact us
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Museum phone number 01495 211140
Email: abertillerymuseum@btconnect.com
Web: www.abertilleryanddistrictmuseum.org.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abertillerymuseum
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Contact Names
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Mr G Murphy Curator
Mrs P. Bearcroft Deputy Curator
Mrs E. Ewers Chair
Mrs K. Pratley Treasurer
Mrs S. Murphy Newsletter
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Vice Presidents (Annual Subscription £25)
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Rev Roy Watson
Mrs Carol Brooks
Mrs Margaret Cook
Mrs Margaret Herbert
Ms Michele Dack
Mr Ross Leadbetter
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July​​​​​ 100 Club
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This month’s prize numbers were drawn by Susan Davies the lucky winners are:-
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No. 17 Nicola Hayward £20
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No. 56 Gay Fisher £10
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If you would like to join our 100 club and be in with a chance of winning, it costs just £1 a month. Ask at the museum for further details.
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The Aberfest Raffle was drawn on 5th July and all winners have been notified. The winning ticket numbers are detailed below. Thank you to all who entered the draw. The number of sweets in the jar was 405 and all winners have been notified.
Prize Ticket no. Serial No.
Meat voucher Green 736 AB168819
Whiskey Orange 696 AD242728
Chocolates Yellow 151 AD945531
Diffuser Orange 636 AD242728
Spa Set Yellow 131 AD945531
Conservation Matters
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Conservators, Jane Henderson and Phil Parkes, kindly visited the museum recently to help us with a few artefacts that were in need of some TLC. Some they were able to repair on the spot such as this jug seen here in the hands of Phil while others they have taken away. Jane teaches conservation at Cardiff University whilst Phil has recently retired from the same occupation.​
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Duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh….
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We all recognise the theme for Jaws but did you know it was 50 years old this year? The film, directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the book by Peter Benchley, was first screened in June 1975 and made sharks one of the most feared creatures on the planet. Its most famous line has to be ‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat’; a line which has been adapted for use in numerous situations ever since.
Another interesting fact, it was originally proposed to use a real great white shark. Quite how they thought they could train a shark to pretend to attack and devour someone or whether the actors or their stunt doubles would have agreed to take part we will never know but I imagine there were sighs of relief when the decision was taken to use mechanical sharks instead.
Three were used in the first film and the only remaining one of four cast from the original mould, a 25 foot long model nicknamed Bruce, is on display at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. (It seems that Bruce was originally on display at Universal Studios but they decided to replace it with a replica - see photo - which had never actually appeared in a Jaws film and Bruce eventually went to the Academy Museum).
To set the record straight, not every shot of a shark was a mechanical shark; the film also used dramatic footage of a real great white shark attacking a shark cage in South Australia. Apparently when Spielberg saw it he decided it just had to feature in his own film.
There were all sorts of problems with the sharks which regularly malfunctioned and the filming was beset with problems associated with the insistence of the 26 year old Spielberg that the film be shot in the open ocean rather than in a large studio tank. As well as the sharks breaking down, the towing equipment snagged in seaweed, the first shark dummies absorbed water and expanded, and the actors were seasick. There were so many problems filming that the crew nicknamed the film 'Flaws'.
There hasn't been a lot of coverage of the anniversary in this country but at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts where the film was made, there are celebrations aplenty including films, exhibitions and merchandise. JAWS @ 50, The Definitive Inside Story is available to watch on National Geographic and you can view a trailer using the link below:
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https://www.youtube.com/embed/jrBN9zcQAGw?wmode=transparent&html5=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&autoplay=1
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And cinemas are planning to screen the original movie this summer (watch a trailer here):
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https://www.imax.com/en/gb/movie/jaws?activation=jaws
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There were four Jaws films made between 1975 and 1987 but the consensus seems to be that the quality went down and down with each successive film. The first Jaws film was truly dramatic and I certainly found it scary; especially the opening scenes where a young woman is swimming alone at night and no-one is around to hear her screams…!
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Jaws the ride was one of the original attractions at Universal Studios Orlando when the park opened in 1990. It continued to thrill park visitors until it was demolished in 2012 to make way for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The entrance to the ride had been marked by a big Tiger shark and, in a nod to the iconic ride, there is still a Tiger shark on display at the park today (which is the one photographed here). The iconic ride may be gone but you can still watch it on YouTube using this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QurplyEz_P4
Of course the reputation of the shark is not deserved and they are in fact a vital part of our eco-system. With some species now critically endangered, they need our help and protection. If you fancy your own ‘Jaws’, in miniature, there are plenty advertised for sale on the internet.
Duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh… Jen Price
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ANNABELLE
Husband and wife, Ed and Lorraine Warren, both now deceased, were real-life American paranormal investigators. Over the years they investigated hundreds of cases and where they identified a ‘possessed object’ they would take it (with the owner’s permission of course) and keep it under lock and key in their home. Probably the most famous of all their locked up exhibits was a doll called Annabelle…
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Apparently, in 1970 the Warrens were contacted by two room-mates who claimed their doll was possessed by the spirit of a young girl by the name of Annabelle Higgins. It should be pointed out that this doll was not the one pictured here; the real Annabelle was a rag doll with a stitched face (the one pictured here, while based on Annabelle, is part of an indoor Crazy Golf course in Cardiff).
The story of Annabelle so intrigued that a series of films have been made based on Ed and Lorraine’s investigations (played on screen by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) the first of which was called The Conjuring, released in 2013 followed by a prequel in 2014 entitled Annabelle, and Annabelle: Creation in 2017.
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Ed Warren died in 2006 and his wife more recently in 2019. What happened to their ‘haunted’ collection I don’t know but last month Annabelle made headlines once more when it came to light that it was touring in the United States with a paranormal investigator by the name off Dan Rivera.
Nothing unusual in that you might think, except that Dan, at the age of just 54, has been found dead in his hotel room!
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While at the home of Ed and Lorraine, the doll was kept in a locked glass case (like the one pictured here) and regularly blessed by a priest using holy water. Since the death of Dan, cause as yet unknown, the media have been all over the story and you can see one such report using the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmdGc3MARl8
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In the clip above, you will note that Dan is using gloves to handle the doll, such is the hype surrounding this story. Is there anything paranormal going on here or is it all a figment of people’s imagination? Would you have this doll in your home? Having seen the movies, I don’t think I would!
by Sally Murphy
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ed_and_Lorraine_Warren
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QUICK QUIZ
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What was the Big News headline of August 8th 1963?
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What was stolen and hidden in a broom cupboard on 21st August 1911?
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Awst is the word for August in what language?
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Which month ends on the same day that August does every year?
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Why is the 12th August known as the Glorious 12th?
Photocopying
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For all your photocopying needs, visit Abertillery Museum; charges below:
Black & white Colour
A4 15p 60p
A3 20p £1
Adopt-a-Ship Update
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Since last month’s article on HMS Nigella, museum member, Mr Peter Rosser, brought in not one but two interesting pieces of paper to the museum which are now being acquisitioned. The first piece of paper gives details of the history of the ship and from this we now know that the ship was ordered on 31st August 1939 and built by George Phillip & Sons of Dartmouth. It was Launched on 21st September 1940 and commissioned on 25th Feb 2041. The other details on it such as it becoming a merchant ship after the war, we already knew and featured in last month’s article.
The second piece of paper is perhaps the most interesting though. Peter is a member of the Abertillery & Blaina branch of the Rotary club and back in 1942, the branch wrote to the captain of the Nigella asking if there were any ‘comfort’ items that the crew would like to receive. The commanding officer replied and his reply has been kept safe all these years and is now being donated to the museum. The letter is dated 24th April 1942 and reads:
I was pleased to receive your letter of 24th February last, and am pleased to accept your kind offer of ‘adoption’ comforts. Most necessary to the ship’s company at present are: books, games, electric irons (110 volts) and if possible, football gear would be very much appreciated. Ship’s company numbers over 70.
The letter is signed by the commanding officer whose signature I can’t quite make out but looks something like L J Simpson.
But the story doesn’t end there, another reader, Mr Bryan Boots, also got in touch with the following information:
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​Abertillery was a crew member on the Nigella. He used to send back regular updates to the South Wales Gazette, for publication. Abertillery also had a tank which served in North Africa, the crew were members of the Welsh Guards, including Mr. Barnes from Abertillery. The people of Abertillery saved £1.2 million between 1940 and 1944, didn't see the final figure, but a lot of money in today’s money. Harold Powell ran the savings committee in Abertillery, he was awarded an MBE for it in 1943.
Regards the latest [June] newsletter, a man named Edgar Collier of Rhiw Parc
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It has also been brought to my attention that the museum has a plaque on display that was presented to the people of Abertillery for the donations raised to adopt the Nigella. Its inscription reads:
Presented by Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to Abertillery Urban council to commemorate the adoption of HMS Nigella during Warship week February 1942.
Anyone who missed last month’s article can read it on our website using the link below:
https://www.abertilleryanddistrictmuseum.org.uk/copy-of-june-2025-newsletter
Quiz Answers
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The Great Train Robbery
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Mona Lisa painting
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Welsh
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November
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Start of the grouse shooting season​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
