Thomas, Albert

  General Notes:

One of nine children
Albert Thomas was my father.

He like all the family and most of North West Wales spoke Welsh as his mother tongue. He worked in the slate mines of Blaenau Ffestiniog with his father and brothers before the second world war. He contracted pneumonia and was very ill, having worked in the mines for seven years.

His parents insisted that he leave the mines and he went to Birmingham and met and married Mom during the Second World War.

So lived the rest of his life in Birmingham where we all lived as a family (he hated it there). He was a talented musician and played the piano beautifully. He also played the piano accordian (there is a photograph of him playing with a band). He played in dance bands in Wales before the War. The piece of music I most liked to hear him play was Rachmaninov's 'Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini'.

He was basically a clever man - very good at maths also, but never had chance to go to university.

Worked as a gear inspector with Alvis Motor Co. at Coventry.

The family worked at the Votty and Bowyd Quarries.

Albert married Ivy Langley, daughter of William Evan Langley and Minnie Beatrice Brailsford. (Ivy Langley was born on 10 May 1922 in Nottingham, died on 27 Jan 2008 in Princess Royal Hospital, Telford and was buried 5th February 2008 in Telford Crematorium.)