FORTY townspeople aged from 11 to 94 have taken part in a year-long oral history project .

Caldicot Community Hub hosted a commemorative event last month to mark the success of the local history project, which recorded people’s experiences of living in the town from the time when Caldicot was a village. 

As part of the project, the Friends of Caldicot Library and hub staff asked residents to recall their childhood and their memories of growing up, while those born elsewhere were asked why they came, and their experience of living there.

Those interviewed for the project included Peter Bartlett, brought up on a smallholding north of Caldicot, who recalled German prisoners-of-war and land girls working on his father’s land during the Second World War.

Among documents collected for the recent exhibition were the memoirs of the late Ernie Jones who farmed Court House Farm – now Castle Lea housing estate – with his wife Winnie. 

Winnie remembered the times before they were married when cattle were driven through the centre of the village to reach fields on the nearby moors.

Just after the Second World War, six families also lived in flats within Caldicot Castle, including Wilf Wilshire who resided in the keep above a dungeon and recalled the capture of a bat which flew into his bedroom.

The age range of those quizzed about their memories spanned 83 years, making the project a truly intergenerational oral history.

The records and recordings have now been uploaded to the People’s Collection Wales website, curated by the National Library of Wales. 

They form a permanent record and living testimony of Caldicot since the 1940s when it expanded from a small village to the town it is today.   

Bernard John of the Friends of Caldicot Library, who led the project, said: “We wish to express thanks to the people of Caldicot for embracing this project and speaking freely of their lives. 

“We’re also very grateful to the staff and management of Caldicot Hub and library who have provided support throughout the project.”

Councillor Bob Greenland, Monmouthshire’s cabinet member with responsibility for community hubs, added: “I’m delighted that Caldicot Community Hub and its staff have been instrumental in helping to produce a fascinating oral history of the town. 

“Our community hubs support local communal activity of this type which contributes to people’s well-being and helps them identify with their locality. 

“My grateful thanks go to the Heritage Lottery Fund for its contribution to make this project possible.”

The celebratory occasion followed a series of presentations to Caldicot History Society, the town’s U3A history section, and pupils of Caldicot School’s history club.