January 14th – Nantyderry Man’s Affairs

A business that Failed
William Joseph Fishbourne of Sunnybank, Nantyderry, formerly chief electrician at Celynen Colliery, Newbridge and later in business on his own account appeared at Newport Bankruptcy Court on Tuesday.
His statement of affairs showed after demobbed from the army he was employed as an electrician at the colliery at £8 a week and when he lost his employment, in March 1927, he entered business on his own account at Tynewydd Terrace, Newbridge, with a capital of £150.
His business, an electrical contractor, was not successful, it was a very poor paying business but he kept his shop open until 1931. He employed assistance in his outside work.
Fishbourne denied Mr Bett’s suggestion that he had spent excessive amounts on drink and denied that he had gambled other than perhaps a shilling on a horse running in the Derby.
As the cause of his failure he gave failure to collect book debts and insufficient work. When Mr Bett’s suggested that his drawings from the business had been extravagant, Fishbourne replied “I think you are exaggerating there”.
He added that he had hoped conditions would be better.
Mr Bett’s said he wished to make enquiries with regard to furniture and a car and his application for a month’s adjournment of the examination was granted.
Mr V Pugsley of Messrs J R Jacob and Pugsley, Abergavenny appeared for Fishbourne.

March 11th – Nantyderry Man’s Failure

When William Joseph Fishbourne, of Sunnybank, Nantyderry appeared at Newport Bankruptcy Court on Tuesday, the Official receiver, Mr R Betts , said the hearing had been adjourned so that further inquiries could be made, but no good purpose would be served by continuing the examination. The examination was closed.
At the previous hearing, Fishbourne gave unsecured liabilities of £231/16/4 and a deficiency of £121/2/11.

March 25th – Land for Building

Parc Bach, Goytrey
adjoining Oak Tree Cottage, with considerable frontage to the roadway and an area of 3A 0R 13P more or less, with possession on completion.

April 3rd – Highway Offence

Despite a plea of not guilty a fine of 10/- was imposed on Alfred Collier (45) a Goytrey labourer, for committing a nuisance at New Inn on March 18th.
P.C. Ackland gave the facts and said defendant was under the influence of drink.
Defendant denied this and said he was waiting for a bus.

April 3rd – Mr L D Whitehead

Tragic Death, Collapsed at Car Wheel.
The news of the tragic death of Mr L D Whitehead of Goytrey Hall came as a great shock to the district, his friends, business associates and employees. While returning alone in his car from his estate in St David’s Pembrokeshire on Sunday evening and when some three miles from Sennybridge side of Brecon, he was discovered unconscious in his car by a passing motorist and died soon afterwards.
Mr Whitehead’s car was on the side of the road with it’s lights on and he had apparently collapsed at the wheel. ( A great deal more about his life in the Free Press)

The Inquest
A verdict of “Death from natural causes, due to a ruptured aorta,” was recorded at the inquest, conducted at Brecon on Tuesday by Mr M F Thomas.
Mr George Whitehead “Mallwyd” Abergavenny, engineer, said he last saw his father on Friday morning when he appeared ti be in excellent health.
His father told him he was going later in the afternoon to St. David’s Pembrokeshire for the weekend. He always motored alone.
Miss Elizabeth Cottle, waitress at the Ivy Bush Hotel, Carmarthen, said Mr Whitehead called at the hotel on Sunday at 8.45pm and asked for a meal to be served quickly as he wanted to be on his way.
He had some soup and cold tongue but nothing to drink and left at 9.30. He appeared to be in his usual health.
Frank Davies, electrician, Sennybridge, said he was travelling in a car to Sennybridge and when about three miles from Brecon he saw a car across the road facing Brecon, with it’s lights on.
He found the driver lying on the front seat with his head nearest the left hand door of the car. He appeared to be dead.
Police Sergeant Bannister and other police moved the body from the car and tried in vain to revive life. There were no external marks on the body. Mr Whitehead’s pipe was lying alongside him almost full of fresh tobacco.
Police Sergeant Martin said the brakes and steering of the car were perfect.
Dr C L Davies, Brecon, said he examined Mr Whitehead and found him extinct. On Monday he communicated with the Coroner and with Dr Humphrey’s, Abergavenny and Dr Morrell Thomas, Newport.
They could not suggest any cause of sudden death, with the result that the Coroner requested him to carry out a post mortem examination, the result being as stated.

April 8th

The ashes of Mr Lionel D Whitehead of Goytre Hall Abergavenny who died suddenly last week as he was motoring home from Pembrokeshire and who was the managing director of the Whitehead Iron and Steel Co., Newport Mon., were cast over the sea at Romsey Sound off St David’s head on Thursday.
Two little boats fromed a cortege, one bearing the casket containing the ashes – the family mourners, Mrs Whitehead, her two sons and daughter and the Dean of St David’s, the very Rev. Watcyn Morgan, who conducted the burial service, put out from St David’s.

April 3rd – Goetre Fawr Scheme

Water Supply and Refuse Collection.
A meeting of the Goetre Fawr Parish Council was held at Penpellenny School on Monday.
Mr D Pugh-Jones presided and the members present were Messrs D Morgan, W I Morgan, J Litten, T Jenkins, D Bowen, J Evans, W Holder, H Stinchcombe, S Herbert and J Williams (clerk.)
A Letter was read from the Rural District Council re water supply and refuse collection, requesting the views of the parish before putting the scheme into operation.
The water scheme provided for in the estimates was for the supply of water from Talybont main to Penpellenny Village, Goytrey British School,Plough Cottages and Nantyderry. This scheme would cost the ratepayers a 7d rate (possibly more) over 30 years.
The weekly collection of refuse from Little Mill bridge, Croesynypant, Penpellenny, Nantyderry, parts of Monkswood and Little Mill would mean a rate of 3d.
These schemes were discussed at length.
Mr D H Morgan said that if the rate was 2s and everyone benefited, he would support it.
Mr Litten thought that too much consideration had been given to the villages.
Mr W I Morgan contended that in the near future both schemes might be thrust upon them and the ratepayers might then be at a greater disadvantage.
Mr H Stinchcombe proposed that both schemes should be deferred for the consideration of the annual parish meeting. He offered no objection to the schemes but regretted he could not give them his blessing.
The resolution was carried unanimously.

May 13th – Assault on Little Girl

Blaenavon Man with a Terrible Record Goes Back to Gaol
A Blaenavon man with an appalling list of previous convictions for larceny, house-breaking and indecent assault was sentenced to six months hard labour at a special Pontypool Police Court on Wednesday for indecent assault upon a six year old girl at Goytrey on Thursday last.
He was Percy Herbert, 36, described as a labourer, who was out on licence after serving part of a sentence of three years’ imprisonment  and five years preventative detention for being an habitual criminal.
He was brought up on Saturday and remanded in custody until Wednesday because the case for the prosecution was not complete. His request for legal aid was granted and at Wednesday’s hearing he was represented by Mr Harold Saunders, Pontypool.
Accused elected to have the case dealt with summarily and pleaded not guilty.
The first witness for the prosecution was Detective Constable William Lewis, Abergavenny, who produced photographs of Edgar’s Lane and Plough Lane, Goytrey, one of which purported to show a gap in the hedge where Herbert was alleged to have carried the little girl into the wood.
The little child herself said she left school for home at about three o’clock with two little boys. About half a mile from the school they saw a man picking dandelions and putting them into a bag. The man said to her “Come and pick bluebells with me in this wood,” but she said she would not and was going to run home. He said to the little boys, “Mind my bag for me” and then carried her into the wood.
She described what happened in the wood and said that when he carried her out of the wood again the boys had gone. He told her to go home.

Identified The Man
She said that at Blaenavon Police Station the same night she saw eight men dressed the same and picked out the man who carried her into the wood.
Mr Saunders said no useful purpose would be served by cross-examining the child.
The mother said that the two boys and her little girl came home screaming and the girl said a man had stopped her and asked her to go into the wood to pick bluebells but she told him her mamma would give her a hiding if she did not run home.
“I left the children with a neighbour and ran to the village to see if I could see the man, but I could not,” said the woman. I phoned for the police and my little girl was later seen by a doctor.
Dr Joseph Charles Henry Bird, Usk, said that when he saw the child she was very distressed. Her condition was consistent with some interference having taken place.
In reply to Mr Saunders he said there had been no serious interference.
Full story in the Free Press

June 3rd – Car Without Lights
Douglas Price (38) a Goytrey miller was fined 7/6 for leaving a car on the road after hours without two front lights at Pontypool on May 14th and a similar amount in respect of his having no rear red light.
P.C. Howells said he had previously warned defendant about leaving his car without lights.