Call goes out for a memorial for Barry historian
The family and friends of Barry historian Tom Clemett are calling on the Vale Council to create a permanent memorial to the much-loved local character.
Tom died from Covid on 29th December at the age of 89, and as news of his death spread, hundreds of people took to social media to pay their respects.
Tom’s enthusiasm, outgoing personality and sense of fun made him a popular go-to man for anyone wanting to learn more about the history of Barry, and he was a familiar presence in libraries, community groups and in the local media.
Group campaign
One of those spearheading the campaign for a memorial is Sheree Conibear, who runs the Barry and Wales at Heart Facebook group with nearly 10,000 members, and where a large number of tributes were paid to Tom following his death: “The sheer number of people who paid tribute to Tom in the days and weeks following his passing was incredible.
“We are now asking the Vale Council to create a permanent memorial to him so that his life and contribution to the community can be remembered for generations to come.”
Street name memorial
Sheree has been informed that a person needs to have been deceased for 20 years before a blue plaque can be put up in their honour, but she thinks that naming a street after him on a new-build estate would be an appropriate memorial.
The Vale Council’s website states that cabinet members, local ward members and town and community council members are ‘involved’ in the street naming process, but it offers no further details as to how people can request a street be named after a notable person or landmark.
Born in Southampton in 1932 to Welsh parents, Tom’s family relocated to Barry shortly after the war, where in 1958 he married Jill, who survives him.
They lived for many years until the end of his life near Victoria Park, where he was a popular local character who would chat happily to everyone while out walking his dog.
Tom and Jill had seven children of their own, several of whom were adopted (they didn’t differentiate between their natural and adopted children), and the couple fostered more than 50 children over many decades.
Knap Lido
Known for his physical fitness and clean-living, as a young man Tom spent every summer weekend and most evenings swimming in Knap Lido, and he went on to own a chalet in the area for 30 years.
Cold water swimming was another of Tom’s passions, and he was a familiar sight in the old harbour as he would brave all weathers for much of the year.
During his early life, Tom was a skilled gymnast, and for many years he was an active bodybuilder and instructor at venues across Barry.
In later life, Tom was best-known as a leading authority on the history of Barry, and since the late 1970s, he had collected postcards, photographs and other memorabilia associated with the town.
In 1999, a selection of his memorabilia was published in his first book, Barry in Old Picture Postcards, and this was followed in 2002 by his next book, Pictures from the Past: Barry, and two years later by Pictures from the Past II: Barry and Vale.
In February 2009, Tom hosted his first exhibition at The Room in the Park, Victoria Park, featuring a selection of postcards and photographs chronicling the history of Barry Island.
The six-week exhibition included images of Barry Island sunbathers in their Sunday best, the 1902 Coronation Bonfire and the arrival of the fairground’s Figure 8.
In subsequent years, further exhibitions followed which focussed on the history of The Knap, Barry Docks and Cadoxton.
Tom’s daughter Gail Portlock has endorsed the plans for a permanent memorial to her father: “I’ve been made aware of the rule about the person needing to have been dead for 20 years before we can apply for a blue plaque to be put up, but I’m looking into having our own private plaque put on the wall of the family home where my mother still lives.
“A permanent tribute in a public place would be lovely. It would show that he meant something to this town, because this town meant something to him. The huge number of tributes that have been paid to my father have been a tremendous comfort to our family at this sad time.
“The council didn’t always like him, because he was always on their case about different things, but when he looked into things, he looked into them properly, and it wasn’t done just for him, it was done for everyone.
“I’m open-minded as to what form the memorial should take, and I’m grateful to all those who have endorsed the idea and made suggestions.”
New group
Meanwhile, Tom’s son Tim has set about sharing his father’s digital archive via a new Facebook group: “With my dad’s passing, he left a computer, memory sticks and hard drives full of his work about Barry and the Vale, so I thought I would make a Facebook group and share most of the things I found on them.
“Every weekend I will upload at least one file (usually a picture with a little write-up about it) until there is nothing left. I won’t change anything – it’ll be all his own words, so if there are mistakes, it’s nothing to do with me!
“I’ll start by sharing all the ones with a write-up attached to them, and then move on to the ones which are just the photos.
“Then maybe when everything is uploaded, I’ll start with his actual postcard collection, of which there are hundreds. I’m doing this because it would be a shame not to share his life’s work,” he said.
The Facebook group, which already has more than 400 members, can be viewed here.
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The first 18 years of my life I lived in Cadoxton. It will always be home for me even though I have lived in America for the last 54 years. I enjoy learning anything I can about Barry and the surrounding area. My brother still resides there so I visit occasionally. My last trip was just two years ago as Covid started. May the history of Barry continue to be documented and shared with the world.
Thank you once again Marcus for your words about Dad. You have been very kind and I will keep you informed of any plans for our own memorial on the house where mum and dad have lived for 60 years.