Clevedon

I must stop here in my narrative to explain a little about my mother so you will better understand about my personal problems. Mother was baptized the same day we were in the Roman baths. She was active in the church for awhile. Aunt Jessie Capel, who was president of the Relief Society, chose her to be her secretary. There were many factors contributing to mother's rebellion. She was a very proud and independent person and there was intense persecution against the church at that time. Then when mother took over the Relief Society books it was found that there was a discrepancy of several pounds in the financial records at that time. The church auditors came to audit the books and mother, not understanding church procedure, thought she was being accused of dishonesty. Then she happened to see one of the missionaries sporting a girl and smoking a cigarette, so mother became embittered toward the church.
A few years later Father was made Branch President and being war years he had to travel around to the different branches visiting and encouraging the members. Dad would have liked to have had mother go with him but she wouldn't go. She also very strongly objected to my father paying a tenth of his income to the church. As I have stated before, we were slowly recovering from a severe [economic] depression and mother was very conscious of money and what the lack of it meant. I had to help my father with his reading and writing because of his poor vision and sometimes she thought perhaps I was taking sides against her. We tried to include her in all our activities but she would have none of it. We tried to live at peace with her but she refused to co-operate and our house became a battle ground--divided against itself. I used to dread to go home from work and conditions became so unbearable that after a bout with influenza I had a nervous breakdown. My hair came out but it soon grew back again. After recovering I went away for three weeks to a sanatorium owned by my employers.
While at the sanatorium I made many friends. Clevedon is a little old-world town on the coast of the Bristol Channel. It's beautiful beach and walks are a delight and the old-fashioned gardens were something to see and remember.
It was a rule at the sanatorium that everyone should attend church and since there was no LDS church in the area, I went with some of the girls to the Church of England. The one we attended on that first Sunday morning was an old Seventeenth Century church on the top of Salt Hill overlooking the sea. It was a beautiful old church on the outside but cold and dark inside. 

St. Andrew's Church on Salt Hill, Clevedon

There were chains on the walls and pews. We asked the old Sexton what they were there for and he said they were used to chain the bibles to the pews so that no one would be tempted to take them away. He showed us a couple that were still there. I don't know why they thought people would steal them because most people could not read, and besides they were mostly written in Latin.The sermon that morning was a treatise on the personality of the Godhead. The minister did a good job of confusing the minds of the congregation--or so I thought. 

St. Andrew's Church, Interior

On the way back "home" one of the girls asked me how I enjoyed the sermon. I couldn't resist such a golden opportunity to tell them that I couldn't believe in a God such as the Minister had tried to describe, one without a body, parts or passions. I told them of our belief in a loving Heavenly Father, and that once we dwelt with Him before our existence upon the earth. I remember what a beautiful morning it was. The sun was shining, the sea gulls screaming, and the sound of the bells on the buoys in the harbour. As we walked slowly along, what joy filled my soul as I told those girls the Joseph Smith story. That night after lights were out we sat up in our beds and talked. There were four single beds in our room and the girls asked many questions and with the help of the Holy Ghost I was able to answer them and tell them many things about the restoration of the Gospel. I never saw those girls again after I left Clevedon and I often wondered if they remembered the things I told them.

Speaking in Church

A conference was called by James Gunn McKay to be held in Cardiff, Wales. Brother Fred Day and his counselors had hired a large hall to accommodate the anticipated crowd. The event had been well advertised. President David O. McKay would be there. This was the first conference of the Welsh and Bristol district since the beginning of World War I. The theme of the conference was the question that most people were asking, "Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?" Just before the morning session started, President Day came up to me and said, "Will you talk upon the first subject as well as your own?", which was "Why am I here?" The girl who was given the first subject was ill and could not attend. I was very frightened but the Lord helped me and President McKay told me later that I had done very well. After the meeting a woman came up to me and asked what seminary I had been attending to have such knowledge of religious matters. I told her I had not been to any college. She was astonished and asked how I had gained so much knowledge. I told her that anyone can gain such knowledge through study and prayer and the help of the Holy Ghost.

I have really enjoyed studying the gospel through the years and have eagerly sought for knowledge with all the earnestness of my soul and the Lord has blessed my efforts. I have enjoyed my teaching assignments and any opportunity to share the gospel with others.

I spent many holidays with Ellen roaming those beautiful Welsh hills. Her mother was such a dear, faithful soul. I loved Ellen very much. In 1923 she emigrated to America. I visited Varteg a couple of times after that but it wasn't the same without her. She lives in Salt Lake City now and I have often visited her there and we often talk about those lovely days spent together.

I have mentioned before about the Thatcher family in Bath. It wasn't too far away from Bristol and I spent many pleasant weekends there going by train. There was Elsie, Lily and Jim, who were around my age. We had lots of fun together. They also emigrated to America in 1923 and lived in Provo. There was also the Bryant family I have mentioned before. Grandma Bryant, her daughters, Edith and Elsie, her Granddaughters, Nellie and Dora. Elsie was deformed with curvature of the spine. She was a lovely person and I grew to love her, especially after Nellie's death.
I might mention here some friends I made at work who became members of the Church besides Paul. There was her sister, Emma, a girl named Mabel Howe and her fiancée. They were all baptized by my father in the river Frome. Mabel died in 1927 of TB. I have been able to do her Temple work.