Here we go again with more Milford memories, starting with some feedback from last week's column.

Margaret Lloyd sent this email: "Really enjoyed Christine's story and mention of my dad, Billy Bray, who served on many Milford trawlers, both as cook, and bosun, and in his 80s worked in the 'net sheds' with Jack Chenery.

I can remember a trawler the Willing Boys, but can't recall a Welcome Boys. Perhaps one of your readers might know?"

Thanks Margaret, and Ken Clay rang to say that, he too, only remembers the Willing Boys.

Ken also had a suggestion to help with last week's Pill Social Centre Billy J Kramer query, and, after checking it out, I'll let you know how we get on.

Now, as promised in last week's TRM, thanks to regular reader Alan Phillips, from Llangennech, here we go with some recollections of the birth of the Milford Mine Depot.

Firstly, some extracts from an article by J Bodys in the 1970 RNSTS Journal.

"The Admiralty's connection with Milford Haven is of long-standing. Geography saw to that. Lord Nelson described Milford Haven, with Trincomalee in Ceylon, as being the two best harbours in the world.

"Pembroke Dock, on the south shore, was the Navy's base through three warships, Milford, Lavinia and Nautilus were built in Greville's new town.

"...The Armament Supply Department's first connection came in the late 1930s, before the Second World War. A mine depot was required in west Wales, and a suitable area to the east of the town was found.

"The pier, built in 1867, and served by a broad gauge track from Milford Haven station, must have been a major attraction.

"There was much work in cutting back the cliffs, using the spoil to create a longer, narrow sea shore depot and excavating underground magazines.

"During the war many mines were supplied to the Navy and the explosives components of them were, to a large extent, filled on the premises.

"An extensive filling factory was included in the establishment.

"A large part of the working population of the town was engaged during the war. Milford Haven Mine Depot assisted in no small degree in the diversion during the later years of two -fifths of the entire German naval war effort to countering British mine-laying activities.

"...When the land for the depot was bought, the nucleus of a country estate was taken over to provide residential accommodation... the Castle Hall estate. Castle Hall itself was an imposing building (as shown in last week's TRM).

The inhabitants of the town have still not entirely forgiven the Admiralty of those days for pulling down what they regarded as their finest building."

And then there's this piece from "J D Davies, Britannia's Dragon - A Naval History of Wales. "In 1940, two large armament depots were opened in Pembrokeshire, one at Newton Noyes, Milford Haven, and the other at Trecwn near Fishguard.

"The construction of the latter, in a remote and beautiful area, was opposed by the local schoolmaster, who wrote a poem to express his feelings on the matter; the gesture would have been insignificant were it not for the fact that the schoolmaster was Waldo Williams, pacifist and one of Wales' greatest poets of the twentieth century.

"Newton Noyes, built from 1934 onwards on the site of a former shipbreaking yard and utilising a huge Victorian railway pier, was not quite as controversial as Trecwn (What about Milford's Castle Hall dissenters?)

"It took years to build and, on opening, it became Britain's principal production plant for sea-mines; from June 1940 it aimed to turn out 230 Mark 1V mines a day, 1,300 R mines a week, and 250 A mines a month.

"In the early years of the war its principal objective was the laying of huge mine-fields in home waters, the Western Approaches and the Bay of Biscay, with the mine-layer cruiser HMS Adventure and other vessels with mine-laying capability calling regularly in Milford Haven to take on new cargoes.

"From 1941, a new class of six fast minelayers came into service, one of which was HMS Welshman, and Newton Noyes became their principal port of call.

"A monument in the town, appropriately, a decommissioned sea mine, commemorates the depot's invaluable wartime service."

There'll be more Mine Depot memories to come, meanwhile here are three snaps that fit the bill. The broad gauge line; the Newton Noyes pier, and the Rath monument.

Now for our teasers, last week's ( What letter is next in the sequence... DRMFSLT?) is, of course -D. For Doh, which was nicely sung out by Joyce Layton, Anne and Jets Llewellyn, Cynthia Edwards and Les Haynes. Thanks to all who got in touch.

Here's another for you...Your parents have six sons including you, and each son has one sister. How many people are in the family ?

That's about it... and I leave you with this thought from Charles Setterfield, with whom this week I've had an interesting discussion about the virtues of growing old.

Charles declared..."We must never surrender to age."

Take care. Stay safe.