Reginald (Reg) Skinner
A spirit of adventure
Reginald ‘Reg’ Skinner was our great-uncle and the 5th child of James and Rosa Kate Skinner of Abernant Farm. He was born 29th August 1901 and grew up on the farm with his family. He was christened at All Saint’s Church in 1912 alongside his six siblings.
Reg was schooled in Caerleon where he was an excellent pupil, he was awarded a watch after not missing a day at school for six years. His eldest brother Wallace commented, in a letter written in 1916, that in the brains department he wasn’t far behind his sister Jessie! Unlike his elder brothers Reg did not leave school early to help on the farm but completed his schooling.
Sister Jessie described Reg in a letter that she sent to her uncle John Skinner in 1917. “Reginald is 15. He is distinct amongst the rest of us, both in looks and manner. He is fair and handsomely made. Dada says he is like the Skinners of Devonshire. Cool in discussion and self-possessed in any society. He does not know the meaning in shyness. He too is home, but he does not seem to be cut out for farming, but as Dada wants what help he can get, he is at presenting helping at home.”
On 16th October 1920, aged 19 years, Reg enlisted in the Gloucestershire Yeomanry which became part of the Royal Tank Corps in the early 1920s. This was renamed the Royal Tank Regiment in 1939 and is the oldest tank unit in the world having been formed by the British army in 1916. Reg enlisted alongside his cousin and friend, Joseph Godfrey Arthur Watkins, from Dranllwyn Farm.
In 1923 Reg left the army and travelled to the USA with the Cunard Steam Ship company. His destination was Herman, Nebraska where he visited the grave of his late uncle John to pay respects on behalf of the Welsh Skinners. Reg stayed for two years with his aunty Minnie Skinner and was treated like another son. He attended Grand Island Business College. The trip appears to have sparked a love for America, a country Reg returned to several times.
Back in Wales, Reg was 26 when he married Gwen Millicent Richards in October 1927. Gwen was 23 years old and had been born in Newport 26th December 1904. She was the daughter of Reynold, a restaurant owner, and Mary Ann Richards and was living with her family in Clifton Place.
Following their wedding they sailed for the USA to start a new life together and arrived in New York 13th March 1928. The arrival papers showed Minnie Skinner as their contact in the USA and their stated destination as Herman, Nebraska. They stayed in Herman for a year, where Reg managed the local Farmers Union, before deciding to settle in Massachusetts. They were driven from Herman to their new home by Minnie, stopping on the way to see the Niagara Falls. In 1929 the couple had their first child, June Margaret Skinner.
The 1930 US federal Census showed the couple lived in the small town of Wareham, Massachusetts. It is located on the north shore of Buzzards Bay, the population when they arrived was 4,102. The census recorded the couple were renting their home, owned a radio and that Reg was managing a grocery store. It also shows that Reg had submitted his first paper to start the naturalisation process.
Gwen’s mother May Ann died in Newport during October1932 and Reg and Gwen travelled home to support Gwen’s father. They arrived 13th November and stayed for several months with Gwen’s family. They travelled back to the USA 13th February 1933. On 30 Oct 1933 the family of three again returned to Wales, this time for an extended trip. They stayed with Wallace and Edith at Hendrew Farm, where Reg’s mother Rosa was also living.
Interestingly, the three returned to the USA in stages. Reg sailed back first on 17th May 1934 aboard the Manhattan. His immigration record revealed a lot of personal information about him, he was 32 years old, 5ft 8 1/2 Inches tall, with brown hair, blue eyes, and fair complexion. He was heading for Roslindale, Massachusetts with 1250 dollars and an intention of applying for permanent residency. His contact in the USA was given as his brother-in-law Trevor H. Richards.
Reg appears to have sailed back first to secure a new home for the family. He found a pleasant property on Ocean Drive in Cranston, situated by the water and one hour south of Boston. Reg worked as store manager and appeared to have been successful at work. He joined The Guild, a local trade association and became an active branch member.
Gwen sailed back 6 months later on 19th November 1934, travelling from Liverpool to Boston. June spent two years in Wales and sailed to the USA from Liverpool aboard the Franconia in 1935. arriving nine days later. Aged only 5 she was accompanied by a representative of the Rhode Island District Court, presumably arranged, and financed by her parents. She was duly delivered to the new family home.
After three more years in the USA the three returned to Wales for good on 6th Feb 1939. They sailed on the MV Samaria from Boston to Liverpool. They gave the Rock Farm in Penhow as their final destination.
The 1939 Register showed that Reg, Gwen, and June were now living with Gwen’s family in Llandevaud. They lived at Laburnum Cottage with Reynold Richards and Gwen’s younger brother Godfrey. Reginald is listed as a farmer and was working for Wallace at Hendrew Farm.
When electoral records resumed in 1945, we find the family living at Whitehouse Farm. The large farm was in a rural parish located 5 miles west of Monmouth. A second child Sylvia Joyce had been born in 1940 followed by a son Graham in 1943. They stayed until 1950 and then had a short spell at Trivor Farm in the same parish. In 1951 Reg secured a new farm tenancy and the family moved to Nantygelli Farm in Wolvesnewton. The farm was their home for 17 years until Reg and Gwen retired in 1968.
In November 1959 Reg once again sailed to the USA. He travelled alone from Avonmouth to New York, and onwards to Nebraska where he stayed with his American family, and got to meet most of his cousins. Gwen enjoyed writing and produced a book of poetry. Included was a moving poem about the demolition of All Saint’s Church and the exhumation of the remains.
The couple retired to Green Acres in Llanishen with their daughter June. It is a rural village in Monmouthshire. The 1968 Electoral Register showed that they were joined at Green Acres, for a short period, by their younger daughter Joyce. The property was a newly built semi-detached house. In 1970 an American cousin, James Skinner came to stay for 7 days. James recalled how gracious the couple were and what a good cook Gwen was. Reg took James on visits to see Ray, Donald, and the family of the late Ralph.
Reg died at Green Acres in 1974, followed by Gwen in 1978 who was then living in Chepstow. Their ashes, along with June’s, who died in 2011, were added to the grave of Reg’s parents, James and Rosa Skinner, in Tredunnock.
If you have memories of Reg or Gwen please get in touch: [email protected]