www.cyfarthfare-united.com
Ira James
Resides : Shrewsbury
"Passed for The Castle" in 1936
Left in February 1942 to take up an appointment with The Post Office Engineering Department
A student of average academic achievement, nevertheless the drive and desire for knowledge was inculcated within me by the ethos of Cyfarthfa Castle School and those shining examples of academia of many of my friends and peers.
I did achieve a couple of "firsts" as it were, by being the youngest student, up until that time, to represent the school in the first XV. At 14, I played in a team of giants in all senses of the word such as, the exquisite Dai Beynon, the impeccable Tudor Evans and poetry in motion Hywel and Geoff Davies.
School Eisteddfod's
played a great part in forming my future life, leading me into a magic and fulfilling musical life. Accepted into the Welsh Festival Choir under the baton of Morgan Nicholas, Doctor of Music, Oswestry led to appointments with the WNO as minor principal, and student principal training with Covent Garden Opera at the Guildhall School of Music. Although choosing an engineering career as my main support I continued to sing, opera and oratoria in the Principality and Midlands.
In 1968 I retired with British Telecomm, having served since 1962 as an Executive Engineer at Shrewsbury. During this period I was appointed Regional Secretary of The Institute of British Telecommunication Engineers and also was a lecturer at Shrewsbury College of Art and Technology.
Married for 45 years, coming up, to Moya, better known to her contemporaries in Cyfarthfa as Miah Sims.