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Cymorth cyntaf<br />
First aid<br />
Cefais fy ngeni yn Nhrefforest ym 1960. Nid<br />
oedd gennyf unrhyw gysylltiadau<br />
gwirioneddol â’r diwydiant glo er i ’nhad<br />
weithio danddaear am saith mis cyn cael ei alw i’r<br />
fyddin. Dechreuais weithio yng Ngwaith Golosg<br />
Nantgarw yn syth o’r ysgol, dilynais gwrs peirianneg<br />
fecanyddol yng Ngholeg Polytechnig Trefforest am<br />
flwyddyn cyn gweithio dan hyfforddiant a chael<br />
profiad ym mhopeth bron. Cwblheais fy<br />
mhrentisiaeth ym 1980.<br />
Roedd gen i ddiddordeb erioed mewn cymorth<br />
cyntaf, a bues i’n ‘ddymi’ i’r criw cymorth cyntaf cyn<br />
ymuno â nhw’n swyddogol. Roedd yr hyfforddiant<br />
cymorth cyntaf yn y gwaith golosg (Coal Products<br />
Limited neu CPL) yr un fath ag un y Bwrdd <strong>Glo</strong><br />
Cenedlaethol – does dim meddygon na nyrsys<br />
danddaear, felly mae’n rhaid i’r glowyr helpu eu<br />
hunain yn gyntaf pan fo rhywun yn cael ei anafu.<br />
Nid oedd Gwaith Golosg Nantgarw erioed wedi<br />
ennill cystadleuaeth cymorth cyntaf o fri’r CPL, felly<br />
pan benodwyd rheolwr newydd yn y gwaith,<br />
ymbiliodd capten ein tîm iddo am ragor o amser<br />
hyfforddi er mwyn rhoi gwell cyfle i ni. Er iddo<br />
gytuno, doedd neb yn meddwl bod gennym fawr o<br />
obaith gan fod tîm Caerffili wedi ennill y<br />
gystadleuaeth bob blwyddyn ers pedair blynedd.<br />
Roedden nhw wedi cynrychioli Cymru a CPL y DU<br />
a hyd yn oed yn fuddugol yng nghystadleuaeth UK<br />
All Industries First Aid.<br />
Cyrhaeddodd diwrnod y gystadleuaeth<br />
ranbarthol, a chafodd Nantgarw ddiwrnod i’r brenin.<br />
Enillais fy nghystadleuaeth unigol i ac, ar ôl cyfri’r<br />
holl farciau ac er syndod i bawb, enillodd ein tîm ni’r<br />
gystadleuaeth yn ei chyfanrwydd. Yn ogystal â chael<br />
enw Nantgarw ar y gwpan am y tro cyntaf erioed,<br />
roedd yn golygu y byddem yn cynrychioli Cymru yn<br />
rowndiau terfynol CPL Prydain yn Scarborough ac<br />
yn cynrychioli’r CPL yng nghystadleuaeth Cymru.<br />
Gyda’r gwynt yn ein hwyliau, aeth Steve ein capten<br />
i weld rheolwr y gwaith golosg a dweud wrtho fod gan<br />
yr holl dimau eraill eu siacedi blaser a’u bathodynnau<br />
arbennig eu hunain. O roi pwysau ar y bosus,<br />
llwyddwyd i gael bathodyn i’r tîm, ond bu’n rhaid i deis<br />
y cwmni wneud y tro. Fodd bynnag, daeth y rheolwr<br />
gyda ni i siop deiliwr Burton’s a threfnu i bawb gael<br />
siacedi blaser. Er na wnaethom ennill yr un o’r ddwy<br />
gystadleuaeth, fe wnaethom waith da a chwrdd â llu o<br />
ffrindiau newydd. Ymunais â’r gwaith Phurnacite yn<br />
Aberaman wedyn, a chymryd rhan mewn<br />
cystadlaethau CPL a chymorth cyntaf agored yno.<br />
Gwaith Golosg Nantgarw – enillwyr cystadleuaeth<br />
cymorth cyntaf, Ardal y De, Robert Watts gyda’r tlws.<br />
Yn ystod streic 1984/85, es ar orymdaith yn<br />
Mansfield. Dechreuodd pethau’n iawn, ond<br />
digwyddodd rhywbeth ar ôl hynny ac anfonwyd heddlu<br />
ar geffylau ar ein holau. Collais barch tuag at yr heddlu<br />
wedyn – roedd hi’n flwyddyn anodd iawn, ac mae’r<br />
creithiau meddyliol yma o hyd. Ar ôl y streic, aethom i<br />
Nottingham lle arhosodd y gweithfeydd ar agor i raddau<br />
helaeth gydol y streic, gan wisgo ein bathodynnau<br />
‘Nottingham Coke Works – Scab Free’ gyda balchder.<br />
Parhaodd hanes y bathodyn a’r tei ar ôl i’r gwaith<br />
Phurnacite gau, ac fe es i weithio i’r Weinyddiaeth<br />
Amddiffyn yn RAF Sain Tathan. Des i’n aelod o’r tîm<br />
cymorth cyntaf cyn hir, a helpu’r hyfforddwr i gyflwyno<br />
rhai o’r technegau a ddysgais gyda thimau cymorth<br />
cyntaf CPL. Wrth gael tynnu’n lluniau, gwisgais fy<br />
siaced a thei CPL gan nad oedd gennyf fathodyn y<br />
Weinyddiaeth Amddiffyn – doedd cadlywydd yr orsaf<br />
yn Sain Tathan ddim yn rhyw blês iawn!<br />
Robert Watts<br />
Nantgarw Coke Ovens - South <strong>Wales</strong> Region First Aid<br />
Competition winners, Robert Watts with the trophy.<br />
Iwas born in Trefforest in 1960. I had no real<br />
connection with the mining industry although<br />
my father worked underground for seven months<br />
before being draed into the army. I started at<br />
Nantgarw Coke Works straight from school, I did<br />
mechanical engineering at Trefforest Polytechnic for<br />
a year before doing my on the job training where I<br />
got experience in just about everything. I completed<br />
my apprenticeship in 1980.<br />
I was always interested in first aid but I actually<br />
acted as a ‘dummy’ for the first aid team before<br />
joining the team properly. First aid training in the<br />
coke works (Coal Products Limited or CPL) was the<br />
same as in the <strong>National</strong> Coal Board – there are no<br />
doctors or nurses underground so miners have to<br />
help themselves initially when anybody gets hurt.<br />
Nantgarw Coke Works had never won the coveted<br />
CPL first aid competition, so when a new manager<br />
was appointed at the coke works our team captain<br />
pleaded with him to give us more time for training to<br />
give us a fairer chance. He agreed but thought that we<br />
had little chance because the Caerphilly team had<br />
won it continuously for the past four years. ey had<br />
represented <strong>Wales</strong> and the UK CPL and had even<br />
gone on to win the Grand Prior winners of the UK<br />
All Industries First Aid Competition.<br />
e day of the regional competition came and<br />
Nantgarw had a blue ribbon day. I won my individual<br />
competition and, when the marks were totalled up<br />
and to everyone’s surprise, our team had won the<br />
overall event. is not only meant that Nantgarw’s<br />
name went on the cup for the very first time but also<br />
that we would represent <strong>Wales</strong> at the <strong>National</strong> CPL<br />
finals at Scarborough and CPL at the Welsh Prior<br />
competition.<br />
With this ammunition Steve, our captain, collared<br />
the coke works manager and told him that all the<br />
other teams had team blazers and badges. By twisting<br />
the bosses arm we got our team badges but had to be<br />
satisfied with company ties. However the manager<br />
accompanied us to Burton’s tailors and fitted us all<br />
out with blazers. Unfortunately we did not win either<br />
competition but acquitted ourselves very well and<br />
made many friends. I later transferred to the<br />
Phurnacite plant in Aberamman where I competed<br />
in both CPL and open first aid competitions.<br />
We were out on strike in 1984/85 and I went on a<br />
march in Mansfield. e march went ok but<br />
something happened aerwards and mounted police<br />
were sent in against us. What happened then made<br />
me lose my respect for the police – that year was a<br />
very difficult one and I still bear the mental scars to<br />
this day. Aer the strike we went up to Nottingham<br />
which had largely worked during the strike and<br />
proudly wore our ‘Nottingham Coke Works – Scab<br />
Free’ badges.<br />
e tale of the badge and tie continued aer the<br />
Phurnacite closed and I went to work with the<br />
Ministry of Defence (MOD) in RAF St Athan. I soon<br />
became a member of the first aid team and assisted<br />
the trainer in bringing in some of the techniques I<br />
had learned in the CPL first aid teams. At the photo<br />
call I wore my CPL blazer and tie as I had no MOD<br />
insignia – the station commander at St Athan was not<br />
amused!<br />
Robert Watts<br />
50 51
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