By Elliott West
Introduction
There has been a burning question that has been me throughout my life and that is whether I am a relative of the former professional snooker player and six times World Champion, Ray Reardon? You may ask why I would pose such a question? I will tell you, my maternal Grandfather was John Reardon. Born in Ebbw Vale, South Wales in 1910 and one of a large family, his father John and wife Anne lived in the heart of the Welsh community. My Great Grandfather worked in the Ebbw Vale Steel Works for a number of years before an accident there caused him to lose a leg.
A Mystery
An Irish migrant family-like Ray’s, the Reardons were originally from Macroom in Cork and flocked to Wales to find work in the then-thriving industrial Welsh communities. Their Cork roots never left, engrained in their physical appearance with jet black hair and thick eyebrows. During the First World War, my Reardon relations moved to Middlesbrough and some of my Grandfather’s brothers and sisters were born there, moving back to Wales after the war.
My Grandfather, John Reardon went on to become a Sergeant-Major in the Royal Artillery, fighting the Japanese in Burma during the Second World War and then worked as a brewer’s racker at Friary Meux at their brewery for 25 years near where he lived in South London. In later years and when I knew him as a child, he worked for the National Trust at Petworth House in West Sussex, living in a lodge on the edge of Petworth Park.
The Reardons were highly talented. My relations could dance and play snooker. My Grandfather could turn his hand to most things, being able to sketch, write poetry and songs, upholster and mend clocks. He was the grandparent every grandson wanted. I adored spending time with him and he became a crucial role model in my life, sadly passing away when I was only 14 in 1986. He always said to me, ‘enjoy every day of your life because it is precious’ and how right he was. In today’s society, people are too wrapped up in their problems and don’t realise how short life really is. Maybe an idyllic statement but one that could maybe steer you clear of the trivialities of life.
I still have several cassettes of my Grandfather speaking and he never lost that distinct Welsh accent. We both loved other dearly and he used to sing ‘Grandaddy’s Boy’ to me when I was a baby. A true gentleman who made so many friends in life, so much so that at his wake, the event went on for hours and hours.
The similarities between John and Ray are definitely there. Both are from the same area of Wales, Ebbw Vale and Tredegar. They even look similar and although Ray was from another generation and younger, there may be a connection. Even if there isn’t, I can still say with pride that I have the Reardon surname in my family but as yet I have drawn a blank when trying to research the two family trees and I am unable to access some of Ray’s relatives. Perhaps someone who reads this piece could help find out once and for all and put this burning question to rest?
