By Elliott West
Introduction
Fred Davis may have walked in the shadow of his brother, Joe but the two players dominated snooker in the early years with Joe winning the world title fifteen times and his brother eight. However what you may not realise is that away from billiards and snooker, Fred decided to set up home in North Wales when he returned from the Second World War serving with the British Army, moving to Craig-y-Don, Llandudno. A move that undoubtedly not only inspired many of his subsequent victories but also allowed him to maintain a family life away from the highs and lows that a snooker career throws at you.
The Welsh Cwtsh
Fred and his wife Sheila decided to make this bold move in a quest to put aside the dark days of the war and to find a fresh start in the beautiful green landscape of the rolling countryside of North Wales. They bought a house on Carmen Sylva Road and aptly renamed their property ‘Snookers’, a term not only describing the game’s ultimate entrapment but also harking back to the days of snooker’s creation in India where the sport was originally named after a nickname given to British Army cadets.
In 1948, the married couple bought the Craig-y-Don Hotel, renaming it The County, a property that had only just been released by the British government as a requisition during the war years. During the Second World War, it had been the home to the Inland Revenue’s Inspectorate of Foreign and Colonial Dividends Department as the Inland Revenue had to be relocated to Llandudno to escape the bombing raids by the German airforce of London.
This hotel was a family business where family life and the day to day running of the hotel managed to reach a happy medium. In fact, Fred and his brother Joe used the hotel to stage a number of exhibition matches and the bespectacled champion always returned to Llandudno after each of his victories, arriving at the railway station, carrying his trophy with his winnings carefully tucked away. An entrance that would be met a large throng of well-wishers and an official party from Llandudno Urban District Council.
The Celtic Influence
Fred Davis remained in Wales until his death, making this land his last bolt-hole after his retirement from snooker in 1993, moving away to a farm in Stourport-On-Severn, Worcestershire before spending his last years in Denbighshire. Despite a previous heart attack, failing eyesight and chronic arthritis in his left knee, Fred never lost that magical twinkle in his eye and the desire to entertain others. Perhaps the Welsh air helped his cause but it was definitely a place where he could be Fred Davis the person and not the snooker player and this Welsh backdrop permitted him to be a father and husband.
The County Hotel still stands today and is a fitting tribute to this former snooker great. Situated on the seafront, it still retains much of the architecture of those pre and post-war years, including a bar area with wood and brass fittings and pint glasses that are suspended from above the beer pumps. I wouldn’t be surprised if the spirits of Fred and his wife Sheila remain here and you could just imagine walking into this bar and Fred pulling you a pint of bitter. Llandudno is still remembered for its snooker heritage and a place where the Grand Prix has been staged. A town where the weather can be inclement and bracing, especially from the surf of the sea spray but never loses the memories of Fred Davis and the warm embrace that this seaside town has always provided.
