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Home » Contributors » Porthcawl Museum

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  • An example of a 19th century sampler, embroidered by Mary Elizabeth Bendle, who was aged 11 when she completed it. The text reads; 'Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth he in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Mary Elizabeth Bendle, Aged 11, Velindre Board School, 1828.'
19th century sampler, made by Mary Elizabeth Bendle, aged 11, of the Velindre Board School, near Bridgend, 1828
  • This fairly simple sampler shows alphabets, in lower and upper case, and numbers, in a variety of stitches. The first alphabet repeats certain letters, perhaps indicating that this was a practice piece.
19th century sampler, made by Eliza Walker, Porthcawl, 1817
  • At 3.45pm, on Wednesday, 23 April 1947, two boys reported to the Porthcawl coastguard that there was a ship aground in Rest Bay. On investigation, the ship, called Samtampa, proved not to be aground, but stationary, and in a bad position. Although showing no distress signals initially, the Mumbles lifeboat was sent for, as the weather was windy and there are low-lying rocks near the coast at Porthcawl. Samtampa reported her starboard anchor missing at 4.55pm, and at 5.05pm she fired a maroon, before travelling along the coast for a mile or so and running aground on rocks off Sker Point. The weather was increasingly rough, and the Coastguard Rescue Company arrived on the scene to mount a rescue from the beach, attempting to fire rockets with ropes attached onto the deck of the stricken ship. Driven back again and again by the heavy seas, they had to wait till the tide turned to get anywhere near the Samtampa, and all the while she was being broken against the rocks by the wind and waves. All 39 crew members aboard the Samtampa were lost, but this was not the end of the tragedy. The Mumbles lifeboat, 'Edward Prince of Wales' had been launched, heading for the last known position of the Samtampa. The Mumbles Coastguard received her exact position following the launch, and attempted to convey this information by lamp to the lifeboat. Unable to read it due to the horrendous conditions, the lifeboat returned to the slipway to confirm Samtampa's position, before heading out again into the face of the storm. The boat was not seen again until found upturned on the rocks near the wreck of the Samtampa; her crew of eight men drowned. A total of 47 men lost their lives.
The navigation light of the Samtampa, which foundered on the rocks at Sker Point, Porthcawl, 23 April 1947
  • A tooled leather map of northern France, showing the invasion beaches of Normandy and the path taken by the 49th Reconaissence Regiment, who acted as Montgomery's left flank in the liberation of Europe. The regiment was formed in Porthcawl in 1942 and disbanded in 1946. They regard Porthcawl as their home, and the museum holds the regimental memoribilia for safekeeping.
Tooled leather map of northern France, showing the Invasion Beaches of Normandy, made for the 49th Reconaissance Regiment, 1940s
  • Established in 1825, the Dyffryn Llynfi & Porthcawl Railway was the first horse-drawn tramway from the top of the Llynfi Valley to the Bristol Channel at Porthcawl. It was used initially for the transport of iron for export. Later, it was also used for the transport of coal to the docks for shipping.
Coat of arms of the Duffryn Llynvi and Porth Cawl Railway Company, Porthcawl, 1825
  • At 3.45pm, on Wednesday, 23 April 1947, two boys reported to the Porthcawl coastguard that there was a ship aground in Rest Bay. On investigation, the ship, called Samtampa, proved not to be aground, but stationary, and in a bad position. Although showing no distress signals initially, the Mumbles lifeboat was sent for, as the weather was windy and there are low-lying rocks near the coast at Porthcawl. Samtampa reported her starboard anchor missing at 4.55pm, and at 5.05pm she fired a maroon, before travelling along the coast for a mile or so and running aground on rocks off Sker Point. The weather was increasingly rough, and the Coastguard Rescue Company arrived on the scene to mount a rescue from the beach, attempting to fire rockets with ropes attached onto the deck of the stricken ship. Driven back again and again by the heavy seas, they had to wait till the tide turned to get anywhere near the Samtampa, and all the while she was being broken against the rocks by the wind and waves. All 39 crew members aboard the Samtampa were lost, but this was not the end of the tragedy. The Mumbles lifeboat, 'Edward Prince of Wales' had been launched, heading for the last known position of the Samtampa. The Mumbles Coastguard received her exact position following the launch, and attempted to convey this information by lamp to the lifeboat. Unable to read it due to the horrendous conditions, the lifeboat returned to the slipway to confirm Samtampa's position, before heading out again into the face of the storm. The boat was not seen again until found upturned on the rocks near the wreck of the Samtampa; her crew of eight men drowned. A total of 47 men lost their lives.
Life belt from the SS Samtampa, salvaged from the wreck, 23 April 1947