tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31141451539199345632024-03-13T03:24:51.045-07:00Jon TregennaJon Tregennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00524427145956017474noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3114145153919934563.post-40068404824495994582013-11-01T09:15:00.006-07:002023-05-04T01:57:04.978-07:00What is the origin of the title of 'Under Milk Wood' by Dylan Thomas?<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: "trebuchet ms";"><i><u></u></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia;"> <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">by Jon Tregenna</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "garamond" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3al16kU0Igne7OQ30O4uiNaVfGjX39T8dK9MtCWa7PqBSBibgTimNzTW1ZIESEdjHYvH64STwJzT17CwpRkHMrDjyUS2RbKoFQ8BV3uBmYJSJdzcOZSHLZbnYr7y5y5N9a_MBhWB_X_ap/s1600/dylan-thomas-milkwood-road-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3al16kU0Igne7OQ30O4uiNaVfGjX39T8dK9MtCWa7PqBSBibgTimNzTW1ZIESEdjHYvH64STwJzT17CwpRkHMrDjyUS2RbKoFQ8BV3uBmYJSJdzcOZSHLZbnYr7y5y5N9a_MBhWB_X_ap/s1600/dylan-thomas-milkwood-road-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">What was the origin of the title of Thomas' most famous work, Under
Milk Wood? </span></span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Researching for</span> <span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">the </span></span><a href="http://www.laugharnelines.wales"><span><span style="background: white; color: #a64d79;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Laugharne Lines</span></span></span></a></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> website meant I've heard several theories over the years.</span> </span></span></p></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Was it a naughty reference to condoms
– the African milkwood tree being a source of latex – as referenced in </span><a href="http://www.literaturewales.org/writers-of-wales/i/131720/desc/ferris-paul/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Paul Ferris</span></span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">'
biography? </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Alternatively, recognised authority on all matters Dylan, </span><a href="http://www.swansea.ac.uk/staff/academic/artshumanities/ell/goodbyj/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Professor John Goodby</span></span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">, suggested a more overtly sexual meaning: that, <i><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">''</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">milk' is from the
breast</span>, <span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">'wood' is slang for an erection'</span></span></span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">.</span></i> </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><i>[However, the Dictionary of
American Slang dates that particular euphemism to the US prison
system in the 1980s.]</i> </span></span></p></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.literaturewales.org/writers-of-wales/?s_n=David+N+Thomas&sg_0=true" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">David N. Thomas</span></span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> wrote
about the variety of farms, homes and hamlets in the Newquay area, where Dylan
spent some time, with Welsh names like Nant-y-Caws (Cheese Brook), Llwyn Gwyn
(White Grove), Dan-yr-Allt (Under The Wood), Wernllaeth (Milk Alder Grove) and
Wenallt (White Wood), not forgetting that Dylan's mother's background was in
dairy farming. And on this 'milky' theme, people in Laugharne speak of a</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> copse of trees over-looking the township that was once owned by Dylan's milkman – <i>Dickie Milk's Wood...</i></span></span></span></span></p></div>
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Or was the name quite simply the welding together of two existing
words by a dazzling wordsmith who rejoiced in such things, e.g. <i>'bibleblack',
'seathumbed', 'mansouled'...</i>?</span> </span><span><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">In 2014 I wrote the BBC ebook, </span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2Cvb9Hg60d2Rttx0CLtdNTN/dylan-thomas-the-road-to-milk-wood" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><i>'Dylan Thomas:
The Road To Milk Wood'</i></span></span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">, and I also managed
Dylan Thomas' favourite drinking haunt, </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.browns-hotel.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; color: #a64d79;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Brown's Hotel</span></span></a></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">, in Laugharne in 2014. I was often asked about the play title's
source and my answer was usually the optimistic, but ultimately unhelpful,
<i>'I think he made it up.'</i> But then I had a chance conversation with art
collector and author, </span><a href="http://www.56groupwales.com/index.php" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Barrie Maskell</span></span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">. We
started investigating and heard about an interesting place name. This was
followed by the discovery of an intriguing anecdote. Finally Barrie produced a
fascinating letter...</span> </span></span></p></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><u1:p style="font-family: georgia;"></u1:p></span>
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">The place in question is Milkwood Road, Herne Hill</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">, </span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">London SE24</span>. </span><span><a href="http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/milkwood-road-brixton.302318/"><span style="color: #a64d79; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Records</span></span></a></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> </span>state that:</span> </span></span></p></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><i>'Milkwood Road was built and named as such in the late 1800s by The
Suburban Village and General Dwellings</i> <i>Company. Named from 'Mylkewell woodde'
in 1540, which was the name of the old manor of 'MiIkeweile' which means
'spring or stream with milk-coloured (probably chalky) water', from Old
English.'</i></span></span></p></div>
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">A further </span></span><span><a href="http://www.hernehillsociety.org.uk/index.php/news_articles/view/19th_century"><span style="background: white; color: #a64d79;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">search</span></span></a></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> </span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">revealed that:</span></span></span></p></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span>'In 1868 development of Railton, Poplar, Milkwood, Lowden and Heron
Roads began.</span>'</span></span><span><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">The anecdote is from a piece in the March 1959 edition of </span><a href="http://welshjournals.llgc.org.uk/browse/viewpage/llgc-id:1214989/llgc-id:1217794/llgc-id:1217795/get650"><span style="background: white; color: #a64d79;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Wales: The National Monthly Magazine of
Literature, The Arts and Welsh Affairs</span></span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">, which was published at 19
Great Newport St, London WC2. This magazine was </span><a href="http://welshjournals.llgc.org.uk/browse/viewpage/llgc-id:1214989/llgc-id:1217794/llgc-id:1217801/get650"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">edited</span></span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> by Welsh literary journalist, editor
and poet Keidrych Rhys, and is now in the possession of the National Library of
Wales in Aberystwyth. Entitled, <i>'A Welshman’s Influence on the new St Clement
Danes'</i>, the </span><a href="http://welshjournals.llgc.org.uk/browse/viewpage/llgc-id:1214989/llgc-id:1217794/llgc-id:1217827/get650"><span style="background: white; color: #a64d79;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">article</span></span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> featured a Mr Evan
Samuel, modeller and sculptor, who was born on Gower in 1884 and served his
apprenticeship in Llanelli. After WW2 he was commissioned to model the main
parts – the ceilings, the Royal Coat of Arms, the cherubs, parts of the Chancel
– of St Clement Danes Church (of 'Oranges and Lemons' fame) in the Strand which
had been extensively damaged in May 1941 by an enemy fire-bomb. The writer,
A.F. Churchward-Tinsley, met Samuel who he described as a <i>'wideawake septuagenarian'</i>,
who <i>'loved to reminisce'</i>, at his home in Tulse Hill, London. Samuel was a keen
member of the </span><a href="http://www.londonwelsh.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">London Welsh</span></span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> organisation and had played rugby
for them. The club, now based back in Richmond after a 3 year residency in Oxford, was based at Herne Hill Track
between 1919 and 1957. Churchward-Tinsley writes:</span> </span></p></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><i>'Samuel's innumerable friends included the late Dylan Thomas whom he
knew well. ‘Dylan used to come to watch the London Welsh games,' he recalled,
'And when, after the match, the teams would gather, as rugger clubs do, for a
few pints at the old Half Moon Hotel at Herne Hill, Dylan would be there adding
lustre to the gathering. He was a great conversationalist.'</i></span></span></p></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">The </span><a href="http://www.thehalfmoonpublichouse.co.uk/"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Half Moon Hotel</span></span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> is still there.
Immediately across the road is the start of the B222, or... Milkwood Road. We can
put Dylan in close proximity to the street name, but is that enough? Probably
not. I put the findings I had to date on the facebook pages of Brown's Hotel, </span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">to see if there was any response...</span></span></p></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><u2:p></u2:p><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span>Then came the final piece of the jigsaw.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Barrie Maskell is a keen art collector and has written a book on his
collection. Entitled <span style="background: white;">'</span></span><a href="http://www.56groupwales.com/book.php" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; color: #a64d79;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">TWELVE/56: 12 artists in 1956 Wales and beyon</span></span></a><span style="background: white; color: #a64d79;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">d</span></span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="background: white;">'</span>, it features works by all twelve founder
members of the Welsh art group '56 Group Wales.' The book is published by the
University of Glamorgan and was launched at the Treforest campus on the 11th
December 2012, the 56th anniversary of the group. There was also an
accompanying exhibition of 56 works of art. </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> </span></o:p></span></p></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">In 2012 the last surviving member of the 56 Group Wales was the painter, </span><a href="http://www.watercolourwales.co.uk/michael-edmonds/"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Michael Edmonds</span></span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">, a fellow of the Royal Society
of the Arts who exhibited at the Royal Academy. After leaving the
Department of Architecture and Civic Design of the GLC in 1984, Mr Edmonds, who
was born in 1926, retired to Montgomeryshire. Mr Edmonds told Barrie of his own
Dylan-related memory which he subsequently wrote down in a letter now
in Barrie’s possession. I met Mr Edmonds at the 56 Group Wales
exhibition and he confirmed the tale. (Sadly, Michael
Edmonds died on the 30th March 2014.) Barrie saw my posts on
Facebook and we subsequently met. The Michael Edmonds letter, dated September
2009, puts Dylan not just in the vicinity of Milkwood Road, but actually in the
street itself. Edmonds wrote: </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> </span></o:p></span></p></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"><i>'In the 1950s I lived in Penarth and worked in Cardiff as an architect.
Visiting the National Museum, I recall being impressed by the Portrait of Dylan
Thomas by Alfred Janes. Later when we were setting up the 56 Group I got to
know George Fairley, visiting him once at Caswell Bay. Much later, living in
Kent, George got in touch and offered me a job at the Croydon College of Art. He
also told me that Alfred Janes was now living in Dulwich and I called on him
there. Alfred told me that for a time he and Dylan shared a house in London. It
transpired that this house was in Milkwood Road and one can surmise that its
name was immortalised.'</i></span> </span></p></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; line-height: 115%;"><span><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4719188/Alchemist-in-the-tramps-nest.html"><span style="color: #a64d79; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Alfred 'Fred' Janes</span></span></a></span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"> was one of Dylan’s closest friends and had known him since the
Kardomah Café days in Swansea. It is well-known that they roomed together in
1934 in Redcliffe St, London SW10 but until now there has been no record of t</span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">he
Milkwood Road address. However, newcomers to London are often itinerant due to
a combination of poverty and opportunity and there are gaps in Dylan’s
chronology, especially between August 1933 when he first went to London at the
age of 18, and April 1936 when he met his future wife, Caitlin Macnamara.</span></span></span></span></p></div>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; line-height: 115%;">
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</span></span></p>
<div style="line-height: 18pt; margin: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><p>
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; line-height: 115%;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Hungry for more information, biographers, researchers and fans regularly
sought interviews with Fred Janes over the decades since Dylan died. Why had
Janes never seemingly mentioned this crucial detail to anyone else? Well,
according to </span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif""><a href="http://www.dylans.com/the-dylan-thomas-guy/"><span style="color: #a64d79; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">'The Dylan Guy'</span></a></span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">,
Jeff Towns, Fred Janes was not a man who bragged about his friendship with
Dylan. He was a self-contained individual who lived for the present and the
future; a man whose main motivation was the evolution of his own artistic
technique and not a man to dwell on the past. Indeed Mr Towns once asked
Janes if he would draw him a sketch of Dylan from memory which Janes politely
refused. Maybe Fred Janes didn’t offer up the 'Milkwood' titbit because he was
never asked the question? </span></span></span></span></span></span></p></div>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; line-height: 115%;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p>
<div style="line-height: 18pt; margin: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><p>
</p></div>
<div style="line-height: 18pt; margin: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><p>
<span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; line-height: 115%;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span>
</span></span></span></span></span></span></p></div>
<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; line-height: 115%;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Before we conclude, Andrew Dally of </span><a href="http://www.dylanthomasnews.com"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif""><span style="color: #a64d79; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">www.d</span><span style="color: #a64d79; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">ylanthomasnews</span></span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"" style="color: #a64d79; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">.com</span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> pointed out that John Malcolm Brinnin, Dylan's US 'agent',
recorded a pertinent incident in his book, <i>'Dylan Thomas In America'</i>.
Brinnin writes:</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; line-height: 115%;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; line-height: 115%;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><i>
</i></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia; line-height: 115%;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"" style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><i>'En route to Waterloo Station I recapitulated to Dylan my sense of the
plans we had touched upon during the bus ride... When I suggested that
perhaps he might find a better title than 'Llareggub Hill' for his play for
voices, he agreed at once. The joke in the present title was a small and
childish one, he felt; beyond that, the word Llareggub would be too thick and
forbidding to attract American audiences. 'What about Under Milk Wood?' he
said, and I said 'Fine,' and the new work was christened on the spot.'</i> </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small; line-height: 115%;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">
</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p>
<div style="line-height: 18pt; margin: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><p><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">The bus was journeying from El Vino in Fleet St south across the river to
Waterloo Station. Maybe Dylan had his old South London address in
mind...</span> </span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p></div>
<p><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p>
<div style="line-height: 18pt; margin: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><p>
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Whilst the source material for Under Milk Wood will always be Dylan’s
witty, poetic and satirical observations of the lives and loves of west Wales
seaside townspeople, largely inspired by his time in Newquay and the stories and gossip he heard in
Brown's Hotel in Laugharne – and the inspiration for the <i>'milk wood'</i> itself no
doubt the leafy luscious south west Walian hills – might the title not have come from
Dylan’s memory of his youthful carefree days in a south-east London suburban
street?</span> </span><span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p></div>
<p><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;">
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></span></p>
<div style="line-height: 18pt; margin: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><p>
<span style="font-family: georgia; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">We can never know for sure, but this theory does carry a certain weight,
backed up as it is by some big hitters from the world of Welsh culture, especially
when compared to some of the gossamer light theories about milky pastures and
contraception that have gone before. And until a better theory comes along,
it’s Under Milk Wood SE24 for me.</span> </span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8XK7VXA5SMIRKt6iB7gR2TjHzVLrlZvrXSSny5ddSqpfHE-RRzuWDxXXb4X_Fb-ckAOQVuVWnc4VggBbWVhD5jV3HzZr63oB5YCDM3EAqjuOwCCf7-j2DNVVsY7Wn0HFlrGp_wVj0B4h/s1600/Milkwood+Road.JPG" style="font-family: georgia; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi8XK7VXA5SMIRKt6iB7gR2TjHzVLrlZvrXSSny5ddSqpfHE-RRzuWDxXXb4X_Fb-ckAOQVuVWnc4VggBbWVhD5jV3HzZr63oB5YCDM3EAqjuOwCCf7-j2DNVVsY7Wn0HFlrGp_wVj0B4h/s1600/Milkwood+Road.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: georgia; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><p>
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Milkwood Road
SE24 with the</span> <span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">Half Moon pub in the background.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">
</span></span></p></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><p>
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;"><span>***</span><span><o:p></o:p></span> </span></p></div>
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<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif">
</span>
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</span>
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></p>
<div style="line-height: 18pt; margin: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><p>
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">In early
November 2014 cartoonist Gary Dexter emailed to see whether he could
use this blog as a basis for one of his </span><a href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/books/books-title-stories/9366232/title-stories-under-milk-wood-by-dylan-thomas/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">'Title Stories'</span></span></a><span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif"><span style="font-size: small;">
cartoons. It was published in The Spectator on the 12th of November
2014.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2vG89YvV2cKlrS7YCVmteftXCDQJi16Bk-DHfIvYgjfzstpowADw2qBvdaQXBhj5AsEHxLFpNF9pis8vVeXz6Mb1_jFF5M-CWwdxbHfWG55hmzUBkDu6mZtAK9e1G42lSHfPp8rpt65X/s1600/Capture.JPG" style="font-family: georgia; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2vG89YvV2cKlrS7YCVmteftXCDQJi16Bk-DHfIvYgjfzstpowADw2qBvdaQXBhj5AsEHxLFpNF9pis8vVeXz6Mb1_jFF5M-CWwdxbHfWG55hmzUBkDu6mZtAK9e1G42lSHfPp8rpt65X/w599-h251/Capture.JPG" width="599" /></a></div>
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;">This article has also been referenced here:</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span>
<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="http://www.brixtonbuzz.com/2014/10/dylan-thomas-under-milk-wood-and-the-south-london-connection/">Brixton Buzz</a> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
</span></div>
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<span face=""trebuchet ms" , sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia; line-height: 115%;">Copyright Jon Tregenna
& Barrie Maskell 2013</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia;">(Updated May 2023)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia; line-height: 115%;"><o:p><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span> </span></span></o:p></span>Jon Tregennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00524427145956017474noreply@blogger.com5Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, UK51.769203 -4.464251999999987751.6905885 -4.6256134999999876 51.8478175 -4.3028904999999877