The Phantom Workman

A shadowy human form has long been reported as haunting the lonely Bwlch, moving mysteriously across the mountains stopping now and again, then resuming it's nightly walk finally stopping at a gate that led to Tylefedwen farm. Here the apparition used to point towards an area where bracken covered airway to a colliery level was, before vanishing. An article in the herald of Wales dated October 7th 1933, described one persons visit to Tylefedwen farm, "an old farmstead a pink-washed building showing definite signs of age, and partially hidden in the undergrowth…" There he met a farmboy by the name of John Nelson who it seems had been the first to see the apparition as he left the farm one evening. "I had been up at the farm and was about to go to the village. It was nearly ten o'clock and Mike Shea the farmer came to the gate. I had been taking a shortcut through a gap in the hedge when suddenly I stopped. Right in front of me, leaning against the gatepost was the ghost. It was a white or nearly white form, like a man, with his right arm outstretched. Shouted at Mike and he ran down. He saw it to, it never moved. I was a bit unnerved and shouted again. It moved towards the hedge, I threw my stick at it…. And the stick went right through it and stuck in the hedge. Mike saw it and I think he was running back to get his gun from the farm when I saw the ghost following him. I shouted foe the ghost was hot on his heels, then it suddenly vanished! We both went into the farmhouse and waited for Bill French to come home from Port Talbot." Bill French was interviewed. "What the lad had told you is the gospel truth," he said. "When I got home they told me what had happened outside and as I had never seen a ghost I was curious. We all went out together down the mountainside, went until we got past the bracken, where there stood leaning against the post was the ghost. It was white, like a curtain against a black post, yet it was a human form. I called out to it , but it did not move. I shouted again and threatened to throw a brick which I had in my hand. There was no movement and I heaved the brick in the direction of the figure. It went "plonk" against the post. The moon was shining bright and I could se well what was happening. Still the figure did not move. We moved back about twenty yards and then the figure with outstretched arm pointed to the old airway in the mountainside. We watched I silence as it moved slowly at first, and then more quickly until again it suddenly vanished. I've never believed in ghosts before," Bill French concluded, "But seeing is believing." The place where the mysterious figure was seen is high above the ruins of the old Cwmavon ironworks and there has long been speculation that the apparition may be a long forgotten worker who was killed in some colliery accident and whose body was never recovered.

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