CHECK out this lot. It’s not a group of authentically dressed vintage vehicle enthusiasts heading to May Bank Holiday’s Steam Rally at Abergavenny’s Bailey Park.

It’s the real deal!

They’re pictured way back in 1930 when the old steam rollers had a proper function rather than simply serving to remind people of how well we used to make things.

Drum roll, please!

The gents in the photo, standing left to right are Mr. Tomplins, unknown, Mr. Bowers (foreman), Alf Reid (driver’s mate), George Weaver (blacksmith and steam roller driver), Edgar Hobbs, unknown, and Charlie Turner, later a well known face at Abergavenny slaughter house.

They all once worked for Abergavenny Borough Council, making and maintaining the roads.

These boys and their steamer were responsible for laying out a lot of the town’s roads, particularly Pen-y-Fal road, Park Crescent, Park Avenue, the Blorenge, and Skirrid Roads, which prior to the 1920s were mainly allotments and open fields.

It’s hard to imagine how that little patch of Abergavenny once used to look, isn’t it, before the steam roller boys moved into to transform the town.

We’ve got a lot to thank them for!

The driver George Weaver, who was also a blacksmith for the council, died in 1937. His replacement was one Mr. Irving Bennet.

Because he was only a teenager, Bennet drove the roller illegally for two years (he should have been 21), until the army called on his service at the outbreak of the Second World War.

Bennet would later recall several close shaves in the roller. One in particular involved it sliding back down the hill and skidding around when he was attempting to navigate the steep lane heading towards Llwyndu Reservoir.

Afraid it might tip and turn over, he jumped onto an overhead tree and hung to the branches until thankfully the engine came to a stop without upending itself.

He made another attempt when the coast was clear and this time got lucky.

The steam roller was a 10-ton 7 cwt Aveling and Porter and used to be housed in the blacksmith’s shop in Abergavenny’s Cattle Market.

So now you know.