Just across the Marina bridge is another statue, that of Captain Cat, a major character in Under Milk Wood, the play for words written by Dylan Thomas and one of the vivid memories I have in the days of Radio. I still enjoy listening to many programmes on radio and in particular the drama. You can use your imagination rather than depend on what you see when you watch TV. I can clearly remember listening to Under Milk Wood. The year must have been 1954 and the first recording presented by the BBC with Richard Burton and I think I may have listened on a crystal set using a pair of ex-RAF headphones.
Crystal sets were a way of listening privately and I'd listen in bed. Radio Luxemburg was popular. The sets were often sold as kits for self assembly and I think mine was in a small cigar box. Meanwhile the family listened in the drawing room to such programmes as Tony Hancock, Dick Barton, Ray's Laugh and many others. Whilst we now sit around the TV we used to have the radio on doing other things. Here is a photo of a crystal set from the early fifties. Now we have a single device that;s a phone, TV, radio and much more
Just to remind you, Captain Cat is the old blind sea captain who dreams of his deceased shipmates and lost lover Rosie Probert. He is one of the play's most important characters, as he often acts as a narrator. He observes and comments on the goings-on in the village from his window.
