THIS week's flashbacks include memories of thrilling police raids, and surprise taxi passengers, but, before we get overexcited, first of all, here's some feedback to share.

Last week's TRM photo, of a Wards Yard works gang in the 1950s, prompted Graham Charles, from Neyland, to give me a call, because, in the snap, centre of the back row, he'd recognised his dad Arthur, who, at the time, was a burner with Wards.

He was also one of Neyland's famous ‘Charles Twins,’ who'd gone through the Second World War, and later played rugby for the town.

Cheers Graham...Carole says that her own dad, Billy Hooper, is also in that photo, before he went to work at the RNAD...and, apparently, he was also a good friend of your dad.

Now let's get down to this week's business.

I've been talking to Milford's Eddie Setterfield about his late father's private car hire business, one which I know will be so well remembered all around the county, and, with a brief resume of its beginnings, here are some of Eddie's recollections.

"My father started his business in the early 1940s, after having applied to the local council for a licence to work when he had come off his night shift as a GPO telephonist.

“He'd been trained by the GPO in Chester, along with fellow Milford Haven man, Abby Costello, owner of the sweet shop and coffee bar next to the Astoria, in Charles Street.

“Having decided to start his new business as a private car hire during his time off, dad bought an Austin 16, a black, large car, that could take four passengers.

“He never imagined it would be the start of something very big.

“As the local Pembrokeshire police at Milford never had a car, they would ring my dad to take them anywhere they needed to go as police officers.

“This proved to be very interesting.

“At this time, there was a club, then called 'The Atlantic Club', which was situated in the old South Hook Fort. It was first used after the First World War, but stopped during WW2, so the Navy could use the fort to run the port of Milford as a starting point for the Atlantic route to Russia for the convoys that started here at the Haven via Liverpool.

“The Royal Naval Wrens were also based at South Hook Fort during WW2.

“After the war ended, the Atlantic Club was allowed to move back into the fort, and people came from all over England to spend holidays at the club.

“There was, at that time, a ban on drinking alcohol on a Sunday. The police suspected that the Atlantic Club were selling alcohol to their patrons, and sometimes they would call on my dad to drive them to the club on a raid!

“To do this, they had to drive along the coast road, from Gellyswick to South Hook, with three policemen in the back seat, and the Sergeant sitting in the front bucket seat, with one other policeman, who would be standing on the running board, holding on to the top of the Sergeant's door's open window!

“As they got within sight of the Fort Road, the policeman on the running board jumped off and opened the gate, for my father to drive up to the fort.

“At the top of the fort, facing the roadway, was a man sitting in a deckchair, whose ‘job’ it was to look out for any car driving through the gateway...then he'd shout a warning to the people at the bar that... ‘The police are coming!’

“The club members pulled up the fort's drawbridge before my father could drive to the entrance. The police got out of the car, and began throwing stones from the roadway to the drawbridge, shouting for them to ‘open the club in the name of the law!’

“The members then lowered the drawbridge, to let the police drive into the fort.

“Of course...there was no one drinking alcohol...so the club wasn't fined...until, at a later date, that is, when someone joined the Atlantic Club, and gave evidence to the local magistrate…Then the police caught the club for selling alcohol on a Sunday.

“It was shortly after that the club closed.

“I started working in dad's car hire business in 1960, and, although I never had to do anything like dad's police raid, I did get some very interesting people to drive round the county. We had most of the jobs taking their top people around Pembroke Power Station on site visits, and one day, they called wanting to book four of our cars, with me to lead the head car. I asked them who I'd be driving, joking… ’Who's coming, the Queen?’

“They replied, ‘No…her sister, Princess Margaret.’

“When the day in question arrived, at the Power Station, I gave the four cars an extra chamoising...the Princess duly arrived in her royal car, and was escorted inside the office building, to meet the managers. I was told to stay in my car, and not get out to open her door, as this was done by the Power Station people.

“I was also warned not to say anything to Her Royal Highness.

“When she got into my car, she immediately said, ‘Good morning, driver’...and I couldn't stop myself from replying…’Good morning your Royal Highness..and welcome to Pembrokeshire!’

“Then her bodyguard climbed into the car, and sat alongside me. This didn't disturb me at all...until his jacket opened... and his revolver fell forward!

“I'd never even considered someone trying to shoot at the Queen's sister...but that thought was top of my mind, as I drove them around the large Power Station site. It was a very great honour to be chosen to be her driver that day, and I will never forget it."

I'm grateful to Eddie for his recollections, and for his Royal photo...I've also included a snap of that infamous Atlantic Club.

Now for our teasers.

Last week's was a tricky words one. If you took the first letter and put it at the end of each word...it then read the same backwards.

Those who cleared it up were…Phil Jones, Les Haynes, Joyce and John Leyton, Anne and Jets Llewellyn, and Roger Max.

Many thanks to all who had a go. Here's another for you.

Guess the next three letters in the series. G T N T L..? ? ?

That's yet another of our tete-a-tetes done and dusted, hopefully I'll share coffee and biscuits with you again next week, but, before I step out into the November air, here's a thought for you... Always remember…a day without a smile is like a day without sunshine.

Ta ra.