The True Story of a Welsh Godfather
Episode 2
Most readers like to read short pieces with some photos. So, this piece on a Welsh mafia godfather is published on Medium.com as well as on my website, www.MattOwendsRees.com
For some professional photos on Thai traditions and people culture, I strongly recommend looking at https://www.LodeEngelen.be
The images often support the articles on my own website.
I’d love to hear your comments on this story of the Welsh mafia godfather in the course of our reading journey together.
I mentioned secrecy in the J.O.Williams family. And it persists to this very day in Wales. The word used by the mafia is Omertà, the term describing the Southern Italian code of honour and code of silence. It places importance on silence and non-cooperation in the face of questioning by authorities, law enforcement officers and outsiders.
Officials in both the U.K. and Newfoundland were turning blind eyes to J.O.’s activities. They did not want to rock the boat. They did not want to draw attention to the complicity of their own governments.
I suspect that the Welsh Godfather often reminded them how much they themselves were gaining from his activities. He would have reminded them of their own involvement in his business dealings. He was out-smarting them at every juncture.
What set the Godfather apart from others was that he countered the criticisms being made against him at the time by playing them at their own game. And he played by his rules when he found current laws were not in the family’s interests.
There was never any direct retaliation. People did not “push” J.O.Williams. He was very much his own man, rarely if ever swayed by the wishes of others. He was respected and, in that sense, feared. There was an aura about him which stopped any suggestion of questioning his judgment.
We can see how J.O. manipulated politicians in the UK and Newfoundland. He sought friends and influential contacts and avoided making enemies whenever he could. This mafia Godfather wanted people on his side. We see how politicians had difficulty in dealing with or controlling him. They claimed the cover-ups were in the public interest. But, was it not also in their interests to construct a cover-up?
J.O. Williams had a sharp business-like and analytical mind. He had a gift for clear thinking. He did things his way. He did not suffer fools gladly. He outclassed most people with whom he came into contact.
It was only much later that I pieced together enough facts from my childhood contact with the family that I realised that this was a traditional mafia family. They were not considered gangsters or criminals. They just operated and lived their lives in a different way from the rest of us.
But what of the “uncle” who worked with J.O. in his company operations in Wales, and lived in the family residence, The Cottage, Ogmore-by-Sea. Always referred to as “Uncle John” by childhood friend, John Illsley, and myself. I have no photos of him, but he bears a striking resemblance to Eric Williams, the Godfather’s dead son.
Remember, I spent all my primary school years in Wales, in close contact with this family.
If ever there was a misnomer for a house, it is for “The Cottage”. It was the largest house in Ogmore-by-Sea. J.O. and Uncle John had the entire upper floor while J.O.’s daughter, Doreen, and her husband, “Lofty” Illsley, lived on the ground floor of the house. Her lifelong friend was Bunty James but I never met her.
The house has not altered much since the time I knew it. The garage doors have been changed and the gate is new. The gardens have more lawn areas now than previously. The beautiful shrubberies and flower beds have gone.
The Godfather’s only daughter.
Doreen’s full name was Katie Doreen Illsley (née Williams). Born in 1910 and died in 1996 aged 86. Johnny would have been about 47 years old when she died. It was probably only then that he had access to family correspondence and photos.
If you google the address, The Cottage, Ogmore-by-Sea, you will see a rear view of the house from the main road. The house was much larger than it appears. In the 1960s there were uninterrupted views from the front of the house, over their extensive gardens and land, to the Bristol Channel.
The land between the house and the coast was owned by the Godfather but rented out to a local farmer. However, they retained right of access. The Godfather’s son-in-law, “Lofty” Illsley installed a small changing facility near the boundary wall for their use when they wanted to bathe in the sea.
They would drive down from the house quite often in the summer months. It was too far to walk. We would then cross the wall and within two minutes Johnny and I would be playing on the sand or bathing.
The Godfather did allow one house, but only one, to be built on his land before most of it was sold off, much later, to build an extensive housing development, (Marine Walk, Marine Drive etc.).
It was the house of “Boss” Williams, the local headmaster (and not a relative). It was set well back from the Godfather’s residence. At the same time, Johnny Illsley was moved up a class.
Some Moments I Can Remember
Johnny and I being taken to a local rugby game by his grand-dad. While the Godfather parked his Armstrong Siddeley car, we dutifully queued up for tickets to the field. He called us over and bypassed the queue. Johnny’s granddad just said “J.O.Williams, J.O.Williams” as we all walked through the turnstiles unchallenged.
After watching the game in the directors’ box, we all went into the teams’ dining area for lunch. Johnny and I noticed that the usually rude and loud joking and banter from the players was absent. They were all aware that they were in the presence of the Godfather.
