We've been doing some research on Norman's death, and this is what we've found so far....

Fron Wen was a terraced house in Tanygrisiau. He was found dead on the path/steps leading to the house. The path went up from the main road through an underpass under the Festiniog Railway then up some steps to the house, the ruins of which are still there:

His daughter Norma used to work at the local clothing manufactory. She married Adrian from Penmaenmawr who was working on the building of the Trawsfynydd Nuclear Power Station and they went to the Bahamas in 1974. Norma's mother's name was Anne Evans. They also lived at Fron Haul lower down on the main road. These houses have now been rebuilt at Llanberis Slate Museum (Norma's is 2nd from the right):

Norma has been in touch with us recently, and this is what she related regarding the accident:

"I was 15 years old when my dad died, I remember it very well.

My mother woke me up on the Sunday morning crying, she told me that my Dad had fallen and had died, it was a big shock especially for my Mum, as the Saturday night he had left the Pub at 10 o'clock walked home with his friend Tony.

Tony left him at the bottom of the hill, then my Dad had to walk up and through a little tunnel, that is under the little Ffestiniog railway that used to pass in front of our house every day. The weather was really bad, high winds and torrential rains. He made it nearly to the front door, but lost his balance, grabbed hold of the washing line pole, it snapped and then he fell over a little wall we had in front of the house. It was quite a drop, and he landed on a spiky rock that went through the back of his neck.

My mother went out looking for him at 11 o'clock, passed him on the way down, not knowing he was lying to the side. She walked all the way to the pub. They said that he had left at 10 o'clock with Tony, so she goes back down to Tony's house, woke him up and he said that he left my dad at the bottom of the hill, so on the way back as she was going under this tunnel, she shone a flashlight to the side, and that's when she found him.

His watch I think had stopped on10.20. I believe he had been drinking a lot, and that's why he lost his balance, and of course the wind etc didn't help."