The biography of Mary Bott MBE
Mary Bott MBE (1924-2022)
Mary’s Early Life
Mary Bott (née Evans) was born on 16th October 1924 in Dulwich, London.
Her parents had moved to London and set up a dairy business after meeting in Tregaron. The family were first language Welsh speakers and Mary didn’t speak any English until she went to school in Dulwich. Mary’s memories of London include playing a marbles game called “nickems and spanems” in the gutter!
The family attended Jewin Chapel which is the oldest Welsh chapel in London situated in the area of Clerkenwell.Mary won a scholarship to attend Brondesbury Grammar School – one of only a handful of pupils from her primary school to achieve that!
Mary had a brother called David, they both spent much of their childhood living with their Auntie Anne who was affectionately known as Nan-Nan and was from Bryncrug near Towyn. She came to live with Mary and David in London to help look after them but when the war started in 1939 Nan Nan took Mary back to Towyn to live with her and to complete her secondary education at the local school, while David went to stay with relatives in Tregaron.
Mary’s Life in the 1940’s
In 1940 at the age of sixteen Mary left school and worked as a Clerk at The Welsh Board of Health in Cardiff. At the weekend Mary would go to the cinema to see Charlie Chaplin films.
Just before D-Day in 1944 when Mary was 19 years old she was called up to join the Land Army and initially was sent to a farm near Llangeitho and then moved to a farm in Llanarth which had 30 milking cows. This is where she learned how to use a milking machine and how to make hay. The Women’s Land Army then sent her to work on farms in Tresaith, Rhydlewis and Penparcau near Aberystwyth. The days on the farm would start at 5.30am and Mary recalled those days as being hard work and exhausting, often clearing out the muck and forming it into a big heap which would later be used to fertilise the soil on the fields. On one farm she asked on the first day where the toilet was and the farmer said “It’s outside and round the corner.” When telling the story Mary said “I was very used to outside toilets but this toilet was in fact a field. When I came back in, he was laughing and asked ‘Was it big enough for you?’ I didn’t know where to look.” Despite all the hard work she had a lot of fun!
After the Second World War
By the time the war had ended Mary decided to go to college in Bangor where she qualified as a teacher and then moved back to England to work in a school just outside London.
Mary’s parents moved back to Blaenafon near Tregaron as they were originally from that area. They ran a sub-post office there for a few years before making the decision to retire and move to Dyffryn Cottage, Aberporth, a pretty seaside village.
Mary taught in Essex for about two years but after her father passed away she decided to move back to Wales to live at Dyffryn Cottage to help look after her mother who was in ill health. She also secured a job teaching at Aberporth Primary School.
Mary, Ray and family
Mary continued to live at the house after her mother had passed away and soon after she met Raymond Bott, her husband to be, at the Village Hall Dance.
Ray was an electrician at the RAE and came from Birkenhead near Liverpool.
They married in Birkenhead in1956 and made Dyffryn Cottage, Aberporth their permanent home.
Mary and Ray had four children – Peter, Jane, Anne & Tony – nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Mary gave up her teaching job while her children were young and then later returned to work. Sadly Ray passed away at a relatively young age of 66 years old.
Involvement in Village Life
After Ray passed away Mary’s involvement in village life increased. She was at the centre of the community for decades and was renowned for selling raffle tickets. Most Aberporth villagers have fond memories of Mary’s antics at the annual carnival as she would always make an effort to dress up, usually reflecting a topical theme with great comic effect!
Mary supported many charities, some of which were very close to her heart.
She was one of the founders and also the chairperson of the Buttercup Charity which was set up to help families with sick children in the Aberporth area. Mary was also a stalwart supporter of the Royal British Legion and sold poppies door to door for many years. She staged many events which raised money for the National Eisteddfod and the Trefoil Guild and she also supported The Blind Society, The British Heart Foundation and Barnardos.
Mary was a trustee of Aberporth Village Hall and over the years raised thousands of pounds towards the construction of the new village hall. On her 80th birthday instead of gifts she asked for donations towards the new village hall and, in so doing, raised over a thousand pounds. Mary was also on the Aberporth Community Council for many years and was a chairperson btween 1988 and 1989.
Mary’s faith was very important to her. She was a regular chapel goer and was a member of the “Hen Gapel” the Aberporth Methodist Chapel where she was made a deacon.
Mary and the Lib Dems
Mary, like her father before her, was a staunch follower of the Liberal Democrats and at several elections she assisted the MP Mark Williams with his campaigning. There was one election when the Lib Dem car came to Aberporth and Mary was given free rein of the microphone – she had great fun making up some wonderful slogans – much to the amusement of the Aberporth electorate and of Mark Williams!! He has many fond memories of Mary and says that she was full of practical advice combined with a great sense of humour.
Mary’s Honours
Mary’s voluntary work earned her the honour of carrying the Baton for the Commonwealth Games in 2001 and she was awarded volunteer of the year in 2005 by the then First Minister, Rhodri Morgan. In May 2015 she was asked to light “The Beacon” in Aberporth as recognition of the 70th Anniversary of VE Day.
However, her biggest accolade came when she was awarded the MBE in 2006 for all her voluntary work and fund raising. It was a very special day for Mary to go to Buckingham Palace and be presented with the medal by Her Majesty The Queen. On that same day Tom Jones was knighted and the Beverly Sisters received their MBEs. Mary’s children were also invited to attend the occasion and they were very proud to see their mother being honoured. After the ceremony they all met up with the MP for Ceredigion, Mark Williams and he treated them to a meal at the House of Commons, the perfect ending to a lovely day.
Mary’s experience as a Land Girl put her at the centre of attention at the anniversaries of “World War Two” and she was invited to several events to speak publicly about her experiences. She was also interviewed by ITV Wales for a programme called “The Greatest Generation” which was broadcast on 7th June 2022. In May 2025 the book “WORLD WAR TWO – Voices From Wales” by G. J. Lewis and Hugh Morgan was launched at The Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre – families of those who had contributed to the book were invited to the event and consequently members of Mary’s family were present.
The book contains compelling personal history of the events of World War Two, collected first hand from the ordinary people of Wales who were there at the time – Mary being one of those people. It was a very proud moment for Mary’s family to witness so many people paying their respects to the War Heroes and to the Land Girls.
End of an Era
When Mary passed away in December 2022 it felt like the end of an era. She epitomised good in the community... dedicated, hard working, caring, reflective, determined, principled, kind and always up for a laugh!!
REST IN PEACE MARY BOTT MBE
