Glenys James speaks to Mrs. Humphreys.

Description

Mrs Humphreys was born in Patagonia in 1883, she recalls her upbringing in the settlement, her education, and the Eisteddfods. She describes to Glenys James how her family came to move to Canada, after the successive drought and floods that destroyed their crops, as well as the suppression of the Welsh language and culture by the Spanish speaking government. Once in Canada, Mrs Humphreys saw snow for the first time and found comfort and camaraderie with other emigrants from the ‘old country’. Despite being a fluent Welsh speaker, the closest Mrs Humphreys ever came to Welsh soil was a brief stop at Liverpool before sailing on to Canada! Her nine children, though born and raised in North America, learnt, and spoke only Welsh until they started school. She also talks in English about her ‘Settlers Medal’ that she received whilst living in Patagonia.