Life and Career
Emmanuel was born in Margam, near Port Talbot, Wales, and moved to Pontrhydyfen near Port Talbot as a young child. He was 14 years old when his father, mother, sister and grandfather were killed by a stray bomb that hit their village during World War II. A 2001 documentary programme about the incident was made by S4C (Channel Four Wales). His aunt Flossie took him in (his younger brother John lived with an uncle), and he began working in the coal mine like his father and grandfather before him.
He developed a keen interest in music and singing and was a member of Pontrhydyfen Operatic Society. Emmanuel used to carry a wind-up gramophone up nearby mountains to listen to recordings of Enrico Caruso.
Read more about this topic: Ivor Emmanuel
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