Novelist Ron Berry (1920-1997) was born at Blaen-cwm in the Rhondda Valley and lived in Treherbert. He left school at the age of fourteen and worked as a miner until the outbreak of the Second World War, during which time he served in both the army and the merchant navy. After spending a year at Coleg Harlech (1954-55) he began writing novels, six of which were published. He also wrote short stories and plays for radio and television. His autobiography was published posthumously in 1998. Information taken from Meic Stephens' New Companion to the Literature of Wales (University of Wales Press, 1998)