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The Welsh connection to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid;

On 7th November 1908, Robert Leroy Parker and Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, better known as the notorious train and bank robbers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, were killed, following a shootout in Bolivia.

After pursuing a career in crime for several years in the United States, the pressures of being pursued forced them to flee with Longabaugh's girlfriend, Etta Place, to Welsh speaking Patagonia in Argentina.  They purchased a ranch on the east bank of the Rio Blanco near Cholila, Chubut province and lived there amongst Welsh settlers, breeding horses. 

However, they had not abandoned their lawbreaking lifestyle, as it is reported that they tried to rob a general store owned by Mihangel ap Iwan and Llywelyn ap Iwan (sons of Michael D Jones, founder of the Welsh settlement in Patagonia) in Esquel, Patagonia.  The story goes that Llywelyn was armed and refused to give up the takings, so that night, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid returned and set light to the curtains of Llywelyn's home, who badly burned his hands putting out the fire.  The next day they returned to the store, shot Llywelyn dead (as he was unable to reach for his gun because of his burns) and ran off with the takings.

By 1905, they had outstayed their welcome and sold the Cholila ranch.  They were however aided in their escape to Bolivia by Sheriff Edward Humphreys, a Welsh settler who was friendly with Cassidy and enamoured of Etta Place.

Born on this day 1927 in Margam, near Port Talbot.

Ivor Emmanuel - singer and actor.

He is fondly remembered for his rousing rendition of the battle hymn Men of Harlech in the 1964 film Zulu, where his character, Private Owen, leads his fellow soldiers in song, drowning the war chants of the Zulu forces surrounding the besieged fort at Rorke's Drift in 1879.

Emmanuel was orphaned during the second World War when a stray bomb hit the village of Pontrhydyfen. He was taken in by his Aunt Flossie and later became a miner. He was passionately musical, joining the local operatic society and listening to Enrico Caruso on a wind-up gramophone. Disheartened by his rejection by The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1947, he took to drinking heavily with an old friend, Richard Burton. Burton arranged an audition for him at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, where he was cast in the musical Oklahoma. His dark good looks and fine baritone voice earned him roles in many other musicals, such as South Pacific and The King and I.

Emmanuel also had a successful television career; between 1958 and 1964, he ledthe Welsh television show, Gwlad y Gan ('Land of Song') and in 1960, he performed in the first televised edition of the Royal Variety Performance.

Born on this day 1934 in Ystrad Rhondda

Mel Hopkins - former Wales soccer international full back. 

The son of a miner, he was signed by Tottenham Hotspur at the age of 15 after just one trial, going on to win the League and FA Cup double with them in 1961.  Hopkins played for Wales 34 times, including the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden, where they lost narrowly to Brazil in the quarter-finals.

Born on this day 1980 in Pontypridd

Michael Owen is a former Wales and Lions captain who became the 1,000th player to play for his country when he gained his first international cap in the Test against South Africa in June 2002. He captained Wales, replacing the injured Gareth Thomas, during the 2005 Six Nations, the year in which Wales won its first Grand Slam in 27 years.

Now retired, he joined the team of match commentators during the 2011 World Cup.

Today is the feast day of Saint Cynfarwy.

Saint Cynfarwy - Born c.610, was an active Christian on Anglesey, after whom the parish of Llechgynfarwy (pictured) and St Cynfarwy's Church are named. In a neighbouring field stands a nine foot high upright stone supposedly commemorating the saint. It is locally known as Maen Llechgynfarwy.  

  Born on 7th November 1528, probably at the family seat of Haroldston near Haverfordwest. 

Sir John Perrot was claimed to have been the illegitimate son of Henry VIII, whom he indeed resembled both physically and temperamentally. 

He was favoured by Edward VI, but as a Protestant during the reign of Mary I (1553–58), he was charged with sheltering heretics and imprisoned. His fortunes improved under Queen Elizabeth, and he was entrusted with the naval defence of South Wales.

Perrot was created Lord President of Munster at a time of rebellion in Ireland and over a two year period laid waste the province to procure peace, killing and decimating the homes of those who opposed him. He returned to Wales in 1578 as Vice Admiral of the Welsh seas and was named Commissioner for Piracy in Pembrokeshire.

In 1584 he was appointed Lord Deputy of Ireland. He occupied Ulster and vigorously opposed Roman Catholicism. He then undertook the plantation of the province of Munster. This involved the distribution of 600,000 acres of land confiscated from Catholic estates to anyone willing to employ English labourers and farmers to work the land and build towns. This was an onerous undertaking and Perrot eventually asked to be recalled.

It was inevitable that Perrot had made many enemies during his time in Ireland, and on his return, they plotted his downfall. He was accused of treason and plotting against Elizabeth. He was  imprisoned in the Tower of London where he died in September 1592 while awaiting execution.   

  On 7th November 1916,  Charles Evans Hughes lost narrowly to Woodrow Wilson in the United States presidential election, when he failed to win California. 

Hughes was the Welsh speaking son of a minister who had emigrated to the US from Tredegar. He was widely regarded as honest and was respected for his intellect. He became Secretary of State in 1920 and was one of the most distinguished Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of the USA. 

Elaine Morgan OBE FRSL (7 November 1920 – 12 July 2013) was born and brought up in Hopkinstown, near Pontypridd. She wrote for television and is the author of several volumes on anthropology and evolution, notably the 'aquatic ape hypothesis'. They include The Descent of Woman, The Aquatic Ape, The Scars of Evolution, The Descent of the Child, The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis, and The Naked Darwinist (2008),

Morgan's screenwriting credits include several dramatic adaptations of books, including Richard Llewellyn's 1939 novel How Green Was My Valley (1975), Testament of Youth (1979); and a mini-series on the Liberal prime minister from the middle of the first world war, The Life and Times of David Lloyd George (1981).

Today is the feast day of St Illtud

The Church of St Illtud at Llanilltud Fawr (Llantwit Major)  was established by Illtud in about AD 520 and contains a superb array of early Christian memorial stones, including, The Houelt Cross, which is a fine example of a Celtic wheel cross.  It is a memorial to King Rhys ap Arthfael of Morgannwg who died around AD 850. 

Born in Brittany from a military background, Illtyd began his career by crossing to Britain, it is said, as a skilled warrior serving Arthur in the defence of Britain. Illtyd's war band raided Llancarfan Abbey but the monks pursued them into a bog where "the earth swallowed all of them except Illtyd".  St Cadog reminded Illtud of his religion and the humbled warrior took up a monastic life, founding the abbey at Llanilltud Fawr (Llantwit Major) where in 508, he re-established the monastery school known as Cor Tewdus which was reputedly burnt down by Irish pirates in 446. This monastic complex became a centre of learning, with students studying the Bible, philosophy, science, geometry, rhetoric, grammar and arithmetic. It reputedly had seven halls, 400 houses and more than 2000 students, which included St David, St Patrick, Paul Aurelian, Taliesin, Gildas and Samson.

Illtud himself is said to have been a disciple of Germanus of Auxerre who visited Llanilltud on his mission to Britain. Apart from Llanilltud, there are churches dedicated to him in Breconshire, Glamorgan, Carmarthenshire, Dolgellau, Brittany and on the Gower.  In Merthyr, there are also Holy Wells dedicated to him and the legendary place of his burial is Bedd Gwyl Illtud, Breconshire.  

The final campaign of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd

Victory at The Battle of Moel-y-don on 6th November 1282, delayed Edward I's eventual conquest of Wales.  

In 1272 Edward I had acceded to the throne of England and Llywelyn had consistently refused to pay him tribute. The result was that in 1276, Edward declared Llywelyn a rebel and took prisoner Llywelyn's betrothed wife, Eleanor de Montfort.  Edward marched a huge army into North Wales, aided by Llywelyn's own brother, Dafydd ap Gruffydd. By the summer of 1277, Edward's forces had reached the centre of Gwynedd, where they confiscated the harvest in Anglesey.  Unable to feed his army, Llywelyn was forced to negotiate, resulting in the Treaty of Aberconwy. This treaty guaranteed peace in return for several difficult concessions for Llywelyn;

*  Llywelyn was forced to acknowledge the English king as his sovereign.

*  Llywelyn continued to rule  Gwynedd Uwch Conwy, west of the River Conwy (indicated in green).

*  The Perfeddwlad, east of the Conwy, was divided between Dafydd ap Gruffudd (shown in gold) and areas ceded to the English Crown (shown in red).

*  Eleanor was released and she and Llywelyn were formally married in Worcester in 1278, on the Feast Day of St Edward.

Following the treaty, Dafydd turned against the English and was reconciled with Llywelyn.  The brothers then rebelled, fighting to keep Wales independent, but Edward continued to send armies into Wales and in 1282, a force consisting of 2000 infantrymen and 200 cavalrymen under the former constable of Gascony, Luke de Tany, succeeded in capturing Anglesey. de Tany's men then constructed a bridge of boats across the Menai Strait, to attack Llywelyn from the north.  However as the English crossed, Llywelyn emerged with a large army to meet them and as they attempted to retreat, the English were cut off by the rising tide, with many knights drowning, dragged down by their heavy armour, along with 300 infantrymen.

This military success, coupled with victory at the battle of Llandeilo Fawr in South Wales during which another English army was routed, inflated Welsh morale and delayed Edward's plans. However, Welsh hopes were dashed a few weeks later when Llywelyn was killed at Cilmeri, after leading a foray into mid-Wales to gather support.  

On 6th November 1918, Captain John Fox-Russell from Holyhead was killed in action, serving as a medical officer at Tel-el-Khuwwilfeh, Palestine and subsequently awarded the Victoria Cross. His citation reads;

"For most conspicuous bravery displayed in action until he was killed. Captain Russell repeatedly went out to attend the wounded under murderous fire from snipers and machine-guns, and in many cases, when no other means were at hand, carried them in himself, although almost exhausted. He showed the greatest possible degree of valour."

He had previously been awarded the Military Cross at the First Battle of Gaza.  

Born on this day 1923 in Tonypandy.

Donald Houston - actor, whose first two films The Blue Lagoon (1949) with Jean Simmons and A Run for Your Money (1949) with Sir Alec Guinness, were highly successful.  He would often indulge his Welsh accent, but could also conceal it behind an English public school veneer when required.  His other prominent roles included The Longest Day (1962), Where Eagles Dare (1968) and The Sea Wolves (1981).  Later in his career he appeared in comedies such as the Doctor and Carry On series.  

Born on this day 1528 in Ruthin.

Gabriel Goodman – Dean of Westminster and re-founder of Ruthin School.

He was of wealthy parentage and attended Cambridge University in 1549, later becoming chaplain to Sir William Cecil,  and tutor to William's eldest son Thomas Cecil, Earl of Exeter. He became a senior clergyman in 1559 of St Paul's Cathedral, and in 1562,  when the old Westminster Abbey was reinstituted by Queen Elizabeth I, Goodman was made Dean. During this period, William Morgan who was supervising the printing of the Welsh Bible stayed with Goodman at the Deanery.

In 1574 Goodman returned to Ruthin where he rehoused Ruthin School in a new School-house to the north of St Peter's Church.

Welsh connections to The Gunpowder Plot, 5th November 1605;

The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was a failed attempt by a Catholic group led by Robert Catesby  to kill King James I by blowing up the House of Lords during the State Opening of England's Parliament. One of the conspirators, Guy Fawkes, was discovered guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder. He was sentenced, along with seven other conspirators, to be hanged, drawn and quartered.

* Welsh spymaster Hugh Owen ( 1538 - 1618 ) a fervent Catholic who had vowed to destroy the Protestant Order, is believed to have masterminded the Gunpowder Plot. He had helped plan the Spanish Armada and was implicated in plots to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I, after which he had fled to Europe.

It is believed that it was Owen who originally introduced Guy Fawkes to the other conspirators, and Owen was also named in Fawkes' trial as the man ‘whose finger hath been in every treason which hath been of late years detected’. Owen escaped retribution, enjoying the safe haven of Catholic Europe.  Several assassination attempts against him failed, and Owen died peacefully of old age in Rome.

* Father Robert Jones who resided at the Jesuits' South Wales Mission "Cwm" in Llanrothal, Herefordshire, was implicated in an attempt to save two of the Gunpowder Plot perpetrators.  

On the 5th November 1757, the Welsh poet Goronwy Owen emigrated to America. 

Goronwy Owen is considered by a great majority of Welsh scholars to be the most gifted poet and linguist of the 18th century; perhaps of all time.  He was a master of the cynghanedd (described in the University of Wales dictionary as 'a system of consonance or alliteration in a line of Welsh poetry in strict metre') and along with his patron and friend Lewis Morris, played a significant part in rescuing the Welsh bardic tradition from oblivion.

Owen briefly attended Jesus College, Oxford, before embarking on a short lived career as a teacher before becoming a curate. He moved to Oswestry, where he married, but was hounded out by debt collectors, and sought refuge near Shrewsbury where he composed many of his most famous poems. His lifestyle became increasingly profligate, and in 1757, he accepted a position as a teacher at a grammar school in Williamsburgh, Virginia. He lost his wife and one child to sickness on the journey; he re-married in America but his second wife died within a few months. He was dismissed from the school as a consequence of his excessive drinking and spent his final years as a parish parson in Brunswick County where he married for the third time. 

Goronwy attempted to revitalise Welsh poetry at a time when its traditional patrons, the Welsh gentry, were being anglicised. He wanted to reinvent the traditional poetic style for his own age. Instead of poetry eulogising the gentry, Owen deals with subjects such as spiritual fulfilment and romantic longing. Poems such as 'Awdl Gofuned' are considered masterpieces by literary scholars.

      

On 5th November 1854, Hugh Rowlands, a captain in the 41st (Welsh) Regiment of Foot, from Llanrug, near Caernarfon, became the first Welshman to be awarded the Victoria Cross.

At Inkermand during the Crimean War, Captain Rowlands and Private John McDermond rescued Colonel Hayly of the 47th Regiment who had been wounded and surrounded by Russian soldiers.  

He also distinguished himself during the siege of Sevastopol and was again nominated for a Victoria Cross. He served in the West Indies and India and as a brigadier-general during the later stages of the Zulu War.  On his return to Britain, he was appointed Lieutenant of the Tower of London.

Merthyr born Samuel Griffith became Prime Minister of Queensland inNovember 1883.

Griffith's family moved to Queensland, which was then known as the Moreton Bay district of New South Wales, in 1853, when he was eight years old. He was well educated, and on graduating with first class honours, he travelled widely in Europe, becoming particularly enamoured of Italian Literature. He was the first Australian to translate Dante.

Griffith studied law on his return to Brisbane and was called to the bar in 1867. He entered politics and played a major part in the public life of Australia. He became premier and Chief Justice of Queensland and was one of the key authors of the Constitution of Australia.   

Born on this day 1967 in Haverfordwest

Jamie Owen - journalist, broadcaster and writer, best known as a presenter on BBC Wales' flagship news programme, BBC Wales Today. 

Since joining the BBC in 1986, he worked mainly in radio until becoming a television presenter in 1994.  He also continues to present a weekday morning show on BBC Radio Wales. He  presents a talk programme for BBC Radio Wales on Sundays and has presented Songs of Praise, BBC Breakfast News and BBC Radio 4's Shipping Forecast.  He has also worked with the BBC World Service Trust in the Middle East.

The Newport Rising, 4th November 1839.

In the early 1800's, calls to reform to the elitist electoral system resulted in "The Reform Act of 1832".  However, this act did not go far enough in the opinion of many working class people, as voters were still required to possess property worth £10, a substantial sum at that time. This division gave rise to the Chartist Movement, which called for the further following changes.

*  The right to vote for men over 21 years of age.

 *  Secret Balloting

 *  No requirement for MPs to own property.

 *  Payment for MPs, so that the poor were not debarred.

 * Equally sized constituencies.

*  Annual Parliamentary elections.

In May 1838, Henry Vincent, a leading Chartist, was arrested for making inflammatory speeches, tried, and sentenced to twelve months in prison. Furious outbreaks of violence ensued, and Chartist John Frost called for a mass demonstration demanding his release.

This march took place on 4th November 1839, with 3,000 men marching with pikes, clubs and firearms from Pontymister to Newport.

Troops were called in, and when the chanting crowd arrived at the Westgate Hotel, the order was given to open fire. At least twenty men were killed and fifty more seriously injured.

Frost, along with other Chartist leaders, was arrested and charged with high treason. They were found guilty and sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered. The brutality of the sentences was universally shocking, and the ensuing outcry forced Prime Minister Lord Melbourne to commute the sentence to life transportation.

The convicts were granted a total pardon in 1856 and Frost received a hero's welcome on his return to Newport. By the time of his death, aged 91, most of the reforms for which the Chartists had campaigned were enshrined in law.

In the 1960s a square in Newport was named John Frost Square and  a 35 metres long mosaic mural was created in a pedestrian underpass, but controversially, as part of a redevelopment scheme, the mural was destroyed on 3 October 2013.

On 4th November 1910, Ernest Thompson Willows made the first flight from England to France in his dirigible, City of Cardiff, having earlier in the year made the first flight across the Bristol Channel by airship, from Cardiff to Minehead.

Willows was born in 1886 in Cardiff and started designing his own craft at the age of nineteen, and made his first flight in 1905, flying for 85 minutes from East Moors, Cardiff. Following his record breaking flights in 1910, he established a spherical gas balloon school at Welsh Harp, Hendon, and also gave joyrides over London. During the first world war, Willows built kite or barrage balloons in Cardiff. After the war, he continued with ballooning but was tragically killed, along with two passengers, in a balloon accident on the 23 August 1926 at Hoo Park in Bedford. He is remembered in Cardiff, where a road, a City Road pub and Willows High School are named in his honour.

B orn on this day 1938, in Velindre

Alan Jones - Glamorgan cricketer.

Jones is Glamorgan's record run scorer with 36,049 runs, the highest of any player outside Test cricket. Jones scored 1,000 runs in every season between 1961 to 1983 and was prominent in the Championship-winning Glamorgan side of 1969.

Jones captained Glamorgan in both 1977 and 1978. He was awarded the title Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1978, after captaining Glamorgan to its first Gillette Cup final the previous season.

On 4th November 1980, Welsh boxer Johnny Owen died, having been knocked out in Los Angeles on 19th September during a fight  for the World Bantamweight title. His opponent was Mexican boxer, Lupe Pintor. 

Johnny Owen, born John Richard Owens on 7th January 1956, came from a working class background in Merthyr Tydfil. He started boxing at the age of eight and won several Welsh titles.  As a professional boxer, he held the Bantamweight Championship titles of Great Britain, the Commonwealth and Europe.

Despite being a reserved, quiet gentleman outside the ring, and appearing frail, he was a fierce opponent with huge strength and determination. He earned nicknames such as ‘the Bionic Bantam’ and ‘the Merthyr Matchstick’.  He had also developed incredible stamina from hours of training, running up and down the steep valleys around Merthyr.

 Owen never regained consciousness after the knockout, and, despite surgery, lapsed into a coma. He was pronounced dead on 4 November 1980, aged just twenty-four.

A memorial to Johnny Owen was unveiled in Merthyr Tydfil twenty years later, with the unveiling being performed, at the request of Johnny's father, by Lupe Pintor.  

Cwmbran was designated a new Town on 4th November 1949.

Following the Second World War, it was noted that many of Britain's urban areas were overcrowded, with high levels of poverty.  The New Towns Act 1946 allowed the government to designate areas as new towns, in order to disperse population and also to provide better services, therefore improving people's quality of life.  Cwmbran was Wales's first such town and was based around the villages of Old Cwmbran, Upper Cwmbran, Llantarnam, Croesyceiliog, Pontnewydd and Llanyrafon.

Cwmbran now has a population of 47,000, which makes it the sixth largest urban area in Wales.  The roads conform to a grid pattern, similar to Milton Keynes, and is one of the largest pedestrianised shopping centres in South Wales, attracting shoppers from a wide urban area.

Reproduced with kind permission from Mike Jenkins -Welsh Poet & Author blog

Top of Bald Mt. Photo by Dave Lloyd.

If you go on a trek up Bald Mountain in the Adirondacks National Park, NY State, you have to sign a book to say you've left. I went there with my friend Dave Lloyd and his family but never signed out. I sincerely hope the Rescue Services aren't still looking for my bald pate camouflaged perfectly against the bare rocky surfaces you have to clamber up and slide down.

The book 'From Aberystwyth to San Francisco' (The Welsh Community in America 1880-1908) was launched at the Edward Richard Centre, Ystrad Meurig, Ceredigionon 24th October 2013. The book is a continuation of 'Travels of a Welsh Preacher in the U.S.A.' which was launched in 2008. The publisher is Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, Llanrwst and the book is available on line from www.carreg-gwalch.com or from www.gwales,com - Books from Wales From Aberystwyth to San Francisco.

THE WELSH GIFT SHOP - Y SIOP ANRHEGION CYMREIG

Today we are pleased and proud to announce a special offer for all our readers. Looking for a uniquely Welsh christmas gift this year? Where better than the Welsh Gift Shop? Just quote the following code - americymru15 for a 15% price reduction on all purchases. Check out the new product lines below. For a full range of Welsh Gift Shop products visit their website here:- The Welsh Gift Shop

Tumbler / Whisky Glass - Iechyd Da

Carafe & Tumbler - Nos Da - Good Night

  On 3rd November 2006, Jones Jones Jones, an event held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, succeeded in breaking the world record for the largest gathering of people with the same surname in one place. 

Jones is a surname of Medieval origins, derived from the given name John which in turn is derived from the Hebrew name Yochanan (Johanan).  It remains the most popular surname in Wales and is also the second most common surname in England after Smith, and the 5th most frequent in the United States.

The Esso Oil Refinery at Milford Haven was opened on 2nd November 1960 and heralded the start of Milford Haven's association with the petrochemical industry.

During the 1950s,  Esso was looking to increase its refining capacity. The refinery at Fawley, near Southampton, was deemed limited in potential for expansion, so the port of Milford Haven was chosen as it had a deep waterway to allow access to increasingly large oil tankers.

Other oil companies followed suit over the next ten years, so that by 1974, Milford supported an oil trade of 58,554,000 tonnes, and by the early 1980s, the Esso Refinery was the 2nd largest in the UK.

The industry, however, did not provide huge labour opportunities for locals, employing at its height a maximum of 2,000 workers. Combined with the decline of the fishing industry, Preseli District Council stated in 1977, that the area had "a serious unemployment problem".  The Esso Refinery closed down in March 1983.

Over the years, the industry has also been hit by a series of accidents and oil spills such as

1968 - The Torrey Canyon spill, which affected shores further south around southern Cornwall and northern France.

1978 - The tanker Christos Bitas ran aground off the Haven, spilling a portion of its cargo of oil.

1984 - A serious explosion on a tanker being repaired in the Haven resulted in three fatalities.

1996 - The oil tanker Sea Empress ran aground, causing a catastrophic oil spill.

Today, the site of the Esso Refinery has been converted into the South Hook LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) terminal and Milford Haven port still handles the most oil and gas shipments from any port in the UK.   

Today is the feast of Saint Winifred or Saint Winefride (Welsh: Gwenffrewi) 

Saint Winifred was a 7th-century Welsh Christian who is the focus of many tales and legends. The spring called St Winefride's Well in Holywell, Fflint, is claimed to have healing powers, and the shrine is now a pilgrimage site known as the Lourdes of Wales.

Her parents, legend claims, were Tyfid ap Eiludd, a noble chieftain of Tegeingl, and Wenlo, who was St. Beuno's sister.  When Winifred decided to take holy orders, her enraged suitor Caradog decapitated her. A healing spring miraculously appeared where her severed head came to rest, and she was restored to life. Her suitor fell dead on the spot and was swallowed by the earth. Her maternal uncle, St. Beuno, decreed "that whosoever on that spot should thrice ask for a benefit from God in the name of St. Winefride would obtain the grace he asked if it was for the good of his soul."  

The Citadel ( first screened on 3rd November 1938)

This was a polished and ambitious pre-war film set in Wales, directed by King Vidor. The Citadel was adapted from a novel by former GP and medical inspector of mines, AJ Cronin, and foreshadows the creation of the National Health Service by Nye Bevan ten years later under the Labour Government. 

The convincing central narrative features the moral dilemmas facing a young Scottish doctor, played by Robert Donat, whose idealism is tested during the Depression in South Wales. The story reflects the experiences of its author, who was himself a Scot, and who worked as a GP in Nye Bevan's own constituency of New Tredegar. Cronin is best remembered for the TV dramatisation of his story series Dr Finlay's Casebook.

What do the films Straw Dogs ( released 3rd November 1971) and Barbarella  have in common? Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch! 

In Straw Dogs it was used as a password and in Barbarella it was used as a conjurer's incantation.  

Stephen Carl Harris (born on 3 November 1956 in Neath) is a Welsh former international footballer. Harris played on the wing and was renowned for his speed. He was signed for Leeds United by Don Revie in 1973 and played alongside soccer legends such as Allan Clarke, Peter Lorimer and Billy Bremner. 

Harris was homesick for Wales, and it took the intervention of the legendary John Charles to persuade him to stay in Leeds. He went on to score the winning goal in his League debut against Ipswich Town in 1975, aged just 18.

Between then and 1981 Harris played 176 games for the club and scored 29 goals.

The Battle of Tuthill 1401

The Battle of Tuthill took place near Caernarfon on 2 November 1401 during the revolt of Owain Glyndŵr. Glyndŵr's victory at the Battle of Mynydd Hyddgen inJune 1400 had inspired the revolt with fresh confidence, and Glyndŵr clearly did not want the enthusiasm for battle to wane in the north-west. The battle is most famous as the first occasion when Glyndŵr flew his banner bearing a golden dragon on a white field, echoing the symbols of Uthr Pendragon. This could be construed as drawing overt correlations between his revolt and the image of the 'mab darogan' or the 'chosen son', who would free Wales from English tyranny.

Few details are recorded about the battle itself, although we know that the battle ended inconclusively, with 300 Welsh soldiers reported dead, but the isolation of Caernarfon and Glyndŵr's ability to attack English positions in Wales was clearly demonstrated.  

On 2 November 1925, the failure of two dams caused a flood that swamped the village of Dolgarrog, killing 16 people.

The cause of the disaster was the collapse of the Eigiau Dam, which was a gravity dam owned by the Aluminium Corporation. The floodwater breached the Coedty Dam further downstream, an embankment dam which failed to hold back the weight of water, releasing a huge volume of water that flooded Dolgarrog.  Many more villagers would have been killed had they not been in the local theatre watching a film that night.

The disaster at Dolgarrog led parliament to pass the Reservoirs (Safety Provisions) Act in 1930 that introduced laws on the safety of reservoirs, an Act which has since been revised and updated by the Reservoirs Act, 1975.  In 2004, a £60,000 memorial trail was created, outlining the tragic story to walkers. The trail takes visitors to the spot where the boulders from the damaged dam came to rest. The memorial was opened by the last survivor of the dam disaster, Fred Brown, who on that night lost his mother and his younger sister.   

Carwyn James, born on 2nd November 1929, was a Welsh rugby union international, but is more well known as a coach for both Llanelli and the British and Irish Lions. 

Carwyn was the son of a coal miner from Cefneithin in the Gwendraeth Valley. He became a teacher and was later a lecturer at Trinity College, Carmarthen. He played for Llanelli as outside-half, playing his first game while still at Gwendraeth Grammar School. He played for Wales twice in 1958, and would probably have gained more caps had he not been in competition with Cliff Morgan for his place as outside-half.

He gained renown as a coach with Llanelli and was coach when they won their famous victory over the All Blacks at Stradey Park in 1972. In 1971, he coached the British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, which remains the only Lions side to win a series against the All Blacks. 

James held strong political views and stood as Plaid Cymru candidate in Llanelli in the 1970 General Election. He was vehemently opposed to apartheid and during the 1969/70 Springbok tour, he coached the Llanelli team but refused to attend the game, remaining in the dressing room as a protest. Until his untimely death, he became a prominent and articulate broadcaster, notably as a rugby pundit. The sports building of Aberystwyth University is named in his honour, as is the playing field at Cefneithin RFC.  

Cymdeithas Cymreigyddion y Fenni, the Abergavenny Welsh Society, was founded in the Sun Inn on 2nd November 1833. The group was largely responsible for the continued use of the Welsh language in Monmouthshire, and for raising awareness of Welsh intellectual activity.

Its motto is "Oes y byd i'r iaith Gymraeg", or "long live the Welsh language", or more literally "the age of the world to the Welsh language".  The society was initially founded to provide members with a chance to socialise in Welsh, and to promote the use of the language more widely in the town. 
The society continues to meet regularly, and is now one of several Welsh language groups locally, including Cymdeithas Gwenynen Gwent and Merched y Wawr.  

Thomas "Tommy" Bamford (2 November 1905 – 12 December 1967) – former Wales soccer international.

Bamford was born in Port Talbot  and started his footballing career with Wrexham in 1928. He remains the club's record league scorer, with 175 goals between 1928–34. In the 1933–1934 season, he scored another club record of 44 league goals (and 50 in total for the season), which still stands today.

He transferred to Manchester United in 1934, playing a total of 109 games for the club. He returned to Wales to play for Swansea Town in 1938, but a year later the Second World War interrupted his career, and by the end of the war he was too old to resume his career as a player.

Tommy died in December 1967 at the age of 62.