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Summer-tinged songbirds Howl Griff take time out from recording their fourth album this weekend to play a rare London gig ahead as a warm-up for festival season.

The 6music-approved Welsh-Anglo-American three-part-harmonisers have been holed up at their Cariad studio it translates as love, strong affection or darling recording tracks for the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Fragile Diamond LP (BBC Radio Wales Album of the Week, BBC Radio Wales Single of the Week, etc). But they're emerging into the sunshine to play in Richmond on Saturday night.

The good-causes gig, at The Basement Door on The Vineyard (TW10 6AQ), starts at around 7.30pm with Howl Griff playing an extended set from around 9pm before hitting the festival fields later this summer. Catch them while you can, London...

PRAISE FOR HOWL GRIFF

A new band we love... bloody lush.
Lauren Laverne, BBC 6music

Pop/folk, rock-flavoured life-affirming songs, well worth a listen. It's an album that'll put a spring in your step despite the November rain.
The Independent

They deal in lush, gorgeous harmonies and warm 60s melodies, and the result is quite lovely.
Stuff magazine

PRAISE FOR THE FRAGILE DIAMOND LP

"HG sprinkle cuteness where it fits into the compositions but leave them alone when it doesnt... This careful equilibrium carries over into the lyrics... clever puns push the song beyond aww-shucks novelty... further validating Howl Griffs way with cuteness that their peers seem to lack... effortlessly marrying indie rock and the endearing songwriting. In other words, you can be adorable without descending into hipster irony."
The Line Of Best Fit

"Trust me on this, you should hear this band. Its an album you should have for the car for that interminable drive to work, it should be playing as you look out of the window on a cold winter's day holding a mug of tea. Its there for you to hear, and your life will be a tiny bit shinier for hearing it."
Louder Than War

"Brandishing more hooks than Abu Hamza, Captain Hook, Peter Hook and a massive cloakroom, you could be forgiven for thinking that Howl Griff are the result of some genetic experiment in a laboratory undertaking pioneering research into the creation of the perfect melody."
Western Mail

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The Declaration of Independence is a 'statement' adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as independent states and no longer a part of the British Empire.

According to the Welsh Society of Philadelphia, 16 of the signatories of the Declaration of Independence were of Welsh descent:

George Clymer, Stephen Hopkins, Robert Morris, William Floyd, Francis Hopkinson, John Morton, Button Gwinnett, Thomas Jefferson, John Penn, George Read, John Hewes, Francis Lewis, James Smith, Williams Hooper, Lewis Morris, and William Williams.

This represents the largest ethnic group of signatories on the original document. Thomas Jeffersons' family originated from Snowdonia and were fluent Welsh speakers.

Born on this day 1790 in Crickhowell.

Colonel Sir George Everest  - The man that Mount Everest is named after.

In 1818, Sir George was commissioned  into the Royal Artillery. At that time known simply as Lt. Everest, he was appointed as assistant to Colonel William Lambton, who had inaugurated the Great Trigonometrical Survey of the sub-continent in 1806. When Lambton died in 1823,  Everest replaced him as superintendent of the survey and was responsible for its completion.  In recognition of this monumental achievement he was  appointed Surveyor General of India  in 1830, and in 1865, the Royal Geographical Society named Mount Everest  in his honour.

Today is the Feast day of Saint Peblig.

Peblig ( born c.363 ) or Publicus in Latin,  was the third son of Magnus Maximus ( Western Roman Emperor from 383 to 388) and his second wife Saint Elen Luyddog (Helen of the Hosts). Lacking in political ambition, he relinquished his right of succession which enabled his brother Dionotus II to later become the Roman ruler of Britain. Instead, he entered the ministry, establishing the church of Llanbeblig just outside the town of Caernarfon. He served there as abbot until his death. He is said,  along with his mother and brother Cystennin, to have introduced into Wales the Celtic form of monasticism established originally in Gaul.

Llanbeblig Church (pictured) is associated with the "The Llanbeblig Book of Hours" which probably dates from the period 1390-1400 and contains the illustration of Magnus Maximus (pictured).

Books of Hours were very popular texts during the Middle Ages in Western Europe. Many thousand of these were created for religiously devoted lay people, who used them to enhance their programme of private  prayer and daily devotion to God.  The Books of Hours  were intended to echo the liturgy of the contemporary Church, in which  the day was divided into eight distinct  sections or 'hours'.  There were specific prayers  for each of these designated hours, with an elaborate calendar of feast days and religious celebrations. Many of the pages in these treasured volumes  were painstakingly and richly illuminated with colourful  images of Christ,  the Saints and the Virgin Mary.

Born this day 1872 in Plymouth Notch, Winsor County, Vermont (of Welsh descent)

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr . - 30th President of the United States ( pictured being made a Sioux Chief by Henry Standing Bear)

A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge made an increasingly positive impression in Massachusetts state politics; so successfully that he eventually became governor of that state.  He was elected as the 29th Vice President in 1920 and succeeded to the Presidency of the United States following the unexpected death in 1923 of Warren G. Harding.  He was elected in his own right in 1924, and went on to gain  a reputation as a small-government conservative, and also as a man of very few words.

Coolidge succeeded in  rebuilding public confidence in the White House following the scandals of his predecessor's administration and ended his term of office enjoying significant popularity.

On 4th July 1862, noted soprano Sarah Edith Wynne - Eos Cymru (The Nightingale of Wales) made her London début.

She was probably the first Welsh woman to become and internationally-renowned singer and her tours outside Wales and helped build the country's reputation as a "land of song". 

Wynne had showed a special talent as a singer when a child — she was only 9 when she joined the Holywell choral society.  When she was 12 she went on a concert tour to various parts of Wales and went to Liverpool at 14 to receive lessons in music, staying there five years.  Her first appearance in London as a soprano was in June 1862, where she then settled and was soon became one of the best vocalists in the country. She also had a successful American tour in 1871.

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Born this day 1962 in Syracuse, NewYork.

Tom Cruise  (Thomas Cruise Mapother IV ) - Star of many Hollywood blockbusters, including Top Gun, The Last Samurai, A Few Good Men and Rain Man, has made Cruise, Hollywood's highest paid actor.  His Welsh connections were revealed to him on an American TV show which investigates the family trees of the rich and famous.  A stunned Cruise heard that his great-great grandfather had emigrated from Flint in north Wales in 1850 and that his middle name Mapother had come from many generations of Welsh people with the same name.

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Robert of Rhuddlan - the hated Norman Lord of much of north-east Wales was killed by a volley of Welsh  arrows on this day 1093.   The raiders then sailed off with his head attached to the mast of one of their vessels.

Twthill castle was erected by Robert of Rhuddlan in 1073 at the command of  William the Conqueror.  It remained in use for two hundred years until Rhuddlan Castle was built, on adjacent territory, on the orders of Edward I.

Robert was the cousin of Hugh d'Avranches one of the first Norman Marcher Lords, who was appointed Earl of Chester in 1070 by William the Conquerer after The Norman Invasion of 1066 

1072 .  Robert was appointed Hugh's "commander of troops" and immediately began hostilities with the Welsh, capturing land in the cantref of Tegeigl (North East Wales), where he built a Motte and Bailey castle at Twthill near Rhuddlan to consolidate his advances into the north of Wales.

1075 .  Robert assisted Gruffudd ap Cynan in his attempt to recover the throne of Gwynedd from Trahaern ap Caradog.  Gruffydd was eventually forced to flee to Ireland where he sought temporary refuge. Robert took  advantage of the local conflict to seize the cantrefs of Rhos and Rhufoniog and to build another castle at Deganwy.  He, therefore, ruled most of northern Wales to the east of the River Conwy.

1081 .  Trahaearn  was killed in the Battle of Mynydd Carn by the now returned Gruffydd ap Cynan, who claimed the throne of Gwynedd, but shortly thereafter he was captured by Robert and imprisoned by Earl Hugh in his castle at Chester.  Robert claimed Gruffydd's lands, and went on to build further castles at Bangor, Caernarfon and Aberlleiniog.

1087 .   On William the Conquerer's death, war broke out between his sons. Robert gave his support to Robert Curthose, the elder son,  but they were eventually forced to surrender to the forces of  William Rufus.

1093 .  Robert's career was brought to a sudden and not unwelcome end at the beginning of the great Welsh revolt. He was indulging in a midday nap in his castle at Deganwy when a message  was brought to him that Welsh raiders had landed in three ships underneath the Great Orme and were in the process of pillaging his lands. Some sources claim that these audacious  raiders were led by Gruffydd ap Cynan, who had managed to escape from captivity in Chester. The raiders had landed their ships and were loading their plunder. Robert sent urgent dispatches  to muster his troops and made great haste  to the Great Orme, where he was dismayed to discover that the rising tide was allowing the Welsh raiders to float their vessels and make off with the loot before Robert's troops could reach them. Furious, Robert rushed down the slopes to attack them, supported only by his armour-bearer. He was killed by a volley of Welsh javelins, and the raiders made their escape with Robert's head displayed triumphantly on the mast of one of their vessels.

1094 .  The Welsh revolt led by Gruffydd ap Cynan resulted in the loss of most of Robert's former territory.

Died on this day 1749.

William Jones (1675 – 3 July 1749)  - was born in Llanfihangel Tre'r Beirdd on the Island of Anglesey(Ynys Môn). Jones became a mathematician who is most remembered for the introduction of the symbol π  to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. He was a contemporary and close friend of both Sir Issac Newton and Sir Edmund Hally.  He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in November 1711 and was later to become its Vice-President.

Born this day 1958 in Maesteg.

Siân Lloyd  - Best known as an ITV Weather Forecaster.

Sian is the daughter of two teachers and attended Ystalyfera Bilingual School, before graduating with first class honours from University College, Cardiff. She then gained a meteorology distinction from the Met Office College and won the Television and radio Industries Club  (TRIC) award for the best TV weather presenter in 2005 and 2007.

Proud of being Welsh, she set up a Welsh networking group, SWS (meaning "kiss", and standing for "Social, Welsh and Sexy") in partnership with entertainer Stifyn Parri in the Groucho Club in London. Bryn Terfel and Sian Phillips are now patrons.

 In 2007, Lloyd won the UK Rear of the Year competition, making her the oldest woman to date to win the title. 

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Today is the feast day of Saint Gurthiern.

Saint Gurthiern (c. 500) - is said to have been a Welsh prince who became a hermit in Brittany and founded the abbey at Kemperle.  Legend says that insects once threatened to destroy the region's crops, so Gunthiern blessed some water and had it sprinkled over the fields. The insects fled, and the crops were saved. 

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In what has become an annual event, The Wales Swim takes place in Tenby.

Up to 2000 competitors take to the water at Tenby's North Beach in a mixed gender race over either a 1.2 or a 2.4-mile course depending on ability. The event draws many spectators, both local and tourist alike. 

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Celticos , in partnership with Golygfa Gwydyr , are today launching a new tourism service in North Wales.

This bespoke tour is designed to give visitors a true taste of Welsh rural life outside of the hustle and bustle of the current major tourist destinations. Tourists will have the opportunity to experience first-hand how people live and work in Snowdonia and find out about traditional local skills and what gives the people of this area a sense of connectedness to the land, a pride of place and cultural heritage. The life of Welsh hill farmers is unique and challenging, a tradition that has been passed on from generation to generation for hundreds of years.

The two day tour will include pick up from designated accommodation providers in Llandudno, Conwy and the Lower Conwy Valley and the services of a local personal guide. A highlight of the tour will include a visit to meet celebrity farmer Gareth Wyn Jones on his hill farm, this will give our guests an excellent insight to both the beauty and hardship of hill farming in Snowdonia; a way of life where agriculture, livestock and the cycle of the seasons are ingrained.

Welsh Hill Farming Experience - two day event

Date 31st Aug & 1st Sept

Day 1 -Conwy Valley, Snowdonia.

Heavy Horses - you will have a chance to witness a demonstration of the skill in handling heavy horses, tacking up and harrowing.

Sheep Dog Handling - this amazing skill with dogs will remain a talking point long after your visit.

Welsh Hill Farming - an introduction to traditional fencing, hedge laying and gate making.

Barn to Table - sample Marylyn's pies and meats at a buffet lunch. The tour will make a quick stop by Marilyn's original family home and shop at Tal y Bont where they had a turnkey operation, raising and hand picking all livestock locally, processing and selling to the community

Day 2 -A guided scenic mini bus tour of Snowdonia, Anglesey & the Menai Straits.

The day will provide a comprehensive overview of the contrasting farming methods of the area followed by a visit to Llanfairfechan the coastal gateway to the Snowdonia National Park.

High in the mountains we visit the hill farm of celebrity farmer Gareth Wyn Jones. This will be an excellent opportunity for our guests to experience for themselves the harsh and demanding life style of Welsh hill farmers. Gareth will join us for a personalised tour and enthral us with his many interesting stories.

The tour ends with a fantastic opportunity to visit the Bodnant Welsh Food Centre located at Furnace Farm. Set in beautifully restored 18th century farm buildings, this centre celebrates Welsh local produce at its finest.

Hylo! Thank you for making me feel so welcome here on Americymru. I am a Welsh textile artist. I hand make a range of items and sell them on line and in shops in Penarth and Swansea. Also, I am very excited about my upcoming exhibition in the fabulous Atlantic College, St Donat's Castle in Llantwit Major Much of my work is available to see here: www.rhianeleri.etsy.com - I hope you like it. Keep in touch! Hwyl! Rhian

Today is the feast day of  Saint Euddogwy. 

Saint Euddogwy (also referred to as Oudoceus)  Died c.700 -  Euddogwy came to Wales as a young man and trained in theology at Llandeilo Abbey, eventually becoming ‘Bishop of Teilo’, the diocese which was based in Llandeilo Fawr, before travelling to Canterbury for his official consecration.  He was, in all probability, the founder of the monastery at Llandaff.  A contemporary legend relates that once when he wished to remove certain relics of St. Teilo and his disciples from Llandeilo to Llandaff, the people of Llandeilo were antagonised and ambushed Euddogwy and his entourage  in a remote pass at Penallt.  Euddogwy’s prayers miraculously caused the attackers to become temporarily  blind and unable to move. Another story relates that, once, when he was thirsty, Euddogwy asked some nearby women, who were busy preparing butter, for a drink of water. They laughed at him, claiming to have no cup or container in which he could collect the water. The saint picked up some of their butter and moulded it into the shape of a bell. As he drank, the butter miraculously turned to gold.

The Book of Llandaff records a number of grants of land to Euddogwy by various princes of South Wales, including King Cadwgon ap Cathen of Dyfed, King Awst of Brycheiniog and King Meurig ap Tewdrig of Glywysing & Gwent. It was during Euddogwy’s time that  the region between the Wye, the Dore, and the Worm (Herefordshire) was seized by Mercia,  an event generally supposed to have been made under King Penda of Mercia in 649.  Euddogwy resigned as Bishop to retreat to Llaneinion, near Tintern, where he died in solitude.

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On 2nd July 1940, 800 people were drowned when the Arandora Star was torpedoed off the Irish coast by a German U-Boat.   Among the 1200 internees aboard, being deported to Canada, were over 100 Welsh-Italians. These were predominantly cafe owners and small businessmen who had settled in Wales decades earlier. 

In early June 1940, immediately Italy entered the Second World War, all Italian males in Britain who held a passport  and were aged between 18 and 70 years were arrested and forced to leave their homes or workplaces with immediate effect. They were to be indefinitely interned under orders from the British War Cabinet.  Subsequent reports from the Red Cross and other organisations reveal that these internees were badly treated by the British authorities. They were imprisoned in inhumane surroundings, without  access to sufficient food, without  adequate sanitation or medical care. more than 700 Italian internees were transported to Liverpool, where they were herded aboard the former cruise liner, the Arandora Star, along with some 450 German and Austrian internees and Prisoners of War who were all to be shipped to  Newfoundland in Canada. 

The first Welsh national memorial to the victims of the Arandora Star debacle was unveiled at a ceremony in Cardiff’s Metropolitan Cathedral of St David in Charles Street, Cardiff on 2nd July 2010. The memorial a collaboration between the Welsh-Italian artist, Susanna Ciccotti, from Swansea and the world-renowned  stone carver from Ammanford, Ieuan Rees.

Born this day 1893 in Penarth. 

Ralph Hancock , who was widely known as  'Landscape Gardener to HRH Princess Victoria of England'

Ralph's first means of employment was as a Marine and General Insurance Broker in Cardiff, but in in 1926, he undertook a complete change of direction and became a Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society.  He moved to Surrey with his family, where he embarked on the first of his  garden projects, which involved the design and construction of a rock and water garden for Princess Victoria at her estate 'Coppins', in Iver, Buckinghamshire.

Then in 1931 he  travelled to New York,  to promote his work in the United States and between 1933 and 1935 he was presented with the ambitious task of creating the “Gardens of the Nations” roof gardens at the Rockefeller Centre in New York.  In doing so, he echoed the styles of gardens from Holland, France, Italy, and England, where each garden had a hostess dressed in appropriately relevant costume. Via elevator and block and tackle he managed to haul 3,000 tons of earth, 500 tons of bricks, 20,000 bulbs, 100 tons of natural stone, and 2,000 trees and shrubs up the side of the eleven floors of the building. The garden was nourished by 96,000 gallons of water which was lifted by an electric pump.

On 2nd July 2013, Wales became the first country in the United Kingdom to bring into law an opt-out organ donation system. 

Previously, people across the UK had to a voluntary scheme and carry a card if they wish to donate organs. People in Wales will now be presumed to have agreed for their organs to be donated after death unless they have opted out of the scheme. 

First Minister Carwyn Jones said: "The Human Transplantation (Wales) Act 2013 is arguably the most significant piece of legislation passed by the National Assembly for Wales since it acquired full lawmaking powers in 2011, with Roy Thomas of Kidney Wales Foundation adding "It gives hope to all those waiting for a transplant, not only those on the list but those who fear chronic organ failure and who may need a transplant”  

July 1866 saw the launch of Yr Australydd, a Welsh language Calvinistic Methodist newspaper, in Victoria (Australia), edited by William Meirion Evans and Theophilus Williams.

Yr Australydd was an Australian monthly newspaper in the Welsh language published in Victoria between 1866 and 1872. Its name translates as The Australian. Its intended readership were, obviously, Welsh Australians, but it was more specifically linked to the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist community. The newspaper's aim was also to encourage a sense of Welshness among its readers, by maintaining the language and promoting Welsh culture and literature.

The newspaper printed news from Wales and requested and printed literary contributions from readers, which included, poetry, short stories, as well as a serialised novel, entitled Cymro yn Awstralia (A Welshman in Australia, 1870). Publication ceased in 1872, for reasons which remain unclear and in 1874, it was replaced by Yr Ymwelydd, a similar newspaper edited by Rev. Evans.

The Treachery of the Blue Books.

On this day 1847, the infamous “Blue Books” a report on the state of education in Wales were presented to the Government

A public enquiry was carried out as a result of pressure from Welshman William Williams, MP for Coventry, who was concerned about the state of education in Wales.  The enquiry was carried out by three Englishmen, R.R.W Lingen, Jellynger. C. Symons and H. R. Vaughan Johnson, who met to discuss their findings at The Lion Hotel in Builth Wells.  Because none of them spoke Welsh, they relied on the information of witnesses, mostly Anglican clergymen at a time when Wales was mostly Nonconformist.

The report concluded;  

*  That schools in Wales were extremely inadequate.

*  That teachers should only speak English in areas where children only spoke Welsh.

*  Welsh speaking children had to rely on the Nonconformist Sunday Schools to acquire literacy.

*  That the Welsh were ignorant, lazy and immoral as a result of the use of Welsh and Nonconformity.

There was a furious reaction in Wales where they were referred to as “Brad Y Llyfrau Gleision” The Treachery of the Blue Books and they are thought to have been instrumental in the birth of the modern Welsh self-government movement.  However Saunders Lewis suggested that they were “the most important nineteenth century historical document we possess”  

Alun Lewis was born on 1st July 1915 in Cwmaman near Aberdare in the South Wales coalfield.  He was one of the best- known poets of The Second World War.

He read history at the University of Aberystwyth where he started writing poetry, before embarking on a career in teaching  at Lewis Boys' School, Pengam. In spite of his pacifist inclinations, he joined the army in 1940, suffering experiences which rekindled the depression he had suffered in his 20s, and inspired a fresh period of writing. In 1944, while on active duty against the Japanese, he died of a gunshot wound caused by his own hand weapon, although it was unclear. whether this was an accident or an intentional act of suicide

During his lifetime, Lewis published only one collection of poetry, entitled Raiders' Dawn, and one short story. These were followed by a further volume of poetry, and a collection of short stories, both published posthumously. There is no doubt that Lewis had he lived, would have become a significant voice in post-war literature in the English-speaking world.

Prince Charles's investiture as Prince of Wales took place at Caernarvon Castle on 1 July 1969  although he had been created Prince of Wales  on 26 July 1958.   Prince Charles spent ten weeks leading up to his Investiture learning about Welsh culture and language and during the ceremony he gave his replies in both English and Welsh.  The investiture was watched by millions on TV and attracted large and excited crowds in Caernarfon.  The Welsh borough of Swansea was granted city status to mark the occasion. 

However the ceremony aroused considerable hostility among nationalists who viewed it as being associated with the subjugation of  the Welsh people since the 13th century, when the last native Prince of Wales, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd was deposed by Edward l of England.

For action this day 1916 Group Captain Lionel Wilmot Brabazon Rees was awarded the Victoria Cross

The son of an army officer, Rees was born in Plas Llanwnda, Castle Street, Caernarfon in 1884 and attended Eastbourne College before entering the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. In 1912, he learned to fly at his own expense after which he was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps.  During World War I, in the first hours of the Somme Offensive, Rees was on patrol when he engaged the enemy in a series of attacks.   The valour of his actions earned him the Victoria Cross. Its citation reads:

"On 1st July 1916 at Double Crassieurs, France, Major Rees, whilst on flying duties, sighted what he thought was a bombing party of our machines returning home, but were, in fact, enemy aircraft. Major Rees was attacked by one of them, but after a short encounter it disappeared, damaged. The others then attacked him at long range, but he dispersed them, seriously damaging two of the machines. He chased two others but was wounded in the thigh, temporarily losing control of his aircraft. He righted it and closed with the enemy, using up all his ammunition, firing at very close range. He then returned home, landing his aircraft safely"

After the war, Rees was based in the Middle East with the RAF. He had a keen interest in archaeology, and while flying on the Cairo to Baghdad route, he took some of the earliest archaeological aerial photographs of sites in eastern Transjordan (now Jordan) and is considered a father of the archaeological studies of this area, as well as a pioneer of aerial archaeology.

On July 1st 1826, Telford's Conwy Suspension Bridge was opened.

It was one of the first road suspension bridges in the world, replacing the ferry at the same point and at the time, was the only crossing of the river, and was consequently the only way to access the ferry that leaves for Ireland.  The bridge is located close to Conwy Castle and therefore, Telford matched the bridge's supporting towers with the castle's turrets.

On 1st July 1941, 35 people were killed and 46 were injured when huge parachuted land mines fell on the Maindee area of Newport.   Alfred Searle, a local solicitor, and his housekeeper were among the fatalities  when his house 'Gaerwood' suffered a direct hit.

On July 1st 1780, Anthony Bacon acquired the lease of the Hirwaun ironworks.

The Ironworks  at Hirwaun near Aberdare was founded by John Mayberry in 1757, but its profit and renown began when the entrepreneur Anthony Bacon acquired government contracts to supply weapons and ammunition in 1780. The goods were initially transported to the port of Cardiff by mules and packhorses.   The Hirwaun Ironworks saw their peak of prosperity when in 1819, they were purchased by the industrialist William Crawshay of Cyfarthfa, who expanded the works. The region's mining industry also prospered through providing the necessary coke for the blast furnaces at the ironworks.

The village of Hirwaun thrived, and by 1830, nearly 900 men were employed at the Hirwaun works, and the first steam engine in the locality was constructed to serve the works.

However, following the depression of 1829 the ironworks declined and the Crawshay family closed the site in 1859.

The Tonypandy Riots 1911

Today we are pleased to announce that Sheila Lewis .will be contributing a short story to our second edition. Original writing from Sheila Lewis Tom Stephen's Riot:-

Read more about eto and buy edition 1 here

The Tonypandy riots on the Wikipedia

From the intro:-

"Tom Stepehens Riot is a work of fiction based on the actions of a courageous man of that same name, whose main concern was for the safety of his lady and her two young children when riots broke out at Tonypandy, Rhondda, in 1910.

Tom was step-father to my Great-Aunt Blodwen.

Blodwen Williams had been born in December, 1905, and was just 18 months old when her father died. She had a brother who was four years older. Their widowed mother tried to earn a living from her dress-making by carrying her sewing machine from house to house often walking many miles each day in the hope of finding employment.

Blodwen married my Great Uncle Theopholis Beddoe in December, 1930. Both remembered the night of the Tonypandy Riots. Blod told me how Tom Stephens braved the crowded streets for her familys sake."

An excerpt:-

"The shouts and screams of men and women hit my ears. I began to walk more quickly. I was approaching the Empire when a small group of women and children raced towards me.

Dont go that way! they shrieked. Youll be killed! They disappeared into the gloom and I saw more women and children approaching. Their screams and cries mingled with the far off shouts of men, and I moved closer to the shop walls to avoid being knocked over. The womens breaths were laboured; the effort of running on empty bellies was proving too much, and one woman seemed about to collapse. With her sisters help, I put her into the shelter of a doorway, then had to leave them I needed to get home.

I travelled towards Tonypandy Square, and as I drew nearer I could see a host of people; their numbers seemed to have increased a hundredfold in just a few hours.

Outside the Bridgend Hotel, the crowd was almost impenetrable. I could barely make any headway as I forced myself along the wall, hoping to avoid an injury. The silhouettes of the Mounted Police loomed high above the heads of the miners; truncheons were raised up and smashed down like pistons. There was no escape we were too tightly packed. I could hear the agonised cries all around, and battled hard to keep my feet on the ground in my attempt to cross Gilfach Road.

The Lord only knows how I managed to move through the solid mass of bodies. I eventually reached the other side of the roadway, and flattened myself against the wall of the corner building. I could hear the sounds of breaking glass and the screams of battle."

From Tom Stephens Riot by Sheila Lewis

Eto is a new bi-annual magazine featuring original works by Welsh fiction writers and poets. We will be releasing a full list of contributors and contents shortly. If you wish to be considered for publication please email the editors using the contact form on this page .

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