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Born on this day 1896 in Llangollen.
William Stanley Gwynn Williams , was a musician, lecturer, editor, composer, broadcaster and author. He specialised in British history, and particularly in Welsh music. He is remembered most fondly as being prominent in the establishment of the International Eisteddfod at Llangollen in 1947 and being its first musical director.
Born this day, 1821 in Salisbury, New York (of Welsh descent)
Linus Yale, Jr , a mechanical engineer and manufacturer, who was best known for inventing the cylinder lock, which is still universally used today. His father, Linus Yale Sr specialised in bank locks and Yale Jr joined his father in business, introducing revolutionary locks that utilized permutations and cylinders. He founded the Yale Lock Manufacturing Company, which today is the best-known name in the locking industry.
Born this day, 1944 in Ystradgynlais,
Ronnie Rees , a former Wales soccer international, who was a member of Jimmy Hill's Coventry side that gained rapid promotion from Division Three to Division One.
On 4th April 1120, the Archbishop of Canterbury granted a request from Gruffydd ap Cynan to recognise David the Scot as Bishop of Bangor.
The see had been vacant for almost twenty years, the result of a disagreement between Gruffydd and the English monarchy; the previous bishop, Herve, having been ousted. Henry l eventually agreed to David's appointment on condition that he recognised the supremacy of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
David, who was probably Irish, not Scottish, rebuilt the cathedral at Bangor, aided by funds donated by Gruffydd. He is last recorded as attending the deathbed of Gruffydd ap Cynan in 1137.
On 4th April 1903, the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway began operation.
It was one of very few local lines to be built under the Light Railways act of 1896, which encouraged growth in areas of low industry. It soon became freight only, apart from a week in August 1945 when it was used to ferry visitors to the National Eisteddfod held in the area.
The line eventually closed, but in 1963 was partially reopened after a group of volunteers and enthusiasts had raised money for its restoration.
Get the word out on AmeriCymru! Advertising space is now available on AmeriCymru
By gaabi, 2013-04-04
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Click on the link to buy tickets for my session at Hay.
Tell your friends! Tell everyone! Click on the link! Do it now! Do it often!
http://www.hayfestival.com/p-5822-chris-keil-and-julian-preece.aspx 
Outlaw Jesse James, was shot dead this day, 1882. (Both he and his brother Frank considered themselves Welsh)
Jesse James was born in Clay County, Missouri on 5 September 1847. His great-grandfather is believed to have been William James, a Baptist minister from Little Newcastle in Pembrokeshire.
The James brothers' career in crime began in revenge for an attack on the family farm by Union soldiers, with the brothers robbing banks, stagecoaches and trains owned by Northern establishments.
Despite being a feared band of outlaws with a huge bounty offered for their capture, they remained popular in Missouri for their active support of the confederate cause. They were eventually betrayed by members of their own gang because the reward being offered was too large to ignore. Jesse was shot in the back of the head by Bob Ford on 3rd April 1882.
Born this day, 1812 in Tregaron.
Rev. Henry Richard was a Congregational minister and Member of Parliament who was often referred to as the "Apostle of Peace". He was well known as a promoter of peace and international arbitration, having served as secretary of the Peace Society for forty years. He was also an active supporter of the anti-slavery movement.
Born this day, 1739 in Llandyfrydog, Anglesey (The flower pictured, Daviesia physodes is named after him)
Hugh Davies, botanist and Anglican clergyman . He published a catalogue of the flora of Anglesey, the first volume in which plant names were cross-referenced in the Welsh language with their scientific names.
Born this day, 1945 in Swansea
Gary Sprake , former Wales soccer international, best remembered as the goalkeeper for Leeds United for more than a decade during which they were a dominant side in the English domestic game.
He was known a brilliant goalkeeper, but occasionally prone to mistakes. He self-deprecatingly called his autobiography "Careless Hands" referring to an incident at Anfield, in which he threw the ball into his own net because he changed his mind about rolling the ball out to start an attack and tried to draw the ball back into his body. "It went over my shoulder right into the net in front of 30,000 people and right in front of the Kop."
Twm o’r Nant was the pen name of Welsh dramatist and poet Thomas Edwards ( January 1739 – 3 April 1810 ).
He was born in Llanefydd and was famous for his anterliwtau (interludes), based loosely on medieval morality plays, which were performed in towns and villages around his native Denbighshire.
The government undertook a census of everyone living in Wales and England on Sunday 2 April 1911 . The results of the 1911 census gives us some interesting insights into what life in Wales was like in those days;
* The estimated population in Wales in 1911 was 2.42 million people. Today ’s population in Wales is an estimated 2.97 million people
* Life expectancy was 54 years for women and 50 for men in the UK in 1911. By 2011 life expectancy was 82 for women and 74 for men
* In 1911 43.5% of the Welsh population spoke Welsh; in 1971 this was 28.6%.
* Approximately 175,000 people worked in the Welsh coal mining industry in 1911 (one tenth of the population). Nowadays less than one percent of the Welsh population work in the mining industry.
For action this day in 1945, Edward Thomas Chapman was awarded the Victoria Cross .
Ted Chapman ( 13 January 1920 – 3 February 2002 ) was born in Pontlottyn in the Rhymney Valley. He became a miner before enlisting in 1940.
'On 2 April 1945 , near the Dortmund-Ems canal, Corporal Chapman halted the enemy advances with his Bren gun, at one time firing the weapon over his shoulder to protect those bringing him ammunition. He was then wounded while trying to rescue his Company Commander, but refused to be hospitalised, instead returning to his section to consolidate the ground that had been gained.'
The Falklands War began this day in 1982.
The Falklands War began when Argentine forces invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. The British government sent a naval task force to retake the islands.
The Welsh Guards formed part of the Task Force and on 7 June they were on board the Sir Galahad, waiting to be landed at Bluff Cove when they came under attack. On the Sir Galahad, there were 48 dead, 32 of whom were Welsh Guards. There were also many wounded, many suffering from horrendous burns, the best known being Simon Weston.
M archer Lord, Walter de Lacy of Ewyas Lacy, is said to have fallen from a ladder to his death on this day 1084 while inspecting the nearly finished work at St Peter’s Church in Hereford.
Ewyas was possibly an early Welsh kingdom which existed around the time of the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century.
Before the Norman conquest, Ewyas was beyond the reach of Anglo-Saxon administration. After 1066 Walter de Lacy was sent into Wales alongside William Fitzosbern, Earl of Hereford, and annexed the borderlands, defeating the people of Brycheiniog and Gwent. Part of Ewyas went to the de Lacy family who built castles to defend their territory. Ecclesiastically, all but one of the parishes in Ewyas remained in the Diocese of St David until 1852 when they were transferred to the Diocese of Hereford.
On 2nd April 2007, the Smoking ban in all enclosed public places in Wales came into force.
A history of smoking bans;
1575 - The use of tobacco was banned in any church in Mexico.
1590 - Pope Urban VII threatened to excommunicate anyone smoking in Church.
1604 - King James I of England published an anti-smoking treatise.
1663 - The Ottoman Sultan Murad IV prohibited smoking in his empire.
1941 - Smoking was restricted in Germany under orders from Adolf Hitler.
1975 - The US state of Minnesota was the first state to restrict smoking in public spaces.
1990 - San Luis Obispo became the first city to restrict indoor smoking in all public places.
1993 - Peru made it is illegal to smoke in any public enclosed places and any public transport.
1999 - Kerala High Court in India declared public smoking as illegal.
2003 - New Zealand implemented a smoking ban in schools, school grounds, and workplaces.
2004 - Ireland implemented a nationwide ban on smoking in all workplaces.
2007 - Smoking was banned in all public places in the whole of the United Kingdom and the age limit for buying tobacco was raised from 16 to 18.
Born on this day 1915 in Penarth
Wing Commander Reginald Patrick Mahoney Gibbs DSO DFC & Bar was a military pilot and journalist. He fought in World War II and was famed for his torpedo attacks against enemy shipping.
They know how to do book festivals in the west of Ireland
and Guinness
and hot toddies
and music in the bars at night...
On 1st April 1977 , Richard Booth, a local second-hand bookshop owner, declared Hay-on-Wye to be an 'independent kingdom' with himself as its king and his horse as prime minister.
The publicity stunt subsequently developed the town into a favourite destination for second-hand book lovers and venue for a literary festival which draws 80,000 visitors over ten days over the Whitsun bank holiday each year.
The Welsh coal strike of 1898 commenced on 1st April.
The Welsh coal strike of 1898 was an industrial dispute which began as a campaign by the colliers to remove the sliding scale payment system, which linked colliers' salaries to the price of coal on the open market. The miners argued that the scale could be abused by traders and mine owners to the detriment of the workers.
The strike quickly turned into a lockout which would last for six months and resulted in a failure to remove the contentious sliding scale and also saw the end of Mabon's day, the first Monday of the month holiday, which had previously awarded to the miners. The strike is seen as an important landmark in Welsh history and was instrumental in the rise of trade unionism in South Wales and the foundation of the South Wales Miners' Federation.
Today is the feast day of Saint Tewdrig
Saint Tewdrig, was the grandson of King Nynniaw of Gwent and ruled Gwent in the early 7th century. In later life, he abdicated and became a hermit at Din-Teyryn (Tintern). Soon afterward, however, in around 630, the Saxons invaded Gwent, so Tewdrig decided to come out of retirement and take up his sword once more to defend the church. The Saxon menace was defeated, but Tewdrig was wounded in the Battle of Pont-y-Saeson.
His wounds were cleaned at a miraculous spring, now known as St.Tewdrig's Well, where he died. His son, King Meurig, built a church on the spot and enshrined his father's body there. The place became known as Merthyr-Teyryn (Mathern, near Chepstow) after the Martyred King.
Born this day, 1943 in Derby (both of his parents were Welsh)
Dafydd Wigley , a former MP, Welsh Assembly Member and leader of Plaid Cymru. In 1974, he became one of Plaid Cymru's first MPs to be elected to the House of Commons and in 2010 he was granted a peerage and took his seat in the House of Lords as Baron Wigley of Caernarfon.
Did a Welshman invent the wheel?
Astonishing new evidence is emerging that a Welshman may be associated with perhaps one of the most important inventions in the development of humankind.
The name of Madfor Myles, a Celtic tribal leader who lived in what is now Mid Wales has been put forward as the first known user of the axled wheel. Carbon dating of the shaped timber found in a bogland area in the Brecon Beacons makes it the earliest use of such a wheel anywhere on the planet. It is likely that it was used on carts used to transport agricultural equipment and produce between the hendref, the tribe's permanent lowland settlement where they would spend the winter and the hafod, the highland pasture, that the tribe would use during the summer months.
Further evidence revolves around the name given to the device, Madfor's mother is thought to have descended from the Wheelan tribe of Ireland, so it would not be too far-fetched to suggest that it was originally called a wheelan, in her honour, which was shortened to wheel over the years.
On 1st April 1859, the Corris Railway opened.
The Corris Railway is a narrow gauge railway initially built to transport slate to be shipped from the Dyfi estuary. When in the 1860's the line ceased to deliver direct to shipping, a passenger service flourished, using adapted wagons, and for the rest of the nineteenth century, the Railway developed a substantial tourist traffic.
The railway continued to run its own successful bus services and tourist routes (picture shows Corris Railway charabancs on the Grand Tour passing Talyllyn c 1907) until in 1930 the Great Western Railway purchased the line and soon afterwards it became one of the first to be closed by the newly-nationalised British Railways. A preservation society was formed in 1966, initially opening a museum and then a short section of line between Corris and Maespoeth, which was re-opened to passengers in 2002. The railway now operates as a tourist attraction.
On 1st April 1974 , The Local Government Act 1972 came into effect, reorganising local government areas and incorporating the area of Monmouthshire as part of Wales.
The historic county of Monmouthshire was formed from the Welsh Marches by the Laws in Wales Act 1535. The Second Laws in Wales Act of 1542 enumerated the counties of Wales and omitted Monmouthshire. This led to confusion as to whether the county was part of Wales or not. Since the changes in April 1974 the area has been placed unequivocally in Wales.
Born this day 1948, in Nantyffyllon
J.J. Williams , former Wales and Lions rugby international who played a significant role in the 1974 test series against South Africa, scoring two tries in each of the second and third tests.This performance earned him the title "The Welsh Whippet". He was also an outstanding track athlete, representing Wales in the Commonwealth Games in 1970 and becoming Welsh sprint champion in 1971.
On 1st April 2007 , prescription charges were abolished for NHS patients in Wales.
The NHS, founded in 1948, was intended to provide an entirely free health service for everyone. However, the increasing cost prompted the introduction of prescription charges in 1952 causing the resignation of several prominent ministers, including Aneurin Bevan, who had introduced the National Health Service, and Harold Wilson, the future Prime Minister.
In 1965, under Harold Wilson, Labour abolished prescription charges, but restored them in June 1968 , with exemptions for old and young people, those on benefits, and people with chronic diseases.
Jimmy Wilde - The Greatest Fighter of All Time ?
If you ask any boxing fan who they believe the greatest boxer of all time to be, some will prove endlessly popular draws - Muhammad Ali, Jack Johnson, Mike Tyson. Everybody has their favourites, but if you're talking pound for pound, and probably the hardest puncher the world has ever seen, one name stands head and shoulders above the rest, Jimmy Wilde, the ghost with the hammer in his hand. There will never be another one quite like him, born in Quakers Yard, South Wales in 1892, Jimmy began scrapping as a boy, and before he turned professional had beaten hundreds of opponents, many nearly double his size.
This in itself wasn't hard, for Jimmy's fighting weight was just 6st 10lbs. Whenever he entered the ring men laughed or abused the promoters, scared that this scrawny waif would get battered beyond recognition, maimed or even killed. By the time the bag of bones had finished his boxing career he was champion of the world, for years the biggest boxing celebrity in Europe (and the highest paid), the full list of his victories will never be known, Jimmy guessed he beat 864 - it's a good a guess as any. He was only beaten 4 times. On both sides of the Atlantic he became a legend.
HITTING AND STOPPING, HOW I WON 100 FIGHTS by Jimmy Wilde
Authorised Official Edition by PeerlessPress
Last year I decided it was important that we remember some part of the Jimmy Wilde phenomenon and to this end, I sought permission from the family of Jimmy Wilde to republish his first book, in which Wilde writes of his thoughts on boxing and the techniques that ensured that he won his first hundred fights by way of knockout.
The result is 'Hitting and Stopping, How I Won 100 Fights' which contains the original text of the book and much additional material and rare photographs. The book is currently available from amazon.co.uk in limited numbers, although I am making a special offer for those that would like to purchase a book from within the UK, and am making it available for 12.99 directly to customers with FREE shipping to anywhere in the United Kingdom.
If you are interested in securing a copy of this classic boxing book by Jimmy Wilde, please emailme at :
peerlesspress@gmail.com .
The book is also available for sale to buyers outside the UK, although shipping must be paid for for all non-UK orders. Email for detailsand shipping costs to your location.
A review of the book courtesy of Tracy Callis, the US based boxing historian of the International Boxing Research Organisation (IBRO) is below :
BOOK REVIEW by Tracy Callis - International Boxing Research Organisation
HITTING AND STOPPING - HOW I WON 100 FIGHTS By Jimmy Wilde
This book, HITTING AND STOPPING- HOW I WON 100 FIGHTS, about the fabulous flyweight champion, Jimmy Wilde, is an interesting and informative read. It has chapters written by the champ himself revealing his views and secrets of fisticuffs in the roped square. There are two major parts. The first has a preface, a very descriptive (wonderfully informative) introduction by Lawrence Davies, who edited the work, and the four chapters by Jimmy Wilde that entail 98 pages. The chapters are entitled Get In And Get Away, On Hitting, On Stopping, On Damaged Hands And Back Hand Punches.
After this is an Addendum that contains two works written by Jimmy that are named The Secret Of My Success and My Greatest Battle. Also, there is an article, How Wilde Developed His Skill, by Jim Driscoll and a work named Tales Of The Tylorstown Terror by Charles Barnett, a Welsh referee who officiated over many of Wilde's contests. Then, there is a brief section with Expert Opinions on Jimmy Wilde as a fighter. The men expressing their views of Jimmy as a fighter are Harold Alderman, J.G.H. Lynch, Fred Dartnell, Ted Lewis, Trevor Wignall, A.F. Bettinson and B. Bettinson, Charlie Rose, Denzil Batchelor, Viscount Knebworth, Eugene Corri, James Butler, Gilbert Odd, Norman Clark and Reg Gutteridge. This is a most knowledgeable collection of historians and boxing men evaluating one fighting man, but what a fighting man ! Jimmy's physical measurements follow this and then the career ring record of the man most often ranked as the greatest flyweight in boxing history is included at the end.
The book is easy reading with conversations, fight talk, boxing philosophy, fighting tips and instruction along with illustrated fight positions in rare photos of Jimmy.
All boxing fans know about the hitting prowess of Wilde. The amazing thing is just how he mustered the blasting technique with such a thin and non-muscular body. Nat Fleischer called him the #1 Flyweight in boxing history. Mike Casey, that splendid boxing historian and writer also identified Jimmy as the greatest flyweight in history. Gene Tunney called him "the greatest fighter I ever saw" and The Ring rated him as the #3 greatest puncher of all time.
Lawrence Davies is a Welsh boxing historian and author of the book 'Mountain Fighters, Lost Tales of Welsh Boxing' (Peerless Press, 2011), which explores the history and origins of the bare knuckle prize ring in Wales.
Here is a preliminary blurb :
For the first time in over half a century, Hitting and Stopping, the first book written by Jimmy Wilde, Flyweight Champion of the World has been re-published as a new, updated and expanded official edition :
'Jimmy Wilde was one of the greatest fighters the world has ever seen. He fought hundreds of times on the fairground boxing booths while still in his teens, often battling opponents nearly twice his size. Wilde went on to win his first 100 professional fights, most by way of knockout and defeated much larger men throughout his professional career. By 1916, Jimmy Wilde was universally acknowledged as the Flyweight Champion of the World, and held the title until 1923.
Wildes devastating punching power was such that he is regarded by The Ring magazine as being the third greatest puncher of all time. Boxing historian Nat Fleischer rated him as the No. 1 Flyweight in boxing history.
Jimmy Wilde was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990 and is today celebrated as one of the most gifted fighters to have stepped into the boxing ring. First published in 1914, Hitting and Stopping reveals the combative insights of a true boxing master. Jimmy Wilde explains the unorthodox methods and strategies that enabled him to emerge victorious on hundreds of occasions. Illustrated by many rare instructional photographs of Wilde demonstrating his techniques, this book is a must for any sports historian or boxing student hoping to understand the life and career of a man who was called The Ghost with a Hammer in his Hand due to his devastating punch and his uncanny skills in evading his opponents.This new official edition of Hitting and Stopping How I Won 100 Fights contains further additional written material and commentary as well as numerous photographs of Jimmy Wilde that have not been included in any previous edition.
Hitting and Stopping, How I Won 100 Fights by Jimmy Wilde Peerless Press
160 pages, softcover
Numerous photos, expert opinions of Jimmy Wilde, career record of Jimmy Wilde
ISBN : 9780957034211
Price: 12.99
This is interesting, informative and worth reading. Boxing fans who read this book will not be disappointed!!!
HITTING AND STOPPING HOW I WON 100 FIGHTS By Jimmy Wilde Review courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organization
Remembering R.S.Thomas (1913 - 2000)
 | Celebrate R.S. Thomas's centenary with this excellent volume that draws together 52 poems (two previously unpublished) by Thomas to his wife, the distinguished artist Mildred E Eldridge - known as Elsi - from early meditations on their relationship to the elegies following her death.
This collection is edited by Damian Walford Davies and the foreword by Rowan Williams . This revelatory collection dramatises the changing dynamics of a complex and vitally creative relationship. Poems on marriage, cohabitation, birthdays, anniversaries, family and bereavement offer a candid portrait of emotional intimacy, desire, the painful process of ageing, and of loss. Elsi is a complex presence here: the 'to' in the title signifies not only 'addressed to' but also 'about', 'with an eye on', 'to be overheard by', and even in one case 'from'.Born in Cardiff on the 29th March 1913, this year will mark the 100th birthday of R.S.Thomas. Thomas and Elsi were married in 1940 and remained together until her death in 1991. Their son, Gwydion, was born 29 August 1945. Order your copy now at 9.99 or 7.99 if you are online book club member |
Do you subscribe to Poetry Wales?
 | Founded in 1965, Poetry Wales is a magazine with an international reputation for excellent poems, features and reviews from Wales and beyond. The forthcoming issue has poems by Carrie Etter, Damian Walford Davies and Duncan Bush as well as a feature on Dafydd ap Gwilym by Gwyneth Lewis and remembering the late Tony Conran. Single issue copies are only 5.50 and 20 for one year's UK subscription, including postage. With quarterly publication and high quality content this magazine is exceptionally good value. If you would like to read more, or purchase a copy please go to the Poetry Wales website |
On 31st March 1406, Owain Glyndwr composed the famous Pennal Letter to the French King, Charles VI, setting out his plans for an independent Wales. Pennal is a village on the north bank of the River Dyfi, near Machynlleth.
In the letter, Glyndwr asked for French help in his rebellion against English rule and called for recognition of Wales as an independent nation. He also stated his aims for establishing an independent Welsh church and university.
Glyndwr had been a loyal soldier for Henry IV of England and when in 1399 Henry did not support him in a dispute with Reginald de Grey, Lord of Ruthin, over land which de Grey had stolen from him, he rose up in rebellion on 16th September 1400, he rose up in rebellion, raised his standard outside Ruthin and was proclaimed Prince of Wales.
Thousands of Welsh people, angered by unjust English rule rose up with him, including Welsh students at Oxford and Welsh workers in England. Ruthin was attacked and the castles at Harlech and Aberystwyth were taken.
Henry retaliated by burning and looting across North Wales, forcing Glyndwr into the hills. Then in 1401, Glyndwr's supporters took Conwy Castle and he took the fight into Mid and South Wales, securing a significant victory at Pilleth near Knighton in June 1402, where he also captured the English leader Edmund Mortimer, who then became Glyndwr's ally.
By the end of 1403, Glyndwr was in control of most of Wales and in 1404 he called a parliament at Machynlleth in which he drew up treaties with France and Spain. The following year, Glyndwr made plans with Mortimer and Thomas Percy, earl of Northumberland and to partition the Kingdom of England and Wales with Mortimer taking South and West England, Percy taking the Midlands and North England and Glyndwr taking Wales and the Marches. Then in 1406 Glyndwr sent his famous letter to France.
The rebellion was now all out war, with the English launching attack after attack, which the Welsh defended by using hit and run guerilla tactics. However by 1415, the revolt was exhausted and Glyndwr forced into hiding. Glyndwr was offered and refused a royal pardon but was never betrayed and died uncaptured.
Born this day, 1944 in Caerwys, Flintshire
Myfanwy Talog , actress and long term partner of Sir David Jason.
Talog worked as a teacher before taking up an acting career, in which she appeared in the series Ryan and Ronnie and The Magnificent Evans with Ronnie Barker, she also did voices for Super Ted and the BFG episodes and sang the theme tune to Danger Mouse, which was narrated by David Jason. She died of breast cancer in 1995.
On 31st March 1920, the majority of the Welsh section of the Church of England became known as the Church in Wales.
The Church of England had been separated and disestablished in Wales and Monmouthshire by an act of parliament in 1914, which led to the creation of the Church in Wales. However, it's implementation was delayed until after the First World War and commenced on 31st March 1920. There were, however, a small number of churches within Wales, but close to the Wales - England border, that remained within the Church of England.
March 1944 saw the final air raid in Wales by the Luftwaffe.
The industrialised cities of Cardiff and Swansea bore the brunt of the attacks in Wales, with 355 people losing their lives in Cardiff and 227 in Swansea during an intense three-night raid in February 1941. However, there were also attacks in Caernarfonshire, which was on the flight path to Liverpool and Cwmparc in the Rhondda, where in April 1941 27 people were killed during a bombing raid.
