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On 24 November 1816 a 27-metre column was unveiled in Llanfair PG on Anglesey commemorating the courage and heroism at the Battle of Waterloo of the Marquess of Anglesey who lived just a few miles away at Plas Newydd on the Menai Straits.

When war broke out with France he raised a regiment of volunteers and began a military career that saw him rise quickly to the rank of major general.

During the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815, he led the charge of the heavy cavalry, destroying d'Erlon's Corps in the centre of the French line, though he lost a leg during the battle.

He had an artificial leg fitted with a hinged knee and ankle, later known as the 'Anglesey leg', the first of its type.

The Marquess went on to lead a distinguished public life, twice becoming Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.    

Born on this day 1942 in Cardiff

Craig Thomas - author of thrillers, most notably the Mitchell Gant series.  His best-known novel,  Firefox, became a film both directed by and starring Clint Eastwood.  Most of Thomas's novels are set within MI6; his more recent novels include Snow Falcon and A Different War.  

Born on this day 1951 in  Moascar, Egypt

Graham Price - former Wales and Lions rugby international  who won 41 caps for Wales as a prop forward.  He joined Pontypool after leaving school and along with Bobby Windsor and Charlie Faulkner, formed the legendary Pontypool Front Row.

Price is remembered for debut international in 1975  against France in Paris when he sprinted 70 yards to score a try.  He won Grand Slams with Wales in 1976 and 1978 and played in 12 successive tests for the British and Irish Lions.  

B orn on this day 1962 in Rheindahlen, West Germany.

Paul Thorburn - former wales rugby international and captain.

Thorburn was a long distance goal kicker who holds the record for the longest successful kick in an international test match, with a penalty kick measuring exactly 70 yards 8 and a half inches  against Scotland at Cardiff Arms Park. After retiring from playing in 1991, he was tournament director for the World Cup in 1999 and also a former special projects manager for the Welsh Rugby Union.

Born on this day 1979 in Harrow, London

Tomos George L. Shanklin - former Wales rugby international and British and Irish Lion.

 Shanklin won 70 caps and scored 20 tries foe Wales. He once turned down an invitation from Clive Woodward to play for England, explaining "Everything about me is Welsh, except my accent. I'd lived in Tenby from the age of eight to 14, my family, friends and upbringing were all Welsh".  

On 24th November 2005, new licensing laws came in force, permitting, pubs, clubs and supermarkets in England and Wales to open 24 hours

The change did not bring about the predicted wave of alcohol-fuelled violence and debauchery.

ROBIN FRIDAY: THE MOVIE -WEBSITE

AmeriCymru: You've said that you saw Robin Friday play, where and when was this and what do you remember about it?

Mike: It was the Cardiff v Fulham game. It was not known but Robin had been arrested by S. W. Police having travelled down from Reading for his debut ( he had travelled on a platform ticket). The game was to star Bobby Moore and Georgie Best both playing for Fulham and a huge crowd came along largely to see them play. Best cried off with an injury ( probably more a night on the tiles) and Robin took over the game scored two great goals and ran the World Cup Captain ragged.

AmeriCymru: Were you aware of him and his reputation before you watched him play?

Mike: Yes he had almost single handedly dragged Reading IP from Div 4 the previous season but his reputation preceded him.

AmeriCymru: You've been described as a "lifelong fan of Cardiff City league" and you ran a youth football/soccer club in Los Angeles, it seems inevitable you'd be involved in a football film. Had you always wanted to tell a story of Robin Friday?

Mike: It was one of those memories that was re-triggered by the publication of the book The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw which I optioned.

AmeriCymru: How did this film come about, who read the book and decided "this is going to happen?"

Mike: My co-producer Mark Ambrose and then he found me a besotted fan not particularly known for live action movies.

AmeriCymru: What do you hope to communicate to audiences with this film, what do you want them to take away from seeing it?

Mike: It's not a "soccer" film more a film about a guy who lived his life the way he wanted to and dammed the consequences. As it says in our blurb "the rest of us didn't have the balls"!

AmeriCymru: Will we be able to see it in the US?

Mike: Yes certainly. The casting which I cannot reveal here will help it. The movie is an edgier cross between "Billy Liar" and "Crush".

Mike Young

ROBIN FRIDAY LINKS

Robin Friday on Wikipedia

Robin Friday on the Bleacher Report

".....When the team meeting was called just before the team left for the match a disheveled Friday showed up still naked but carrying a swan that he had procured from a nearby lake!"

The Greatest Footballer You Never Saw: The Robin Friday Story

Musical Tribute: Super Furry Animals

Seeing new places and meeting new people has to be one of the most rewarding aspects of travel. The picture opposite combines both. The cool guy in the leather jacket and shades is author Chris Keil whom I had the pleasure of meeting while in Portland. If you are wondering, the magnificent river in the background is the Columbia which flows through the heart of Portland itself.

Chris is the author of 'Flirting at The Funeral.' The title refers to a hit song one of the main characters in the book once had. I enjoyed Chris' company so much I bought a copy even though it meant my wife would have to forgo a gift (only kidding). I really didn't know what to expect but I was determined to read it through to the end.

The thing I demand most of any work of fiction is a compelling story. Regardless of how the book is constructed that has to be the bottom line. Chris did not disappoint but 'Flirting At The Funeral' is much more than that. Characterization is also key for me. Chris has created a diverse and vibrant cast of characters. Such is their vibrancy that you feel you know or recognise them in a very personal sense. This is quite an achievement because at another level each can be seen as representative either of a section of society or of specific beliefs and philosophies. Set against the uncertainties of a world peering uncertainly into the abyss of financial collapse 'Flirting At The Funeral' becomes almost a parable of our times.

Matty James, who for me was the focal point of the novel, can appear at first glance to represent all that is superficial and facile in our society. Forever 'pursuing her star' in seeming disregard of the consequences to herself and others, she personifies the desperate desire to achieve celebrity status we witness on our television screens every week. Mammon rules and before we point a finger how many of us bought a lottery ticket this week? Yet Chris' characters refuse to be judged at a superficial level. Like all really good works of fiction uncomfortable questions are continually asked of the reader. There is one scene that epitomizes this.

Matty and her friend Howard are engaged in a conversation. They stand in the ruins of an ancient building that in a distant past had been as imposing as the modern citadel built by the super rich Dr Arno Bendt. Howard attempts to persuade Matty to leave Dr Bendt and to return to London to be with her lover Morgan. Her response is pragmatic and in one sense profound:

"I have to follow my star." She took a breath."At any rate I have to make the best of it. I have to keep flirting at the funeral, like the song says."

Flirting At the Funeral is beautifully crafted and infused with sumptuous imagery. It is a book I wish I had written.




To misquote another once famous song, "It's my blog and I'll do what I wanna, do what I wanna. . ." Which is a pretty tacky way of announcing some blatant self promotion. Well it is nearly Christmas and the book I'm attempting to promote is a reworking of Dickens classic. I promise to get back to featuring more Indie Authors in the New Year!

It's contemporary New York City and Clinton Ebenezer Scrooge III shares his thoughts on Christmas.

"Scrooge gazed out of the window. Somewhere below, the river flowed blacker than the Styx through the citys dark heart into the eternal depths of the poisoned oceans. But Scrooges eyes were fixed upon another river. The unceasing flow of humanity condemned as surely to follow the course of existence to its inevitable conclusion as the river was compelled to flow into the embrace of the blind and restless sea. Christmas held out hope that the journey was not in vain. That was one of the reasons he despised it. Christmas was for the weak, for sentimental fools who had never grasped that salvation in this world was something to be wrung forcefully from lifes unwilling grip. Once the presents had been opened and the parties were over what was left apart from hangovers and a bigger overdraft? He smiled. He was above that now, had been for years. Just as detached and aloof as the gigantic reflection of himself superimposed on the vista upon which he cast such a scornful eye."

'A Christmas Carol Revisited' is a great way to enter into the Festive Spirit and it's available NOW on Amazon in Print or Kindle format. Prefer PRINT? Prefer KINDLE? Just click on the thumbnail of choice. CLICKHERE to listentoa brief audio excerpt. CLICK HERE todownload an extract in pdf format.

 Gangster Llewellyn Morris Humphreys, known as Murray the Hump, whose parents came from a hill farm in Carno, near Newtown, died of a heart attack on 23rd November 1965.  He was one of the most successful of all gangsters and one of the most powerful men in the Chicago underworld.

 Murray the Hump was one of the organisers of the infamous St Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929 when seven members of Bugsy Moran's gang were machine-gunned to death. 

On the death of Al Capone in 1947, Murray the Hump succeeded him at the head of the organisation and introduced money laundering to the mob, and was responsible for introducing gambling to Las Vegas.  By 1965, the FBI were beginning to catch up with him and he was involved in a fist fight with them onNovember 23rd 1965.  Later that evening, he was found dead. He had apparently been vacuuming the room at the time of his death.

Murray the Hump never forgot his Welsh roots and visited Wales in 1963 under an assumed name.   

Joseph Jenkins (1818-1898) was a farmer and poet from Tregaron in Ceredigion. When he was 51, Joseph left his wife and family for Australia, working as a Swagman, and keeping a diary of his experiences in the Australian Bush. He is reputed to be the 'Jolly Swagman' who features in the popular Australian song 'Waltzing Matilda'. Later Joseph worked as a cleaner of streets in the town of Maldon, until at the age of 76 he became homesick for Wales. He departed by rail on 23 November 1894.

He achieved fame with the publication of excerpts from 'Diary of a Welsh Swagman', and in 1994, a drinking fountain was opened at Maldon in recognition of his unique record of life as a rural worker in Victoria. 

"Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong

 Under the shade of a coolibah tree

And he sang as he watched his billy boil

You’ll come a waltzing Matilda with me.."

*  A swagman is an old Australian term describing a transient worker who travelled on foot between farms carrying his swag (bedroll). A swagman wore a hat strung with corks, to ward off flies. 

*  Waltzing comes from the term 'auf der Walz', which means to travel while working. 

*  Matilda is a romantic term for a swagman's bundle, personified as a woman.

*  A billabong is an oxbow lake, found alongside a meandering river.

*  A coolibah tree is a kind of eucalyptus tree which grows near billabongs.

*  A billy is a can for boiling water in, usually 2–3 pints.

Born on this day in 1803 in Corwen, Merionethshire,

Edward Edwards - marine zoologist.

A wealthy industrialist, Edwards first studied marine life in the waters of the Menai Strait. In order to study the habits of fish more closely, he developed and constructed artificial aquaria.

 His most notable invention  was his 'dark-water chamber slope-back tank,' which replicates the rock pools on the shores of the Menai Strait.  

 'Live at Treorchy' was recorded on 23 November 1973, by Max Boyce.  It contains a mixture of songs and poems along with Boyce's interactions with the crowd at Treorchy Rugby Club. The album was an unexpected success, making Boyce a household name in Wales and beyond.  Boyce, a factory worker from Glynneath, became an international star who has since enjoyed a career in entertainment spanning 40 years.

Welsh historian Martin Johnes describes Live at Treorchy as being as 'important to an understanding of Welshness as anything Dylan Thomas or Saunders Lewis wrote.'  Hymns and Arias, on of the album's songs, has become an anthem of Welsh popular culture and is often heard at Wales international matches.

Today, Wales U18s took on Australia School's Rugby at the Gnoll in Neath, to a sell out audience this was a taster to Wales playing Australia next weekend at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. One little boy called Bleddyn Lloyd (aged 10) who plays for Neath Athletic got the chance to get on the pitch and become ball boy for the game, this was only his 2nd international game he had been to after he witnessed Wales beat Argentina last week, after Wales won the game 18 15 Bleddyn was proud and is now telling everyone he know's he is a Wales ball boy and is planning on carrying on this until the day he is also picked to play for Wales.

A three-year dispute began on 22 November 1900 when 2800 men walked out of the Penrhyn Quarry in Bethesda. Most of the quarrymen held out for three years, by which time they had been crippled by hardship.

 The dispute was the result of years of ongoing dissatisfaction in the quarrying industry. An agreement or 'bargain', which had protected the quarrymen’s earnings against working with rock of variable quality, had not been honoured, and the entire workforce went on strike.  

The quarry owner, Lord Penrhyn, was determined to break the tradition of ‘bargain’ because of the autonomy it afforded the workers. He vigorously opposed unionisation, and it was the right to an effective union that became the main principle during the strike. 

  By 1902, 1300 had left the area in search of work, mainly to the south Wales coalfield. Tensions between strikers and returning workers were high, with notices being displayed in the houses of striking men bearing the words ‘Nid oes Bradwr yn y Tŷ Hwn’ (There is no traitor in this house).  Facing starvation, the quarrymen were gradually forced back to work, the atmosphere becoming increasingly severe when it became obvious that Lord Penrhyn would not compromise.

The strike was a devastating blow to the slate industry.  Penrhyn’s labour force had been decimated, and a depression in the building industry meant the gradual disintegration of slate quarrying.  

 

Born on this day 22nd November 1819 in Nuneaton, Warwickshire (her father was Welsh and she attended a Welsh Baptist School in Coventry)

Mary Anne Evans, known by her pen name George Eliot, was one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She published seven novels, mainly set in provincial England. She used a male pen name to ensure her works would be taken seriously, as female authors at the time were considered incapable of writing anything other than lightweight romances.  

The Welsh language was officially spoken in the Vatican by Pope John Paul II, on  22 November 1987, as part of a beatification ceremony raising three Welsh martyrs, convicted under the penal laws of Queen Elizabeth I, to the rank of 'Blessed'.  Beatification is the penultimate stage before being declared a saint in the Catholic Church.  

President John F Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. (J.F.K is pictured with possibly the most famous Welsh terrier in the world, Charlie, his loyal companion)

J F K's visit to Wales in 1938;

In July 1938, the 21 year old future President spent 5 days at St. Donats Castle owned by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst in July 1938, with his father Joseph and other members of the Kennedy family.

Edward Nicholson, a member of staff at St Donat's Castle, recalled how "Mr Kennedy was a very active youngster, full of life. He swam in the pool and was an excellent swimmer. He attended mass at St David's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Charles Street, Cardiff. I shook hands with the President. He asked a lot of questions about the Welsh language and how many people in Wales spoke it. He showed a keen interest in Welsh industry, too."  

On 22nd November 1974, Helen Morgan won the Miss World beauty contest.  However, she was encouraged to resign four days after her victory on the discovery that she had an 18 month old child. In the same year, she won the Miss Wales and Miss United Kingdom titles and came second in the Miss Universe pageant.

Born on this day 1882 in Eglwys Rhos, Caernarfonshire,

Harold Lowe, who was Fifth Officer on RMS Titanic when she sank in April 1911. He was described by survivors as 'the real hero of the Titanic' for his role in the evacuation. He was the only officer to return to the ship to search for survivors. He also rescued a sinking lifeboat and towed another boat to safety.

On his return to Barmouth, 1,300 people attended a reception held in his honour and he was presented with a commemorative gold watch. He served in the Royal Navy Reserve during the First World War and saw service in Vladivostok during the Russian Revolution and Civil War.  During World War II he served as an Air Raid Warden until his death in 1944.  

Born on this day 1815 at Court, near Fishguard,

John Bowen - Anglican bishop in Sierra Leone, West Africa.

Bowen had travelled widely and had fought for the militia in Canada, before attending Trinity College, Dublin.  He joined the church and whilst a curate became involved with the Church Missionary Society, who sent him to the Middle East, where he learned Arabic. In 1857, he was consecrated bishop of Sierra Leone, where, after initially recovering from recurring attacks of yellow fever, he died of Malignant fever.  

On 21st November 1953 Cardiff Rugby Club beat the New Zealand All Blacks 8-3.

Bleddyn Williams, the club captain, had toured New Zealand with the British Lions in 1950 and resolved to make their heavier pack run and tire.

Cardiff scored first, with Sid Judd crashing over for a try converted by Gwyn Rowlands.  A magnificent penalty goal from R. A. Jarden followed, from a range of 45 yards, with Gwyn Rowlands scoring a second try. 

The “Western Mail ‘ on Monday 23rd November 1953 pronounced : “We do not think that the passing of the years will ever dim for us the gleam and glory of the historic encounter at the Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday, or tarnish the memory of Cliff Morgan’s darting and swooping across the turf and skimming past every obstacle like a swift at play. There was greatness in that clash of bone and sinew wherein the impenetrable object that was the Cardiff pack successfully withstood the supposedly irresistible force of the New Zealand ‘terrible eight’."  

Born on this day 1914 in Swansea

Charles Fisher -  journalist, writer, poet and adventurer, was the last surviving member of the Kardomah gang, a literary and artistic circle in Swansea in the 1930's, which included Dylan Thomas, Vernon Watkins and Daniel Jones.

Fisher went to school with Dylan Thomas and on leaving, they both become journalists for the South Wales Evening Post.

During World War II, Fisher was active for British Intelligence in France and later wrote for Reuters, the South Wales Evening Post and the BBC.

After attending Dylan Thomas's funeral in 1953, Fisher emigrated to Canada, where he became a Hansard reporter in the Canadian House of Commons. He travelled widely in Spain and became an accomplished flamenco guitar player. In the 80's and 90's he met experimental composer and artist, Oool Fjolkunnigr, with whom he collaborated musically and artistically and travelled  extensively in India, Indonesia and Tonga.

His poetry The Locust Years, was published in 1988 and he completed a memoir, Adios Granada, recalling his life with Romani people in Spain.

He died, aged 91, in Bangkok.

Bluenote e.v.

I used to have a very good mate called Dave Kelly.

Dave was English, but being the clever lad he was he opened up an Irish bar and called it, Kellys, which went on to be a winner.

Kellys was, for me at that time, just what I needed. A mate with his own pub is something guys like myself appreciate in a big way. Ladies, if you could imagine having a BFF with her own shoe shop, well it was like that with Dave and his pub; though not quite as gossipy and touchy-feely.

Dave was a real mate. Hed phone on a slow day, usually in the week, and innocently ask if I was up for a bit of a drink? I worked shifts then; I still do actually, and consequently my weekends would often fall in the working week. So Daves offer of a little drink, a quiet chat, maybe a jam, (my drums were set up there permanently, as I wasnt in a band at the time), was just the jobby for a guy who regularly worked Saturday nights while the world was partying.

Wed sit at the bar and drink till the cleaning ladies kicked us out, playing along to songs, singing our heads off like I say, a mate with a pub well, its just PERFECT!

Anyway, it was in Kellys that I first met Horst and Norbert Krups. Horst helped Dave out behind the bar occasionally, (actually, we ALL helped Dave behind the bar occasionally, but thats another thing entirely) and was as mad about good music, Guinness and whiskey as Dave was; so obviously they got on like a house on fire.

Dave wanted Kellys to be a music pub, as he loved the Blues and Irish music scene. So he set about finding Blues, Folk and Celtic bands to play live. Its a given that Horst and Norbert helped, and slowly but surely the foundations of what would be Bluenote were set.

The problem was that Kellys, though successful, wasnt taking in the money needed to finance the bands they wanted. Dave had some good names coming in, but good bands demand their tribute, so the Krups brothers had a brainwave. Why not start a club dedicated to promoting and presenting live music? Then the people who join could help finance the acts, work the door, maybe help set up instruments etc etc etc. In return, theyd have the chance to see the great Blues/Folk/Celtic bands they all enjoyed but were proving too costly for Dave to book.

I think its clear to anyone reading this now that the Bluenote guys and gals were, and still are true music lovers. The clubs entire income, after outgoings, went into sorting more bands out to play at the pub, which grew in stature with every gig. It was a symbiosis tailor-made for Dave, with Horst and Norbert sorting the music out, and Kellys providing the venue and beer. Gradually the name Bluenote became synonymous with the pub as bands turned up to play from all over Europe. It was a great time, and I cant count how many drunken nights I had there, singing my head off and quaffing pints of Guinness, (when I wasnt working shift, of course).

Alas, the match made in heaven was cut short. Dave asked the landlord if, as theyd agreed, hed cut the rent to a reasonable price. At the time he was paying an exorbitant amount of money for the pub, but hed been assured that after two years it would be reduced. However, now the landlord decided it was too good a cow not to milk, and he mentioned to Dave he was thinking about upping the lease.

So, after a mild tantrum and a lot of thought, he dropped my drums off, (and gave me his old set), and left for Britain never to return.

Suddenly the good people of Bluenote were set adrift with nowhere to go.

Well, thats not exactly true, as Wolfenbttel is full of great venues, you just have to find them, and Bluenote werent going to let a minor problem like lack of location stop their march. They used the castle in Wolfenbttel for a while, and an old Italian restaurant for a couple of gigs as well, (which had excellent acoustics as theres a lot of wood in the building to soak up the echo). They carried on booking acts, and sold the refreshments themselves, making a lot of friends in the process.

Like a phoenix from the ashes of Kellys, Bluenote rose out of the shadow of the Irish bar it had spent its formative years in, and was suddenly a power in its own right.

After surviving Daves departure so well, the next black mark was just over the horizon to test them. A very influential Blues guitarist, by the name of Chris Jones, passed away in 2005. Chris had made a big impression on the Blues scene in Germany before then. With his easy going nature and excellent musical ability, the man was naturally charismatic, and his time with Bluenote made its mark on the club.

To mark his passing, they decided to honour his name with a music festival. Every year, since 2005, Bluenote have invited artists from all over the globe to perform on their stage and endorse the charity Chris Jones supported when he was alive. The celebration itself has moved from strength to strength, with no sign of stopping, and is now a regular sold out institution on the Wolfenbttel calendar. I can say from personal experience, if ever a party managed to capture those old days in Kellys, its this one, despite the poignant history behind the occasion.

Another annual highlight is the Celtic Christmas. Guinness and whiskey, a liberal splattering of Celtic music and dance, and a whole wad of Christmas cheer go to make this one of THE events of the year in Wolfenbttel. I was able to find the time off work to go to one, and the atmosphere was electric.

Im a Welshman, and have nothing really Irish or Scottish within me, but even I couldnt fail to be moved by the stirring Scottish songs and mournful Irish ballads, especially as the Guinness and whiskey seemed to go down so well

Anyway, thats my condensed version of Bluenotes history. Im happy and proud to say I was there when my friends called the press to Kellys and told the local rag their plans all those years ago, (in November 2001 actually! I went to the pub to pick my jacket up after a hard night and there they were). Im also glad to be able to say that the club is now a major mover in the music scene in and around the Wolfenbttel area.

So heres to you, my friends in Bluenote!

May your success march on, yet your heart stay where it is!

Iechyd da.

Reggie.

http://www.bluenote-wf.de/