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Born on this day in Llandaff, Cardiff in 1916, Roald Dahl, who was one of the most successful children's writers in the world, with in excess of thirty million book sales in the U.K.

Dahl's Norwegian parents had moved to Cardiff, but his father and sister died when he was only three years old.  After school Dahl worked for Shell Petroleum in Africa, before joining the RAF as a pilot during World War II.  He was shot down in Libya, which inspired his first story, 'A Piece of Cake'.  After the war, Dahl married American, Oscar-winning actress, Patricia Neal and settled in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire It was here that in 1961, inspired by the bedtime stories he told his daughters, he wrote " James and the Giant Peach".  He followed this with his best sellers "Danny the Champion of the World", "The Big Friendly Giant" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" among many others.

Dahl's private life was struck by the tragic death of his daughter Olivia and Patricia, nearly died during the pregnancy of their fifth child and Dahl devoted himself to nursing her back to health.  Later they separated and Dahl married Felicity

Dahl, who died in 1990, wrote for four hours everyday in his little hut in the garden and was particular in using the same brand of pencil and special yellow paper.

Born on this day 1520

William Cecil  - chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I.  At one time or another, he held all the major political posts in the land 

Although born in Bourne, Lincolnshire, Cecil's continued interest in Wales appears in;

i)   The pains he took to establish his Welsh pedigree.  The ancestral name,  ‘Sitsyllt’ was softened down to ‘Sissild,’ ‘Cyssel,’ ‘Cecild,’ and ‘Cecil’ in the course of the 15th and 16th cent. The Seisyllt's ancestral home is Allt yr Ynys, near Abergavenny and his family had fought for Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth. 

ii)   His introduction into princess Elizabeth 's household of one of his Brecknock connections, Thomas Parry, who became her Comptroller. 

iii)   His investment in trials for copper in Anglesey.

iv)   His association with Morys Clynog,   who wrote him a letter in Welsh from Rome ( May 1567), warning him of the queen 's impending excommunication.

v)   Cecil's elder son Thomas Cecil, earl of Exeter was equally anxious to establish his Welsh descent and deplored the change in spelling that obscured it. 

Cecil worked very long hours and impressed his colleagues with his ability to hold a seemingly vast amount of information. He became a trusted and indispensable advisor to the Queen whose opinions she relied on.  Although Britain was protestant, Cecil believed in toleration where religion was concerned, as long as Catholics and Puritans remained loyal to the Queen.    However, anyone who betrayed the Queen had to expect the most severe of consequences.  This is thought to be the reason that, Cecil, who saw  Mary, Queen of Scots as  a figurehead that disloyal Catholics could rally around, was instrumental in putting her on trial.

It was Cecil who first employed the Queen’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, whose evidence led to Mary’s execution for treason.  Cecil was also highly influential in foreign policy and saw France and Spain as threats to England  and was content to support one at the expense of the other.

Born on this day 1755 in Newport, Delaware, to a Welsh family. 

Oliver Evans -  inventor of the automobile

At the end of the 18th century, Philadelphia had become a very busy port, but the harbour was prone to silting up, so Evans was Evans was commissioned by the Philadelphia Board of Health to help dredge out the city's dockyards. In 1804, he designed and built the  Oruktor Amphibolos ( Amphibious Digger),  but at 15 tons and 30 feet long, it was a challenge in itself to get it to the dockyards.  On the first attempt it had collapsed in Philadelphia's Centre Square, proving too heavy to be pulled by horses, so Evans, who had  and had built steam engines for the flour industry previously used one of his steam engines to transport the monstrous digger to the docks.  In so doing he had created the first automobile.  He was, however, unable to capitalise on his invention, due to difficulty in getting financial support and patents and it was left to men such as Richard Trevithick, to further the development of steam-powered transport.

Evans also designed a refrigeration machine which ran on vapor in 1805 and as such is often called the inventor of the refrigerator, although he never built one and his design was modified by Jacob Perkins, who obtained the first patent for a refrigerating machine in 1834.

On 13th September 2010, archaeologists digging at a site in south Wales uncovered an entire suit of Roman armour and some weapons. 

The discovery was made at the fortress of Caerleon and was only the third or fourth to be found in the UK, and the first in Wales. 

The suit was found alongside a number of copper and bronze studs and hinges and was in remarkably good condition considering Roman armour was usually made of iron.

Caerleon (Isca), which dates from AD 75 and was occupied for between 200 and 300 years, was one of three permanent legionary fortresses in the UK and was built to house 5,500 Roman citizens. 

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13th September 1972- Hypermarkets made their debut in the United Kingdom some twenty years after first appearing in France, when French retail giant Carrefour opened a hypermarket in Caerphilly.

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On the Black Hill, directed by Andrew Grieve and based on the novel of the same name by Bruce Chatwin was premiered on 13th September 1988. 

On the Black Hill begins in 1900 with the marriage of dour, puritanical Welsh farmer Amos Jones (Bob Peck) to his social superior, vicar’s daughter Mary Latimer (Gemma Jones).  Through her connections, they are able to rent a local farm, 'The Vision', which causes resentment in their relationship. Their twins Lewis (Robert Gwilym) and Benjamin (Mike Gwilym) grow up through wars, romance and separation and are still farming at 'The Vision' eighty years later. 

Welsh locations for the film included The Black Mountains, Hay-on-Wye and Crickhowell, with props and furniture loaned from local people and appropriate garments knitted by the local WI.

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Born on this day 1964 in Cardiff

Paul Bodin  former Wales soccer international, who played the majority of his career for Swindon Town.  He memorably missed a penalty in the decisive 1994 World Cup qualifier at home to Romania. With the score at 1-1, victory would have secured qualification and Wales were awarded a penalty.  Bodin, normally an excellent penalty taker, took on the responsibility of the kick, but under the immense pressure caused by the enormity of the outcome, hammered the penalty against the bar. Wales went on to lose the match 2-1 and it has been  judged one of the most heartbreaking moments in Welsh sporting history.  Bodin was distraught, but in time has found peace with what had happened.   He is a sensible, dignified man who commendably states that  "I became a better person for what happened"

Born on this day 1951 in Kidwelly

Ray Gravell - former Wales and Lions rugby international

Born in Kidwelly, the son of a collier, Gravell moved to Mynydd Y Garreg at a young age with his family and was educated at Burry Port Secondary Modern School and Carmarthen Grammer School.  He played club rugby for Llanelli and was a member of the team that beat the All Blacks in 1972, eventually going on to captain the club for two seasons from 1980 to 1982.   He made 23 appearances for Wales and played in two Grand Slam winning sides.  In his later career, he would become a respected broadcaster and was also the Grand Sword Bearer of the Gorsedd of Bards, known by his bardic name Ray o'r Mynydd. 

In 2000, he was diagnosed with diabetes which resulted in his right leg being amputated below the knee.  Just six months after the operation, Gravell died of a heart attack on 31 October 2007.  A public funeral was held at Stradey Park, attended by up to ten thousand mourners from all over Wales. Gravell's coffin was carried on to the field by six Llanelli players and during the ceremony, the scoreboard read "Llanelli 9 Seland Newydd 3", just as it did at the end of that famous match in 1972.

At the Wales v France match at the Millenium Stadium in March 2008, Gravell's daughters, Gwenan and Manon, led the Wales team on to the pitch carrying the Triple Crown plate and in the same match, members of the coaching staff wore number 13 shirts bearing Gravell's name .  

Born on this day 1942 in Bancyfelin, near Carmarthen

Delme Thomas - former Wales and Lions rugby international.   As a player Thomas never took a backward step and is best remembered as a warrior like captain of Llanelli RFC.

A quietly spoken man who led by example, his emotional pre-match speech before Llanelli's famous victory against the All Blacks in 1972, moved players to tears and has gone down in rugby legend.  

At the National Eisteddfod in Llanelli in 2000, Thomas was inducted into the Gorsedd of the Bards, in recognition of his contributions to the Welsh language and to Welsh sport .

Born on this day 1939 in Carmarthen

Dennis Coslett - political activist and a member of the Free Wales army, who along with Cayo Evans was imprisoned for 15 months for public order offences in the period just before the Investiture of Prince Charles at Caernarfon in 1969.

At 18, Coslett joined the Royal Welch Fusiliers and later became a coal mine shot firer, where after an industrial accident, he lost the sight of his left eye.

Following, what he saw as Plaid Cymru's insufficient protest to the flooding of the Tryweryn valley in 1965 to provide water supplies for Liverpool, he joined the Free Wales Army, with its aim of independence for Wales.

After his release from prison, Coslett began writing as a career having two books published,"Rebel Heart" and "Patriots and Scoundrels"  

Born on this day 1954 in Cardiff

Sir Michael Jonathan Moritz -  Wales' richest person, estimated as having a fortune of £558 million.

Moritz was educated at Howardian High School in Cardiff before graduating from Christ Church, Oxford with a BA in history. Soon after leaving university he headed to the USA where he worked as a journalist for Time magazine before joining venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, where he is now chairman.  He gave the founders of YouTube rooms at Sequoia's offices as they attempted to work out how to share videos in the company's early days, noting that it amused him that they never made it to work before lunchtime. He made his fortune by investing in internet companies such as YouTube, PayPal, Yahoo, Google, eToys and Zappos.

Moritz is a signatory of "The Giving Pledge", committing himself to give away at least 50% of his wealth to charitable causes  and has donated £75m to Oxford University to support students from families with an income below £16,000 per year.   the largest single donation in the college’s history.

Sir Michael has said he would not even be here today if it were not for the "generosity of strangers", his father had been "plucked" from Nazi Germany and able to attend a good London school on a scholarship, before going on to study at Oxford and settling in Cardiff and maintains that "My personal circumstances have been defined and shaped by where I started in Wales"  

Born on this day 1914 in Newport and raised in Betws.  

Desmond Llewelyn - actor, famous for having played Q in 17 of the James Bond films between 1963 and 1999.  

Llewelyn, the son of a coal mining engineer originally wanted to be a minister but discovered acting by working as a stagehand in school productions.  At the outbreak of World War II, he halted his acting career and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Welch Fusiliers.  In 1940, he became a prisoner of war at Colditz Castle for five years, when captured by the Germans.

 The  Newport Transporter Bridge was opened on September 12th, 1906.  It is one of only six such bridges in the world still operating.

A transporter bridge is in effect, a suspended ferry operated by a high-level boom, which is suspended from towers at each end.

By 1900, Newport's industry had expanded on the east side of the river Usk, but the population was largely based on the west side.  The transporter bridge was seen as the most economical way of carrying the workforce, to their place of work, as a conventional ferry had proved not to be practical, due to the extreme tides and a conventional bridge would have needed a long approach ramp in order to gain enough height to allow tall ships to pass under. 

 On 12th September 2013, The Church in Wales made the historic decision to create women bishops.    

On its completion on 12th September 2008,  The Tower, Meridian Quay in Swansea, became the tallest building in Wales at 107m (351ft).

The tower, which has 29 storeys, houses mainly residential apartments, with a restaurant on the top three floors.  It is reported that a penthouse apartment on the 26th floor was sold for £1 million.  

Born on this day 1933 in Swansea

Len Allchurch - former wales soccer international, whose playing career spanned almost twenty years, most notably he played in the top flight with Sheffield United and had lengthy spells with Swansea City and Stockport County. He is the brother of the late Ivor Allchurch and had the distinction of never receiving a booking or a caution throughout his entire Football League career.  Allchurch earned 11 caps for Wales and was part of the Welsh squad at the 1958 FIFA World Cup.  On his retirement Allchurch became an hotelier in Swansea before running a leather goods business.

Yesterday I (Cambrian Safaris) was asked by someone who wanted to write something for Powys County Council to suggest some examples of 'hidden gems' along the boundary of Powys / Ceredigion in the Cambrian Mountains. This was my answer.

My perspective is more from the Ceredigion side but one of the problems with promoting the Cambrian Mountains is the fact that while a large proportion of the wilderness its self is in Ceredigion, its always been difficult getting people each side of the mountains to work together. Ceredigion is too coastal orientated, Powys isn't interested in half of the Cambrian Mountains because its in Ceredigion.

Historicity the Mountains were quite a barrier to communication, I used to talk at Llywernog Silver lead mine about how it would have been a bit like the Wild West for people coming here for the fist time hundreds of years ago. I think its still like that now for some, unpronounceable place names, narrow roads they dare not venture along, - the unknown in general.

If you travel from England into Wales and across Powys, there is a great Geological change, where ever you enter Wales you are suddenly surrounded by Hills, but to travel from Powys into Ceredigion you really have to mount an expedition across the mountains.

The western boundary of Powys - certainly where it borders Ceredigion, is very much hidden in the heart of the hills. Where it comes down to the coast near Machynlleth, people travelling along the A487 must be aware they are squeezed between the mountains and the sea. If you turn in land anywhere along that stretch, the roads are tiny.

Travelling the A44 to Aberystwyth, you climb as high as the mountain passes in the Lake district, passing from the Upper Wye valley at Eisteddfa Gurig the road passes through a narrow gap as if into another world, the bends on the way down to Dyffryn Castell giving dramatic views of a new valley, then on through Ponterwyd and past Bwlch Nant Y Arian where there is a fabulous view to the coast.

If you take the old coach road from Kington to Aberystwyth, between Rhayader and Devils Bridge you climb to 1600 feet with views of the Arans and much of Northern Powys, you drop into the upper wilderness of the Elan Valley and again, there is a tight pass into the upper Ystwyth Valley as you enter Ceredigion. The Ystwyth changes character at almost every turn in the road, magic around every corner. (Part 2 of my trip up the Ystwyth is coming soon!) Over the hill and past "The Arch' there are views to the sea and Aberystwyth.

If you head west from Builth Wells on the Main Trunk road which heads for Llandovery, only a few people will turn off at Beulah and follow in the footsteps of the Drovers returning to Ceredigion. The Abergwesyn Mountain road is 20 miles or so of single track road, starting off up thebeautifulIrfon Valley with Oak woodlands typical of many steep sided valleys in mid Wales and then climbing the 'Dev ils staircase" into the forestry, and plunging down in to the mighty Towi valley, turn left here for the spectacular Llyn Brianne reservoir, or right - if you have a very capable 4x4 - to follow the famous 'Strata Florida' green lane (rough track) to the monastery of that name. The regular road climbs 2 more summits, reaching over 1,500 feet, with views to the Brecon Beacons, before plunging down to Tregaron in the Teifi Vally;

Heading out of the mountains towards Tregaron, here the Drovers would be nearly home.

Skirting the south of the Cambrian Mountains, roads from Llandovery and Llanwrda head for Lampeter, passing the Dolaucothi Gold Mines. Its possible to explore the lower Towi valley up to Llyn Brianne and a variety of roads from the upper Cothi valley over to Llanddewi Brefi and the Teifi Valley.

For me, the greatest 'hidden gem' is the diversity of Landscape and the regularity with which the view changes, the appearance of the Landscape changes. For those who venture west, the reward is the surprise around the next corner.

Its not Just about specific places, there are favourite spots of course, but visitors could waste a lot of time trying to find specific locations and miss some of the hidden gems along the way and thestories to go with the drama of the scenery.

Mid Wales has a huge amount to offer, but the Cambrian Mountains don't have the same profile and image for promotion as the better known National Park areas in the North and South of Wales.

The first Women's Institute meeting in Britain was held in Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch on 11 September 1915

The WI movement had begun in Canada in 1897 for the wives of members of the Farmers' Institute.  In the UK,  it was originally set up to revitalise rural communities and to encourage women to become more involved in producing food during the First World War.  After the first year, there were 40 WIs across the UK and has since grown to become the UK's largest women's voluntary organisation. There are in excess of 200,000 members in over 6,500 branches, offering women the chance to take part in a range of  various activities and to campaign for important  local issues.

The Abercarn colliery disaster occurred following an explosion within the Prince of Wales Colliery in the village of Abercarn, on 11 September 1878, killing 268 men and boys.

Shortly after midday, the inhabitants of the valley were startled by the reverberation of three distinct explosions, followed by the sight of fierce flames and dense  smoke issuing from the mouth of the shaft.   The colliery’s steam whistle blew, signalling an emergency  and in a remarkably short space of time the roads leading to the pit were crowded with men, women, and children hastening to ascertain what had happened. Search parties were organised without delay.  The rescue was hampered by the fact that  the explosion had caused significant damage to mine’s roadways and supporting timber structures, the shaft was full of smoke and overturned trams were strewn all around.  By the faint light of the safety lamps rescuers saw dead human bodies intermingled with those of  horses, but incredibly there were survivors.  Badly shook and severely burned,  82 colliers were  drawn up the shaft to the safety of the open air.  But the rejoicing of those outside was short-lived, as most of the survivors were suffering from the effects of the toxic after-damp and death soon released them from their sufferings 

The cause of the disaster was assumed to have been the ignition of firedamp by a safety lamp and it is the third worst for loss of life to occur within the South Wales Coalfield.

Today is the feast day of Saint Deiniol (died 584)  the first Bishop of Bangor.

Saint Deiniol  was the grandson of Pabo Post Prydain a King of Yr Hen Ogledd, and when the family lost their land in the North of England, they were given land by the King of Powys, Cyngen ap Cadell.  Deiniol is said to have studied under St Cadoc and to have been later given land by Maelgwyn Gwynedd to found a monastery on the site where Bangor Cathedral now stands.  He attended the Synod of Llanddewi Brefi c.545 with Saint David and was also consecrated by David the same year. He is buried on Bardsey Island and is also venerated in Monmouthshire, Herefordshire and Brittany.

On September 11th 1297, The Battle of Stirling Bridge occurred.  It was the scene of William Wallace's greatest triumph against the English.

The 'name' Wallace is an old Scots term meaning Welsh speaking or 'of Welsh stock' and although William Wallace was born and raised in Scotland, it is almost certain that his ancestors were Welsh. The Wallace's left Oswestry, which up until that time was in Wales, for Scotland around the year 1170.

The town of Stirling was the key entry point to the north of Scotland and a mighty English Army under the command of the Earl of Surrey, had arrived in Stirling on a mission to put down Scots resistance to English rule.  The Scots waited until half of the English force had crossed the bridge. Then William Wallace led a charge that cut into the unprepared English, splitting their army in two, and reinforcements from the far bank could only be sent in twos across the bridge. Most of the men who had crossed were killed by the Scots and the English baggage train was captured. Surrey fled south to Berwick. 

Wallace went on to lead a destructive raid into northern England and by March 1298, he had emerged as Guardian of Scotland. His glory, however, was brief, for Edward I, who had returned from Flanders, led a force north himself.  The two men finally met on the field of Falkirk in the summer of 1298, where Wallace was defeated and forced to go on the run.

Wallace evaded capture until 5 August 1305 when he was turned over to the English and transported to London, where he was tried and found guilty of treason.  In his defence, his stated that he was never Edward's subject and, therefore, could not be a traitor. However on 23rd August 1305, he was stripped naked and dragged through the city at the heels of a horse to the Elms at Smithfield, where he was hanged, drawn and quartered, released whilst still alive, emasculated and his bowels burnt in front of him.  He was then beheaded and his preserved head (dipped in tar) was placed on a pike on top of London Bridge.

Born on this day 1977  in Carmarthen

Matthew Stevens  - Professional snooker player. Stevens has won the Benson and Hedges Masters (2000) and the UK Championship (2003).  He was also  runner-up in the World Snooker Championship in 2000 and 2005.

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46 people, including 14 from South Wales, died on 11th September 1982 when a Chinook helicopter crashed into a motorway in Mannheim in Germany. 

Members of the Swansea Skydiving Club had been invited to take part in an air show to celebrate the 375th anniversary of the city of Mannheim.  They were part of a group trying to set a free-falling world record. 

Thousands of spectators gathered to watch parachutists from the twinned cities of Swansea, Mannheim and Toulon in France, trying to form the largest ever joined-circle of free-falling skydivers.  However, the helicopter developed problems and an emergency landing was attempted when the rear rotor blade detached and the aircraft crashed on a nearby motorway.

And the winning image is:

The Americymru Focal View International Salon

Winners of Cycle One July & August.

For more details about the competition and to view the other winning entries visit FocalView.

ETO Issue Two

For information about the forthcoming issue of eto please visit the eto website here .

In addition to the prizes awarded by FocalView the winner of this competition will receive a free hard copy of eto 2 and full accreditation in the publication. If you missed the opportunity to enter this time round, watch this space for announcements about further photographic competitions to come soon.

William Morgan (1545 – 10 September 1604) was Bishop of Llandaff and of St Asaph and the translator of the first version of the whole Bible into Welsh from Greek and Hebrew.  This  is now looked on as a major monument in the history of the Welsh language, as it meant that the Welsh people could read the Bible in their own language.

Morgan was born  at Ty Mawr Wybrnant, in the parish of Penmachno, near Betws y Coed and it is thought that he was initially educated at Gwydir Castle, near Llanrwst, along with the children of the Wynn family, before going to St John's College, Cambridge, where he studied Greek, mathematics, philosophy and Biblical studies, including a study of the Bible in Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic.  In 1572, he became clergyman of the parish of Llanbadarn Fawr, followed by appointments to Welshpool in  1575 and Llanrhaedr ym Mochnant in 1578.

Morgan was a firm believer in the importance of having the Bible translated into Welsh and in 1588, published his own translation of the Old Testament, together with a revision of Salesbury's New Testament.  A revised version of this Bible, published in 1620 and known as William Morgan's translation, became the standard Welsh Bible until the 20th century.

Morgan was appointed to the bishoprics of Llandaff in 1595 and St Asaph in 1601. He died on 10 September 1604.  

First complete Bible in Welsh

Bible translations into Welsh had existed since at least the 15th century, but the first complete and most widely used translation for several centuries was the 1588 translation by William Morgan.

In 1549, Edward VI passed the Act of Uniformity, which  required all acts of public worship to be conducted in English instead of Latin.  The intention behind the act was to root the Protestant Reformation introduced by Henry VIII among the mass of the population and it seemed to signal the end for the Welsh language.  However, in 1563 Elizabeth I introduced legislation which appeared to contradict the 1549 act, in that it required all churches in Wales by 1567 to have Welsh translations of the Book of Common Prayer and the Bible alongside the English versions.  The idea possibly being that the Welsh would compare the two and maybe thereby learn English.  However, its contribution to the survival of the Welsh language was immense.

Key dates; 

1549 - The Book of Common Prayer was published in English

1551 - The Denbighshire scholar William Salesbury published a Welsh translation of The Book of Common Prayer's main texts.

1567 - Salesbury translated the New Testament into Welsh.

1588 - Bishop William Morgan translated the whole bible into Welsh.  

Born on this day 1937 in Blackwood.

Alun Pask - former Wales rugby captain and Lions international, who played club rugby for Abertillery.

Alun Pask was an exceptionally gifted a player, who at 6ft 3in and 15st, was one of the great forwards of the Sixties.  He possessed an athleticism and ball-handling skill quite out of keeping with the norm during the era.  His versatility was such that he could catch and kick as well as any back and he is remembered for one event in particular, when in 1962 in the game against France in Cardiff, he chased at caught, one of the fastest men in rugby, the French wing Henri Rancoule, thereby saving the game for Wales (who won 3-0).  

      

On 10th September 2001, former Pontypridd College business studies lecturer Tecwen Whittock shot to notoriety after he used a series of coded coughs to help Major Charles Ingram cheat his way to the £1,000,000 top prize on the quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?.

On nearly every question that night, Ingram would try to say all four choices by giving a humourous comment on each of them. Then Tecwen, would cough immediately after Ingram said the correct answer.  The shows production team were suspicious during the show, but were certain something was up when the Ingrams returned to their dressing room and instead of celebrating, they had a huge quarrel, apparently, Diana (Ingram's wife) who organized the scam only wanted to make it to 64,000 pounds and leave so they would have less of a chance of getting caught. 

During the ensuing trial, Whittock claimed to have suffered from a persistent cough for his entire life caused by a combination of hay fever and a dust allergy and that it was only coincidence that his throat problem coincided with the right answer, he also  portrayed himself as a "serial quiz show loser" because he had been eliminated in round one of 15 to 1 and had only won an atlas on his appearance on Sale of the Century. However, Whittock had twice won the Wales heat of Brain of Britain(on BBC Radio 4). They were found guilty, with the Ingrams both given an 18 months suspended jail sentence, with court fees of £115,000 and Whittock given a 12 month suspended sentence, with a fine of £10,000 and £7,500 costs.

After the scandal, Whittock had to patent his own name after discovering that a pharmaceutical company planned to launch a cough mixture called Tecwen Relief ".  He is currently writing a book about his experiences and  is trying to make a living out of after-dinner speaking about his Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? experiences, in which he promises "very interesting and humorous anecdotes" from his part in the Millionaire scandal.  

On 10th September 1814 the last recorded pistol duel in Wales took place, near Newcastle Emlyn, in which Thomas Heslop was killed by solicitor John Beynon following a drink-fuelled quarrel over the affections of a barmaid.

The story goes that Heslop, a mysterious man of West Indian origin and a recent arrival to Wales, who lived in Carmarthen, had been invited to a partridge shoot by Beynon. At the end of the day, the shooting party retired to the Old Salutation Inn at Adpar, for an evening of drinking and it was here that the two men fell, reulting in Beynon being challenged to a duel by Heslop.

They stood with their backs towards each other on either side of a stream, armed with flintlock pistols and were supposed to walk 10 paces before turning and firing. However it is said that Beynon only walked five paces before turning and shooting Heslop in the back. Heslop died instantly and was buried at nearby Llandyfyriog Church, with the inscription "Alas Poor Heslop" being engraved on his grave stone.

Beynon was initially convicted of manslaughter, but a number of powerful and well-known county figures spoke up on his behalf and he escaped with a fine.

I enjoyed the St David's Noson lawn event yesterday.Good being among my welsh friends.

Mari Morgan, the ever perfect MC, David Enlow, Piano Accompanist and Incredible organist, David Morgan, President of the SocietyJames Thomas ,and Catrin Brace,head of Marketing and PR for USA .All sharing this happy and popular event.

Willie Mae, A fellow cabaret artiste did a wonderful rendition of "Lover Man" Colleen Kennedy did an amazing performance of an aria in welsh. The amazing Betty "Hedrick sang Would't it Be Lovely"(look out Julie)E.Jean Ward Greenaway's, introduction to the "The Rhondda Suite".and Tegwen Epstien's hilarious reading of her recovering from the National Welsh Festival in Toronto, Among others. All contributing their talents to this popular event.

I myself offered up Pererin Wyf. Request from David Morgan.

A perfect finish to the event was a beautiful rendition of we'll keep a welcome by Mary Lynn Bird.Who also did a special rendition of "One Kiss" And What a beautiful song bird she is.

Thank you all for a lovely afternoon .Worth the hour spent trying to park my car.

On 9th September 1953, Welsh poet and playwright Dylan Thomas handed the barely completed script for the play for voices Under Milk Wood to the BBC before embarking on a reading tour of the United States.  His intention was to revise the script before its first broadcast. However, Dylan died during the American tour and was never able to edit the play.  

An omniscient narrator invites the audience to listen to the dreams and innermost thoughts of the inhabitants of a fictional small Welsh fishing village Llareggub ("bugger all" backwards). These include the nagging Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard; Captain Cat, remembering his life at sea; Organ Morgan ; the two Mrs Dai Breads  and Polly Garter.  When the town awakes, we see them go about their business and how their hidden emotions affect their daily lives.

There is no doubt that Dylan based many of these characters on the inhabitants of Laugharne, a small seaside town in Carmarthenshire where Dylan had lived for several years. It is the author of this post's small claim to fame that the character of Captain Cat was based on Great Uncle Johnny, a retired sea Captain who was almost blind, and who spent many hours conversing with Dylan Thomas in Laugharne.

On September 9th 2009, Carnedd Uchaf, a peak in the Ogwen valley in Snowdonia, was renamed Carnedd  Gwenllian in honour of Princess Gwenllian, the daughter of Llywelyn, the last native Prince of Wales.  The peak has been renamed following a campaign by the Gwenllian Society. Other summits in the Carneddau range have also been named  as Carnedd Llywelyn and Yr Elen after Gwenllian's parents Llywelyn and Eleanor. The new name will also be used in the latest editions of Ordnance Survey maps for the area.

John Penry (9th September 1559 – 29 May 1593) is Wales's most famous Protestant martyr.  He was born at a farm near Llangammarch, Powys and is known studied at Peterhouse, Cambridge in 1580.

Originally a Catholic, Penry soon became a Protestant, with strong Puritan views.  Following an act of parliament in 1562, which had laid the groundwork for translating the Bible into Welsh and the issuing of the translation of the New Testament in 1567, Penry was critical of the failure of  there being enough copies for each parish church in Wales.

In 1590, Archbishop Whitgift, angry at the criticism, had Penry's house at Northampton searched and imprisoned him for a month, but Penry managed to escape to Scotland, where he continued to publish his works. Penry returned to England in  1592, becoming a regular preacher for separatist congregation in London (a group who had lost hope in reforming the church from within) and was arrested and imprisoned once more in 1593 on a charge of sedition, based on the  draft of a petition to Queen Elizabeth I that contained harsh and offensive language.

He was hanged on 29 May 1593 without being allowed to see his wife, Eleanor, or his daughters, Comfort, Deliverance, Sure-Hope and Safety. 

Born on 9th September 1914, Alexander Cordell was the pen name of George Alexander Graber, an adoptive Welshman who was one of Wales' most prolific writers.

Cordell was born in Columbo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in September 1914.  As his father had done so before him, Cordell entered the army and served with the Royal Engineers during World War Two. It was while convalescing from a wartime injury that he was sent to north Wales and it was from here that his love for Wales grew.  A Thought of Honour, published in 1954 was his first novel, followed by perhaps his most famous work, Rape of the Fair Country (1959), set in Blaenafon.  The second novel in what was to be a trilogy, Hosts of Rebecca, followed a year later. Cordell produced the third novel of the trilogy, Song of the Earth, in 1969.  After his death in 1997, Torfaen  Council bought his desk and typewriter and put them on display in the Blaenafon Community Heritage & Cordell Museum. 

Selected bibliography:

Rape of the Fair Country (1959)

Hosts of Rebecca (1960)

Song of the Earth (1969)

This Sweet & Bitter Earth (1977)

Land of My Fathers (1983)  

Born on this day 1932 in Liverpool

Alice Thomas Ellis  - critically acclaimed novelist and columnist of the popular Home Life series in the Spectator

Born in Liverpool as Anna Lindholm, she moved in Penmaenmawr to her mother's family during the second world war and her childhood in northwest Wales was to have a big impression on her throughout her life, with several of her novels having a Welsh background.  She was educated at Bangor Grammar School and Liverpool School of Art and at 19 she converted to Catholicism, becoming a prospective nun, before embarking on a bohemian lifestyle in 1950s. 

Much of Thomas Ellis's life was absorbed by motherhood. She had seven children, her second son Joshua died at the age of 19 after he fell off a roof at Euston station while trainspotting.   It was his death that made her go on writing, comparing the pain of his death to a form of amputation.

Her complex personality was demonstrated by the diversity of the subjects about which she wrote.  For example, she was stongly anti-feminist but wrote about independent, strong women, she was averse to housework, but was an accomplished cook and she took a relaxed view of her friends' tangled love lives, yet she was fiercely opposed to the liberal movement of the Catholic church and the idea of women priests.  After the death of her husband she moved to an isolated farmhouse in Powys, to concentrate on her writing.  She was elected in 1999 a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. 

On 9th September 1680, Henry Marten (regicide of King Charles I of England) died a prisoner in Chepstow Castle. choking whilst eating his supper. 

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