King Henry V  (Henry of Monmouth)

Henry was born at Monmouth Castle, the son of Henry IV and  Mary de Bohun.  His date of birth was not officially documented as at the time, he was not considered to be close to the line of succession to the throne, but two birth dates are suggested: 9 August or 16 September, in either 1386 or 1387.  

After military experience fighting for his father against enemies including Owain Glyndwr and Henry Mortimer, Henry became King of England from 1413 until his death in 1422 and embarked on war with France, which culminated in his famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt. 

Henry features in three plays by William Shakespeare. He is shown as a young scapegrace who redeems himself in battle in the two Henry IV plays and as a decisive leader in Henry V. 

KING HENRY V - I wear it for a memorable honour; For I am Welsh, you know, good countryman.

FLUELLEN - All the water in Wye cannot wash your majesty's Welsh plood out of your pody, I can tell you that: God pless it and preserve it, as long as it pleases his grace and his majesty too!

The first permanent ride erected at Coney Beach was opened on 9th August 1918.

This was the Figure 8 that had originally been brought to Swansea by the US government to entertain the American troops during the First World War. After the end of the war, the brothers Charlie and Marshall Evans bought it and erected it in Porthcawl.

1918 saw the first workers holiday which was the last week of July and the first week of August and was to become known as the miner's fortnight. Porthcawl, situated directly on the seafront of Sandy Bay and at the Eastern end of the coastline was the ideal venue as it and was easily accessible for miners coming down from the Valleys. 

The park was named after the New York amusement park on Coney Island, thereby maintaining the US link and was constructed on the town's old ballast tip. In the early days, the park's entertainment included a bandstand, an indoor and outdoor skating rink, three cinemas, a Pierrot stage and donkey and pony rides. 

During World War 2, the site was used for billeting the 15th battalion of the Welsh Regiment and the Belgian Brigade's armoured car division.  After the war, the park experienced a boom in popularity, with events such as aerial acrobat shows, boxing matches and firework displays drawing hundreds of visitors from all over Wales and with the extension of the M4 motorway in the 1960s, Porthcawl became an easily accessible holiday destination.  So  much  so that by the late 1980s thousands of people visited the park every year, with additional attractions such as professional darts and snooker tournaments, open air markets and circuses being staged.

Normal service was resumed in April 1946 after the war came to an end.  It was in the 1950s that the park experienced its boom in popularity – events such as boxing matches, firework displays and aerial acrobat shows organised by the Royal Air Force drew in crowds of hundreds from all over Wales. As transport links improved further following the extension of the M4 motorway into South Wales in the 1960s and 1970s Porthcawl was an ideal holiday place with the park being one of the town's main attractions. Further events, such as open-air markets, circuses, and professional darts and snooker tournament were staged. By the late 1980s, thousands of people visited the park from all over the world as more road and rail improvements in South Wales made easier access.  

However, the popularity of overseas holidays and the subsequent decline of the traditional British seaside holiday, along with the closure of the railway line into Porthcawl has resulted in the park now being run on a much smaller scale.

The first stone of Holyhead Pier on Ynys Mon (Anglesey) was laid on 9th August 1810.  

The Admiralty Pier was opened in 1821 and at 300 metres (980 ft)  has been used to handle ferry traffic since it was opened. Due to the historical links between Britain and Ireland the pier has twice had royal visitors, on 7 August 1821 when King George IV arrived from Ireland and then in 1898 when Queen Victoria set sail for her last voyage to Ireland.

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August, the film, was first screened on 9th August 1996 , starring and directed by Anthony Hopkins and featuring Rhys Ifans in  one of his earliest film roles.   It is based on Chekhov's Uncle Vanya and was Hopkins's first time as a director with a full cast (he had previously directed the one-man-performance of Dylan Thomas: Return Journey in 1990).

On 9th August 1211, Marcher lord, William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber, a major landholder in Wales, died in France, after fleeing there from Wales the previous year,  disguised as a beggar.   

William de Braose was a favourite of King John, who gave him the titles of Lord of Gower, Glamorgan, Brecknock, Abergavenny, Builth, Radnor and Kington.   His wife Maud was put her in charge of Hay Castle and is often referred to as the Lady of Hay. 

1175 , William de Braose was responsible for the Abergavenny Massacre, when three Welsh princes and other local leaders were lured to their deaths at a Christmas feast at Abergavenny Castle.  He was subsequently called the "Ogre of Abergavenny" by the Welsh. 

1198 , Maud defended Painscastle against an attack led by Gwenwynwyn, Prince of Powys Wenwynwen, in which three thousand Welsh were killed. 

1208 , William de Braose quarrelled with King John and Maud made accusations against King John regarding the murder of John's nephew, Arthur of Brittany.  The King took all of their land and castles and the de Braose's were forced to flee to Ireland,  

1210  De Braose returned to Wales and allied himself with Llywelyn ap Iorwerth in his rebellion against King John. Maud and her son were soon apprehended and imprisoned at Corfe Castle, Dorset, where they were starved to death. 

1211 , William de Braose died in France, after fleeing there from Wales the previous year, disguised as a beggar.