Born on this day 1912 in Barry.

Gwynfor Evans - politician, lawyer and author.

His father ran a chain of shops in Barry and his mother a china shop.  Evans was educated at Barry County School, where he was captain of both the cricket and hockey teams.  At school, he also began learning Welsh but did not become fully fluent until the age of seventeen.  He later graduated  from Aberystwyth and Oxford Universities, qualifying as a lawyer.  Also during his time at Oxford, he founded a branch of Plaid Cymru.

A pacifist and a committed Christian, Gwynfor declared himself a conscientious objector during the Second World War and as such was required to appear before a tribunal which, recognising the firmness of his beliefs, registered him unconditionally. In 1945 -  Evans became president of Plaid Cymru and is also credited with keeping the party going through the lean years of the 1940s and 1950s  

In 1949, Evans was elected to Carmarthenshire County Council.

In the 1950s he campaigned to prevent the damming of the Tryweryn river river in order to supply the city of Liverpool with water .

On 14 July 1966, Evans won the parliamentary seat of Carmarthen in a by-election caused by the death of Lady Megan Lloyd George, daughter of  David Lloyd George.  It was Plaid Cymru's first parliamentary seat and followed unsuccessful attempts by Gwynfor at the general elections between 1945 and 1959.  Shy, introverted and thin-skinned, Evans was not a typical politician and was the first to admit he was not really cut out for the rough and tumble of Westminster, but he was unswerving in his beliefs, backed by centuries of Welsh history.

Evans lost the seat in 1970, but won it back in  1974, this time, returning to Parliament accompanied by two other Plaid Cymru MPs, Dafydd Wigley and Dafydd Elis Thomas.

In 1980, his threat to go on hunger strike, after the Conservatives did not honour their election promise of a Welsh language television channel, was instrumental in bringing about a U-turn on the part of Margaret Thatcher and S4C began broadcasting on 1 November 1982.  

In his political retirement he became a prolific writer. His work Aros Mae, a comprehensive history of Wales, and the English-language version Land of my Fathers, were best-sellers.

The Great Hurricane of 1908

The sinking of the barque Amazon off Margam Sands on 1st September 1908, with the loss of 21 crew;

A storm that began on the afternoon of Monday 31 August had increased to hurricane proportions by the morning of 1 September, with winds reaching up to 90 miles an hour and causing severe damage all along the South Wales coast.

With waves of nearly 60 feet, the captains of many vessels decided to remain in port, but for Captain Garrick of the barque Amazon, fully laden with coal on its outward journey from Port Talbot to Chile, there was little option but to brave the elements. he anchored off the Mumbles and tried to ride out the gale.

However at 6am on 1st September the Amazon's cables parted and the ship was driven eastwards. Pounded by the waves, the stricken vessel swung sideways on to the storm and was thrown up onto Margam Sands, bow first.

There were just eight survivors.  Many of the crew had tried to swim to safety, six made it ashore, but the remainder were immediately lost in the huge seas and when the Port Talbot Lifesaving Company arrived on the scene only two men were left alive on the ship. Twenty-one were drowned, including Captain Garrick, who had been lashed to the mainmast and whose body was discovered 8 days later near Sker Point.

A Public House in Port Talbot, "The Amazon" is named after the ship.

The Forestry Commission was established as a result of the Forestry Act on 1st September 1919.  

The Act set up the Forestry Commission, which had responsibility for woods in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.  It was a result of the difficulties Britain had meeting  demands on timber during the First World War, especially, the need for the large amounts required for trench warfare.

Britain's woodland resources had been declining since the middle ages but reached an all-time low - just 5% of land area - by the beginning of the 20th Century.  The outbreak of war made policians aware that Britain could not rely on timber imports and needed to rebuild and maintain a strategic timber reserve.  So David Lloyd George introduced the commission as being the most effective way of coordinating a reafforestation plan to meet timber needs for the foreseeable future.

1920's  -  Agriculture was depressed and the Commission was able to buy land cheaply. Public concern regarding the planting of blanket conifers led to the practice of planting hardwoods alongside roads.

1930's  -  The main market was for pit props, because of the great dependance on coal.  In 1937 the Commission began working with the Board of Trade to draw up detailed plans for felling in the event of war.

1940's  -  The Second World War and its aftermath had a major impact on forestry in Britain.  Once the War was over restoring the forest estate became a priority for the Commission. But forestry was repeatedly to clash with agriculture interests as the need to produce home grown food increased,  therefore planting was gradually moved onto land which was unsuitable for other crops, which also saw the  building of a network of forest roads.

1950s, 60s and 70s  -  Saw dramatic surges in output and income.  Technical progress allowed planting on previously unplantable land. The axe and cross-cut saw disappeared, replaced by the lightweight chainsaw.  Conservation and amenity issues became more central in the Commission's planning and forestry policy.  Emphasis was on maintaining woodland character and the importance of broadleaves.  Forests were identified as important wildlife reserves. 

1980s  -  These were years of change and challenge, as recession hit timber users. The Commission began to develop export markets, much to Scandinavia.

1990s  -  The  post-War forests reach maturity and are carefully restructured with the encouragement of more broadleaf planting.  Environmental concerns were to the fore and forest officers work closely with wildlife conservation groups to help threatened species such as the red squirrel and nightjar. Ventures such as the Valleys Forest Initiative in Wales brought local people a new sense of ownership of their woods, with  Education and Recreation Rangers managing a wide range of recreation and tourist facilities.

2011  -  The results of aerial photography and satellite imagery showed that woodland across England, Scotland and Wales, represented 13% of Britain’s land area - compared to the 5% tree cover, when the Commission was formed some 90 years earlier.

2013  -  The Forestry Commissions' responsibilities in Wales were transferred to a new body - Natural Resources Wales, marking the end of the Commission's 94 years.

Born on this day 1975 in Pontypridd

Martyn Williams, MBE  - former Wales captain and Lions rugby international.  Williams currently holds the Welsh record for most appearances in the Five and Six Nations championships, surpassing Gareth Edwards' record of 45 and his overall total of 100 caps makes him Wales' most-capped forward. He was a key member of Wales Grand Slam winning side of 2008, and was considered by many to be the best player of the tournament.

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Born on this day 1707 in Bachygraig near St Asaph, Flintshire.

Sir John Salusbury , who  was a member of the Salusbury family,  which at the time controlled most of Denbighshire.  In 1749 Salusbury left with Edward Cornwallis and became co-founder of Halifax, Nova Scotia and as such is credited as being one of the founders of modern Canada .  He spent much of his time as a magistrate for the colony, but his legacy is perhaps best encapsulated in his diaries regarding the campaign to establish the colony, which became a vital source of information regarding the hardships and difficulties regarding its development.

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Sir Leoline Jenkins, from Cowbridge, who died on 1 September 1685,  was a staunch Royalist during the English Civil War , for which at "The Resoration" he was rewarded by King Charles II by being made Principal of Jesus College, Oxford from 1661 to 1673.  During this period, he was responsible for a lot of its construction work, including the college library.  He was also created Judge of the Admiralty, responsible for the negotiation of international treaties and won  warm praise from Samuel Pepys for his ability and integrity.

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On 1st September, 1879 at the Milford Dock Company's engineers' dance at the Lord Nelson Hotel, Milford Haven, a ballroom in the U.K, was lit for the first time entirely by electricity. 

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The Severn Tunnel was opened to trains on this day in 1886.  

London to South Wales was an important trade and passenger route, however, the Severn estuary was a major obstacle, with rail travellers having to break their journey on reaching the Severn and take a ferry to rejoin a train on the other side.  The Severn Estuary is also known for having treacherous tides and this part of the journey often experienced delays and was uncomfortable for passengers.

The Victorians produced some great engineers and they were prepared to accept the technical challenge of tunnelling under the Severn, with the project beginning in 1873, however, six years later they hit the Great Spring. 

Huge pumps were brought in, but they were unable to seal off the spring until 1881.  Since then a massive pump has continued to pump out 50 million litres of water per day, which is now sold to a local water company. 

 On September 1st 1886, the first freight trains began to use the tunnel, and on the 1st December 1886 a regular passenger service was opened, cutting the journey from London to South Wales by one hour.

The first match at Cardiff City's former home football ground, Ninian Park, was played on 1st September 1910. Ninian Park was built in 1910 by ambitious amateur club Riverside FC who turned professional and joined the Southern League as Cardiff City.  The ground was named after Lord Ninian Stuart of the Bute family who agreed to be a guarantor for the club - proving that the practice of naming stadia after sponsors is nothing new.  Reigning Football League champions Aston Villa were the first visitors in September 1910 and the newly christened club gave a good account of themselves in narrowly losing 2-1. 

The former council rubbish dump on Sloper Road initially posed a hazard to players, such as Scotland international Peter McWilliam who gashed his leg on a piece of glass and never played again.   Players were even paid extra for turning up on the morning of a match to clear the pitch of broken glass and other objects.  

Ninian Park has also hosted many memorable international fixtures, including the Welsh victory over Israel in 1958, which saw Wales qualify for their first - and so far only - World Cup finals.

Maurice FitzGerald, Norman Lord of Llanstephan (c. 1105 – 1st September 1177) was the second son of Gerald de Windsor, the Constable of Pembroke Castle and his wife, Nest ferch Rhys, of Deheubarth and therefore an uncle of Gerald of Wales ( Giraldus Cambrensis). He was also a major figure in the Norman invasion of Ireland and regarded as the founder of the FitzGerald dynasty of Ireland.

1136  - As a Norman Marcher Lord, Maurice fought against a Welsh revolt with forces from Gwynedd and Deheubarth under the leadership of Owain Gwynedd, Cadwaladr ap Gruffydd and Gruffydd ap Rhys under Robert FitzMartin at the Battle of Crug Mawr.

This Battle was a significant setback to Norman expansion in Wales, as after some hard fighting and suffering 3,000 casualties, the Normans were put to flight and when trying to cross the River Teifi, the bridge broke and hundreds are said to have drowned, filling the river with the bodies horses and men. Many others fled to  Cardigan, which was subsequently burned by the Welsh.

1169  - Diarmait Mac Murchada (Dermot MacMurrough), the former King of Leinster, sought Cambro-Norman assistance to regain his throne. Maurice participated in the resulting Norman invasion of Ireland and assisted his younger half-brother Robert Fitz-Stephen in the Siege of Wexford

1171  - Maurice participated in the Norman's successful assault on Dublin.  

Born on this day 1942 in Llay, near Wrexham

Terry Hennessey  - former Wales soccer international, who made over 400 Football League appearances in the 1960s and 1970s with Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest and Derby County.

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