On 4th October 2013, despite opposition, the Newport Chartist Mural was controversially demolished to make way for a new shopping centre development.   

The Chartist Mural, celebrated the Chartist uprising of 1839 when John Frost led a march of thousands of protestors to the Westgate Hotel and was fired on by troops, with some 22 demonstrators killed.

The mosaic, designed by Kenneth Buddmural comprised of 200,000 pieces of tile and glass, it was 115 feet long and 13 feet high and situated in a pedestrian underpass in Newport. Its panels depicted;   

* The march of the armed Chartist insurrectionists towards Newport.   

* The Chartists' marching banners for the democratic demands of the Six Points of the People's Charter.   

* Their convergence on the Westgate Hotel to protest their demands.   

* The final tragedy when soldiers opened fire upon the assembled Chartists.   

On 4th October 1976, British Rail began its Inter-City 125 mph High-Speed Train service, with the first scheduled journey on the London - Bristol - Cardiff  route.  Powered by two diesel motors the Inter-City 125 recorded a top speed of over 140mph, making it the fastest diesel-powered train in the world at the time.  Its introduction made significant reductions in journey times across the UK and led to a marked surge in passenger numbers. 

In the absence of an official ceremony by British Rail to mark the occasion, passengers were unaware that they were making history as the 0805 left Paddington.  But most travellers did appreciate some improvement in comfort, with the aircraft-like seating and sliding electric doors at the end of each carriage.  Hot food was also served quickly from an onboard kitchen with the aid of a then state-of-the-art microwave oven.  

Born on this day 1946 in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City. 

Actress Susan Sarandon, who won an Oscar for her performance in the 1995 film "Dead Man Walking" and also gained cult status for her role as Janet in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". 

She is descended from the Tomalin family of Carmarthenshire and tests for the BBC programme "Coming Home" showed that her DNA was "clearly very Welsh".    

Born on this day 1984 in Johannesburg, South Africa (brought up in Aberdare) 

Ian Evans  - Wales and Lions rugby international.   

Born on this day 1958 in Cowbridge. 

Anne "Anneka" Rice - television presenter. 

Rice began her TV career as a trainee for the BBC World Service, before moving to Hong Kong, where she presented the news on English-language television station TVB Pearl. Upon returning to the UK, she worked as a secretary in the BBC Children's department and landed her first major TV job as the jump-suited "sky runner" of Channel 4's Treasure Hunt, in 1983 which was hosted by former BBC newsman Kenneth Kendall.  Rice hosted the BBC's Children in Need appeal in 1987 and then launched, Challenge Anneka in 1989. 

Rice quit television in 1998 to study for and ultimately gain a degree in painting at Chelsea College of Art.  Then in 2003 Rice returned to presenting on the Five show Dinner Doctors and in 2012 she became co-presenter of The Flowerpot Gang on BBC1 with Joe Swift (TV garden presenter) and Phil Tufnell (ex-cricketer).   She was also confirmed in 2012, as the successor to Zoe Ball on Radio 2's Weekend Breakfast show, on Saturday mornings.  

Brigadier Lewis Pugh Evans from Abermad, near Aberystwyth, was awarded the Victoria Cross for action on 4th October 1917, near Zonnebeke, Belgium during The First World War. 

Whilst leading his batallion on an assault, they came under strong machine gun fire. Lt.-Col. Evans rushed the garrison and captured it by firing his revolver through the loophole.  He refused medical attention, even though severely wounded and led his battalion forward against a second position.  When this objective was completed and their position was secure, Evans collapsed from loss of blood, but as there were many other casualties, he refused immediate assistance and made his own way to the Dressing Station. 

On 3rd October 1283: Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the brother of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, become the first prominent person in recorded history to be hanged, drawn and quartered.  He was also the first person known to have been tried and executed for high treason against the King.

Dafydd was dragged through Shrewsbury, attached to a horse's tail then hanged alive, revived, then disembowelled and his entrails burned before him for "his sacrilege in committing his crimes in the week of Christ's passion", and then his body cut into four quarters "for plotting the king's death".

Pictured is the cross on Pride Hill, Shrewsbury, which  replaced the earlier High Cross that was the site for proclamations and significant executions. A notice nearby states that David III, Prince of Wales was hanged, drawn, beheaded and quartered near here in 1283 for high treason.

Events leading up to the execution of Dafydd ap Gruffydd;

1238  Dafydd was born to Gruffydd ap Llywelyn and his wife, Senena, and thus a grandson of Llywelyn Fawr.

1241  Dafydd is recorded as having been handed over as a hostage, as part of an agreement with Henry III of England. 

1255  Dafydd joined in a challenge to Llywelyn at the Battle of Bryn Derwin.  Llywelyn was victorious and imprisoned Dafydd but released him and restored him to favour the following year.

1263  Dafydd  joined King Henry against Llywelyn 

1267  At the Treaty of Montgomery,  Llywelyn was  recognised as Prince of Wales by King Henry and Dafydd was again restored to Llywelyn's favour

1272  Henry III died and was relaced on the throne by his son Edward I

1274  Dafydd was involved in an unsuccessful assassination attempt on Llywelyn and forced to flee to England where he was maintained by king Edward I  and assisted in further raids on Llywelyn's lands,

1276  Edward declared Llywelyn a rebel and gathered a massive army to march against him.

1277   Edward's forces had reached the heart of Gwynedd and confiscated the harvest in Anglesey, which forced Llywelyn to surrender.  This resulted in the Treaty of Aberconwy, which guaranteed peace in Gwynedd.  Dafydd and Llywelyn were also reconciled.

1282 (Easter)  Dafydd attacked Hawarden Castle, thereby starting the final conflict Edward I.

1282 (11th December)  Llywelyn was killed and Dafydd who had become Prince of Wales, was on the run. 

1283 (January)  Edward I  had the heartland of independent Wales ringed with a massive army. Dafydd was initially based at Dolwyddelan, but with limited resources this became indefensible and he moved to Castell y Bre.

1283 (April)  Castell y Bere was besieged by over 3,000 men, and the small Welsh garrison surrendered. Dafydd, however, managed to escape to Dolbadarn Castle. 

1283 (May)  Dafydd was forced to move  to the mountains above the Welsh royal home in Abergwyngregyn.

1283 (22nd June)  Dafydd was  captured near Bera Mountain to the south of Abergwyngregyn. Dafydd, who was seriously wounded, was taken to King Edward at Rhuddlan and then to Chester and finally to Shrewsbury.  Dafydd's wife Elizabeth and their seven daughters, as well as Llywelyn's daughter, Gwenllian were also taken prisoner.

1283 (28th June)  Edward summoned a parliament at Shrewsbury, to discuss Dafydd's punishment.

1283 (3rd October)  Dafydd was executed, with Edward ensuring that his death was slow and agonising.  

Born this day 1972 in Newport

Josie d'Arby - television presenter, actress, writer and director

d'Arby began a presenting career while studying at RADA. In the early 1990s, she presented on Children's BBC and had her own show 'Josie' on Channel 5. She has since presented a number of high profile programmes including the Bigger Breakfast, Top of the Pops, BBC Young Musician of the Year, BBC Cardiff Singer of the World and BBC Choir of the Year.   She and Cerys Mathews hosted the Children in Need section for Wales.  She has also worked in radio, as a co-presenter for BBC Radio 2 of The Steve Wright Show and has also presented a number of documentaries for BBC Radio 4.

d'Arby's first high-profile dramatic acting role was as series regular WPC Jodie Finn, in the BBC drama, Merseybeat and the Channel Four sketch series Spoons.  She is a celebrity ambassador for the British Red Cross.  Continuing her diverse career, Josie now works as a writer-director and her first play ' The Newport Monologues' about life in her hometown, opened to rave reviews from press and audience in September 2012.  

Born on this day 1804 in Sandy Hill, New York (of Welsh descent)

Townsend Harris, U.S. politician and diplomat, who was the first consul from the West, to reside in Japan and was subsequently instrumental in shaping Japanese–Western relations.

A minor Democratic politician, Harris became the president of the New York City Board of Education in 1846. He then left on a series of financially disastrous trading voyages, but in 1853, he managed to join a deputation to Japan to open trade with the West and using his political connections, managed to have himself appointed the first consul general to Japan in 1855. However when Harris arrived in Japan, he was not made welcome and the Japanese authorities simply ignored his presence, which forced him to establish his consulate in a Buddhist temple in the small town of Shimoda.

Eventually, his sincerity and perseverance were rewarded with several audiences with the Shogun, which culminated in Harris persuading the Japanese to sign a commercial treaty (Harris treaty) on July 29, 1858, with similar treaties soon signed between Japan and other Western countries. He resigned in 1861 and returned to New York, where he remained active in politics until his death in 1878.  

In October 1848, the building of the North Wales Hospital in Denbigh was completed.

The North Wales Hospital (locally known as Denbigh Mental or Denbigh Asylum) is a Grade II listed building and was built in response to the Lunacy Act 1845 as a hospital for housing 200 people with psychiatric illnesses.

The act was an important landmark in the treatment of the mentally ill and changed the status of the mentally ill to people who could be treated and cured, an attitude that had been highlighted by the mental disorder of ruling monarch George III.

Born on this day 1897 in Shotton, Flintshire

Henry Weale, who as a  20 years old Lance-Corporal in the 14th Battalion, The Royal Welch Fusiliers, during the First World War, on 26 August 1918 at Bazentin-le-Grand, France, Weale rushed and captured a hostile machine gun posts, even though his own gun failed him.  He was subsequently awarded the Victoria Cross for his action.

Born on this day 1787 at Pencaerelin, in Llanfihangel-Bryn-Pabuan, near Builth Wells.

Reverend Thomas Price, better known by his bardic name "Carnhuanawc" who was the leading figure in the cultural life of Wales in the first half of the 19th century.

His greatest achievement was his "Hanes Cymru" ("History of Wales") which was the first attempt to trace the origin and development of the Welsh nation. Published between 1836 and 1842 it showed how the people of Wales were inheritors of the Celtic traditions. Price was also a major influence on Lady Charlotte Guest and assisted her in her translation of the Mabinogion.  

          

In October  1171, King Henry II of England made a pilgrimage to St David’s. 

This was at the time when Rhys ap Gruffydd (The Lord Rhys) was ruler of the kingdom of Deheubarth and in conflict with Henry who was also involved in the Norman invasion of Ireland. 

1155  Rhys became the ruler of Deheubarth. 

1158   Rhys met with Henry to discuss peace terms. The terms were harsh and he was stripped of all his possessions apart from Cantref Mawr. 

1159   With Henry II away in France, Rhys attacked Dyfed and laid siege to Carmarthen. 

1162   Rhys captured Llandovery castle. 

1163   Henry II returned from France and invaded Deheubarth, stripped Rhys of l his lands and took him prisoner.  Rhys was released a few weeks later and given back a small part of his holdings. 

1164  Rhys and Owain Gwynedd  united in an uprising. 

1165. Henry invaded Wales again, however, Rhys and Owain, helped by torrential rain forced Henry's army to retreat in disorder and Rhys won back most of his lands.  Henry had Rhys's son Maredudd blinded and in reprisal Rhys burned down Cardigan Castle. 

 1167   Rhys and Owain attacked southern Powys and  besieged the Norman castle of  Rhuddlan. 

1168    Rhys destroyed the Norman Castle at Builth. 

1169   At the request of Diarmait MacMurchada King of Leinster, Rhys released the Norman lord Robert Fitz-Stephen from his captivity to lead the vanguard of the Norman invasion of Ireland. 

1169 - 1170   Rhys benefited from the Norman invasion of Ireland, as this distracted one of his main adversaries, Strongbow (Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke) along with the other Cambro - Norman lords of south Wales. 

1170   The death of Owain Gwynedd left Rhys as the acknowledged leader of all the Welsh princes. 

1171   Henry II now wished to make peace with Rhys and confirmed his possession of all the lands he had taken from Norman lords, in exchange for 300 horses and 4,000 cattle. 

1171  They met again in October that year at Pembroke, as Henry waited to cross to Ireland.  It was at this time that Henry made a pilgrimage to St David’s Cathedral.  . 

1172   Henry and Rhys met at Laugharne when Henry returned from Ireland and appointed Rhys  "Justiciar for south Wales".   

The 2nd October, holds special significance for the Labour Party in Wales as it was on this day in;

1900 -  Keir Hardie became MP for Merthyr and Aberdare

1983 -  Neil Kinnock became the leader of the Labour Party, the party that Hardie had been instrumental in founding.   

The Welsh Air Service was the world's first regular passenger helicopter service.  The service was started on 2nd October 1950 by British European Airways and operated between Cardiff, Wrexham and Liverpool.

Flying from the original Cardiff airport, on the shores of Pengam Moor near Splott, the Sikorsky S51 helicopters called at Plas Coch in Wrexham and reached Speake airport in Liverpool within two hours.  The service operated from Monday to Friday and carried up to six passengers. However, passenger numbers were too low to make the service economic and it was terminated in 1951.

On 1st October 2011,  a charge of 5p was introduced on all single use carrier bags, in an attempt to drastically reduce the number of bags given away in Wales.

During 2009-10 in Wales, shoppers used an estimated 350 million carrier bags from major supermarkets, which equates to 273 bags per household.  Habitually the bags are only used once, which not only being a waste of resources, causes a litter problem with serious environmental consequences especially as far as wildlife is concerned, as many of the bags are made of oil-based plastic, which  can take up to 500-1000 years to decompose.  The cost to Welsh local authorities to clean up plastic bag litter every year was an estimated £1million.  

On 1st October 1806 - The brig Mary ran aground on the Arklow Bank, in the Irish Sea and was wrecked with the loss of seven of the ten people on board. Two of the survivors were rescued by Mary, a ship from Liverpool, whilst the third was rescued by Mary, a ship from Amlwch, Anglesey.

Amlwch is the most northerly town in Wales, with the local economy reliant mainly on tourism.  However, it was one of the busiest ports and the second largest town in Wales after Merthyr Tydfil in the late 18th century, with a population of approximately 10,000.  In 1792  "Beaumaris & Amlwch" received 327 ships with a gross tonnage of 13287 tons. compared with Swansea's 96 ships and 5521 ton gross in the same year.

This was "The Age of Sail", a period which lasted from the 16th to the mid-19th century and was the period in which international trade and naval warfare were dominated by sailing ships.

Some of the earliest records of ship movements from Amlwch are in 1730 when two vessels from Conwy are recorded as carrying Oak and Alder timber from Amlwch. Then in 1748 Lewis Morris, a customs officer recorded that vessels came to Amlwch to load corn, butter and cheese. But it was the rediscovery of Copper at Mynydd Parys in 1762 at what was then the world's biggest copper mine and the need to ship the copper ore around the world, that led to Amlwch's rapid growth.

Ore from the mine was brought to the port by horse and cart and It would take many journeys to build up the 20 - 70 tons required for a full ship's load.  The ships were assisted into the harbour's narrow entrance by unlicensed pilots or "Hobblers" who used small rowing and sailing boats to steer the vessels into port.

By 1816 a 150-foot pier and lighthouse were added and in 1866 the ports of Beaumaris & Amlwch received 298 ships carrying 19335 tons while Cardiff received 89 with a total of 18252 tons at the same time.  The turning point in the history of the port was reached in 1865 when for the first time copper ore from the mountain was exported using the new railway at Llangefni, which was cheaper than transporting it by sea.   

Born on this day 1923 in Swansea

Trevor Ford - former Wales soccer international who was capped 38 times and scored 23 goals for his country.  Ford was a prolific centre-forward, also scoring 61 goals for Aston Villa from 128 appearances and was a footballing celebrity of his time.  In 1950, he was the subject of a then British football transfer record, when he signed for  Sunderland for £30,000 from Aston Villa.  However  in 1956, he revealed that he had been involved in an illegal payments scandal while at Sunderland, which saw him temporarily suspended from the game and excluded from the Welsh squad for the 1958 World Cup.

Ford was also a talented cricketer and acted as a substitute fielder for Glamorgan in their County Championship match against Nottinghamshire at St Helen's when Sir Garfield Sobers hit six sixes from an over bowled by Malcolm Nash.

The 38th Ryder Cup was held on 1st–4th October 2010 at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport.  It was the first time the Ryder Cup had been staged in Wales and was played on the specifically designed Twenty Ten course

The result was an unprecedented fourth consecutive victory at home by Europe.  During his victory speech, Europe Captain Colin Montgomerie said: " The world was watching and Wales delivered.”  

Born on this day 1959 in Newport

Mark Aizlewood  - former Wales soccer international,  TV commentator and former Welsh learner of the year.

After retiring from playing he revealed in his straight talking Welsh-language autobiography, Amddiffyn fy Hun (Defending Myself), how he had got caught up in the drinking and gambling culture endemic in football, which eventually led to him considering suicide.  However, his story  is also of a survivor who has overcome his problems and how after taking his last drink, has started to turn his life around.

Born on this day 1925 in Dowlais

Gwyn "Alf" Williams -  historian and broadcaster, who is regarded as an important influence on the way we now think about our country and people. 

Williams read History at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, joined the British Army and fought at Normandy during World War II, before returning to Aberystwyth in 1954 as Lecturer in Welsh History. He was such an entertaining speaker that students from other departments, regularly sat in on his lectures, for the entertaining  and passionate way he spoke about industrial Wales, after which he would often adjourn to the nearest pub to continue the flow of his lectures. 

 He learnt Italian and Spanish for his study of the history of Communism in Italy.  But it was with his books on Welsh history that made the most impact " The Merthyr Rising" and "When was Wales?", which was perhaps his most popular and influential work.

In 1983 retired and focused more on television and film, being remembered in particular for presenting, with Wynford Vaughan Thomas, a 13-part series on Welsh history entitled "The Dragon Has Two Tongues".

On 30th September 1294, Madog ap Llywelyn, claimed the title "Prince of Wales" and began a revolt against King Edward I of England.  Its eventual failure, however, provoked an extremely harsh response from Edward in the form of humiliating and punitive restrictions on the civil rights of the Welsh.

A timeline for the key events in the revolt of Madog ap Llywelyn.

1282 - Following the death of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, Wales was annexed by King Edward I of England.

1293 -  Sir Roger de Puleston was appointed High Sheriff of Anglesey, with the task of imposing the new English taxes.  These were unpopular with the Welsh and led to discontent.

1294 - Following a raid on Caernarfon by de Puleston, a riot ensued during which de Puleston killed.  Over the following months, the simmering resentment of the Welsh people against the unfair royal administration encouraged Madog to put himself forward as the leader of a national revolt, claiming the title "Prince of Wales".  Caernarfon was overrun and the castle occupied, as were those at Hawarden, Ruthin, and Denbigh, with the castles of Criccieth and Harlech, put under siege.  Further south, the castles at Morlais and Kenfig were taken, Builth Castle was besieged and the town of Caerphilly burnt.   In December, King Edward I led an army into north Wales to put down the revolt but became trapped over Christmas in Conwy Castle, only managing to escape in the new year.

1295 -  The revolt was finally put down at the battle of Maes Moydog in Powys, with the Welsh suffering very heavy losses. Madog escaped but was later forced to surrender in late July or early August.  He did, however, escape execution, as he was still alive in 1312.    

Today is the feast day of Saint Nidan

Saint Nidan (Died c.610) - was a descendant of the celebrated warrior Urien Rheged and is thought to have been Bishop of  St Seiriol's monastery at Penmon, on the eastern tip of Anglesey, he also founded Llanidan Church on Anglesey.  Nidan is said to have been one of the 665 monks who travelled with St Kentigern from Llanelwy (Denbighshire) to establish Christianity in Midmar (Aberdeenshire), where there is also a church dedicated to him .   

John Jones -Coch Bach y Bala (the Welsh Houdini)

On 30th September, 1913 Coch Bach made his final escape from Prison, dying six days later, of wounds sustained avoiding recapture.

Coch Bach's numerous escapes from prisons, police cells and holding jails have seen him go down in Welsh folklore.   It is said that he had spent time and escaped from every prison in North Wales, with his exploits being followed by national newspapers and the subject of many postcards.

Coch Bach was born in 1853 in Bala and began his life of crime at an early age, stealing eggs from farmers.  He soon graduated to taking unguarded property from local people, making his first escape from Ruthin Gaol, whilst awaiting trial for the theft of twelve watches.

 He made his most famous escape in 1900 while waiting to be transferred to Dartmoor Prison from Caernarfon.  He barricaded his cell door and dug an escape tunnel while the prison guards were trying to break in.   

For his last escape, Coch Bach had broken through his cell wall and lowered himself to freedom using a knotted blanket as a rope.  However, he was shot in the leg during the attempt to recapture him and died six days later from his injuries.  

       

The Glamorganshire Golf Club, Penarth, is where, on the 30th September 1898, club member, Dr. Frank Barney Gordon Stableford introduced the method of golf scoring now named after him.  The Stableford method of points scoring, is popular with amateur golfers in particular, as the odd bad hole does not ruin an entire round .   

The Treaty of Montgomery, which was signed on 29th September 1267, marked an important milestone in the history of medieval Wales.  For the first time, the king of England (Henry III) recognised a Welsh ruler (Llywelyn ap Gruffydd) as Prince of Wales, having the right to receive homage from the other Welsh princes and lords.

A timeline highlighting the relevant events leading up to and immediately following The Treaty of Montgomery;

Since their invasion of 1066, the Normans had ambitions to expand into Wales and the early 13th century is typified by the defense of Welsh lands by Llywelyn Fawr from firstly King John and later his son Henry III  

1240   Following the death of Llywelyn Fawr, Henry's power in Wales expanded. He carried out three military campaigns in the 1240s and constructed new castles  to confirm his dominance over the Welsh princes.

1247  At the Treaty of Woodstock, Henry III partitioned Gwynedd between Llywelyn Fawr's grandsons, Llywelyn ap Gruffydd and his younger brother Dafydd. 

1255  Dafydd joined in a challenge to Llywelyn at the Battle of Bryn Derwin in which, Llywelyn was victorious and Dafydd was imprisoned.  However, Llywelyn released him the following year and restored him to favour.

1256  Llywelyn ap Gruffydd rebelled against Henry and widespread violence spread across Wales

1258  The barons of England rebelled against Henry III.  Llywelyn maintained close relations with the leader of the barons, Simon de Montfort.

1264  King Henry and his son (the future Edward I) were defeated and taken prisoner by Simon de Montfort at the Battle of Lewes.  However, Edward escaped and continued the fight.

1265 (22nd June)  Llywelyn and Simon de Montfort agreed on a permanent peace at The Treaty of Pipton and Llywelyn was acknowledged as the Prince of Wales.

1265 (4th August)  Simon de Montfort although boosted by Welsh infantry was defeated and killed at the  Battle of Evesham and power restored to King Henry

1267   Llywelyn and Henry III agreed to The Treaty of Montgomery in which Henry III agreed to recognise Llywelyn as Prince of Wales, and that the title would pass on to Llywelyn's heirs.  Llewelyn agreed to do homage to Henry, but never considered himself a subject of the English monarch.

1272 Henry III died and Edward I becomes King of England.  Relations between England and Wales deteriorated.

1277  Llywelyn refused to pay homage to Edward, who invaded with a force of 15,500, which resulted in The Treaty of Aberconwy that effectively removed the concessions granted by the earlier Treaty of Montgomery and Llywelyn had to undergo the humiliation of swearing oaths of fealty to Edward and pay a fine of £50,000.

Map shows Wales after the Treaty of Montgomery (1267) - GREEN - Gwynedd, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd's principality, PURPLE -Territories conquered by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, BLUE -  Territories of Llywelyn's vassals, ORANGE -  Lordships of the Marcher barons, YELLOW -  Lordships of the King of England.

Born on this day 1939 in Cardiff

Rhodri Morgan  -  former leader of Welsh Labour, who as First Secretary for Wales and subsequently First Minister, was the leader of the Welsh Assembly Government from 2000 to 2009.  

Born on this day 1944 in Aberdare.

Jim Mills - former Wales and Great Britain rugby league international. "Big Jim", an uncompromising prop forward, who originally played rugby union with Cardiff RFC,  before turning professional and playing league with Halifax, Salford, Bradford Northern, Widnes and Workington Town and also in Australia for North Sydney.  Mills was infamously banned from New Zealand for stamping on John Greengrass's head in the 25-24 win over New Zealand at Swansea at the 1975 World Series.  The ban was eventually lifted but Mills remained banned for life by the New Zealand Rugby League.

Jim Mills was inducted into the Widnes Hall of Fame in 1992. That year he also worked as team manager for the Wales national team.  

Born on this day 1952 in Barry

Helen Morgan   - winner of  Miss World in 1974.  However, she resigned four days after her victory, the fist winner to do so, upon the discovery that she had an 18-month-old son.  She was encouraged to resign even though she did not the competition rules (which stipulated only that entrants must be unmarried).

Helen worked in a bank and entered modelling competitions on a part-time basis.  In 1974, she also won the Miss Wales and Miss United Kingdom titles and was runner-up in the Miss Universe pageant.  

Born on this day 1955 in Carmarthen

Gareth Davies  - former Wales and Lions rugby international.  He is currently Chairman of the WRU having previously held the roles of head of the UK Centre for Coaching Excellence and CEO of  the Newport Gwent Dragons.

In 1904 Wales experienced a National Religious Revival that set the country on fire and spread worldwide, it reached the rest of Britain, Scandinavia, North and South America, India and Africa. It was characterised by spontaneous, tears, joy, fainting, hymn-singing, public confessions and mass conversions, especially among young people and young women in particular.

A key moment happened at a religious convention at Blaenanerch, 5 miles north of Cardigan on 28-29 September 1904. Evan Roberts a 26-year-old young man from Loughor in Glamorgan underwent a life-changing experience, bending his knees and crying out as he was dramatically filled by the Holy Spirit during a service by the Evangelist Seth Joshua.

After his experience at Blaenanerch, although not a priest, he became the de facto leader of the revival and along with his brother Dan, his best friend Sidney and six girl singers, travelled the country conducting Revival Meetings, which broke the conventional order of traditional church services. Often the local ministers just sat down unable to preach or even to understand the storm that had arrived in their usually sedate places of worship. Within two weeks the Welsh Revival was national news and it was reported that it brought in an extra 100,000 new converts in Wales. People's lives were changed in many ways. The crime rate dropped, drunkards were reformed, pubs reported losses in trade and bad language disappeared. There were frequent public showings of people's faith on buses, trains, in the street and at places of work, including the coal mines and steel works.

The public excitement of the Revival had died down by 1906. Evan Roberts, who had succumbed to the pressure of his rigorous schedule, suffered a physical and emotional collapse and went to Leicester to recuperate. But his religious convictions remained firm to the end of his life. He died in 1951 at the age of seventy-three and was buried in Moriah Chapel in Lougher.

Born on this day 1746 in London

Sir William Jones - philologist of Welsh parentage, who is credited with discovering the connection amongst "The Indo-European" group of languages.

Over his lifetime Jones learned 28 languages including Greek, Latin, Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese and Persian and when appointed as Judge of the Supreme Court of Calcutta, he decided to learn Sanskrit, in order to prepare himself for the large amount of Hindu and Muslim legal documents that he would need to deal with. He noted certain similarities among the Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, Germanic, and Celtic languages and theorised that an unknown ancestral language must have given rise to these languages. This hypothetical language is referred to as Proto-Indo-European.  

  Lucy Walters of Roch Castle near Haverfordwest and a mistress of King Charles II died of venereal disease in September 1658.

Roch Castle declared for Charles' father Charles I, during the English Civil War, but it was captured and burned by the parliamentarians in 1644.  Lucy was forced to flee to London and then the Hague, which is where she met Charles and they became lovers.  They had one child James Scott, who later, Charles made Duke of Monmouth and it was he who many protestants wanted to make heir to the throne during The Exclusion Crisis of James II in 1679 through to 1681, claiming that Lucy and Charles had secretly married. 

On the termination of their affair in 1651, Lucy fell into to a life of promiscuous immorality, which resulted in her death in Paris in 1658.  

Naomi Watts (born 28 September 1968) one of Hollywood's most versatile and beautiful actresses.

Born in Shoreham, Kent, she is the daughter of Myfanwy Edwards (née Roberts), a Welsh antique dealer and costume and set designer and Peter Watts, an English road manager and sound engineer who worked with Pink Floyd. Following the death of her father in 1976, Watts' mother moved the family to Llanfawr Farm in Llangefni, on Anglesey, where she attended the Welsh language school, Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni.

Then in 1982, when Watts was 14, she moved to Sydney, Australia with her mother, brother and stepfather. She began an acting career, performing locally and appearing in television commercials, before breaking into film acting. She has to date starred in the following Films; "Mulholland Drive", "The Ring", "21 Grams",  "We Don't Live Here Anymore", "The Assassination of Richard Nixon", "King Kong", "Fair Game", "The Impossible" and "Diana".  

Born on this day 1883 in Greenwich, Ohio, to Welsh immigrant parents 

Albert Rhys Williams - journalist and fervent supporter of the Soviet Union.

Williams became extremely interested in socialist politics, whilst studying for a fellowship at Cambridge University and on his return to America, he got the position of Russian correspondent for The New York Evening Post.  In this role, he was present at the storming of the Winter Palace in Petrograd in 1917 and in attendance at the First, Second and Third Congresses of Soviets, where he met and became friendly with Vladimir Lenin.  He was later active in the Civil War with the Bolsheviks and covered foreign intervention in the Revolution at Vladivostok.

Back in America, he published leaflets explaining and praising the Bolshevik Revolution and also a biography of Lenin. Williams returned many more times to the Soviet Union where in 1929, he published his most famous work, The Russian Land.

Born on this day 1945 in Glynneath

Maxwell "Max" Boyce, a singer and entertainer who rose to fame during the mid-1970s with an act that combined musical comedy with his passion for rugby union and his origins in the mining communities of South Wales.

Boyce began writing songs about the mining community, whilst studying for a mining engineering degree in Trefforest in the early 1970's and then began performing in local clubs where he developed the humorous element to his act.

Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury (c.1030 - 27th Sept 1094) was one of the great Norman magnates of England during William the Conqueror's reign.

Following the Norman Conquest, William the Conquerer installed three of his most trusted confidants, Hugh d'Avranches, Roger de Montgomerie, and William FitzOsbern, as Earls of Chester, Shrewsbury and Hereford respectively.

These areas became known as the Welsh Marches and the Earls were given special powers to bring their adjacent parts of Wales under Norman control. They  built hundreds of small castles as assertions of power as well as defences against Welsh raids. One such castle was that at Montgomery, in the part of the Welsh March under the control of de Montgomerie. As he was originally from Montgomery in the Pays d'Auge in Normandy, the castle and surrounding town were named after him. 

By the early 12th century, the area of the March had increased by the early 12th century to cover the areas which would later become Monmouthshire and much of Flintshire, Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire, Brecknockshire, Glamorgan, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.

Jesuits in Wales;

Pope Paul III approved the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits) on 27th September 1540 (pictured)

The 16th Century was a time of turmoil and as the Protestant Reformation took hold across Europe,  the Society of Jesus, a counter-Reformation group was founded by a Spanish knight Ignatius Loyola, who underwent a spiritual conversion while recovering from a serious battle injury at the Battle of Pamplona in 1521, after which he abandoned his previous military life and devoted himself to God.

 The Jesuits were sent by Popes into the heart of Protestantism to win back lost souls. They went willingly despite the obvious dangers to their own well-being and their commitment bordered on the fanatical.   Forty years after the order's formation,  Jesuit colleges in France, Spain and Italy trained young men for a mission to England, where Catholics were being told that they must recant their catholicism or face the possibility of death and were active in encouraging such plots as the excommunication of Elizabeth I and The Gunpowder Plot (1605) to destroy Parliament and kill James I.

In 1595 Fr Robert Jones arrived in Wales to provide for the needs of the many faithful Catholics in Wales. By 1605, he had established a Jesuit mission,  largely financed by the Morgans of Llantarnam. Lady Frances Morgan was one of Fr Jones’s converts and this financial support made it possible to maintain two Jesuits in North Wales and two in South Wales.  Fr Jones died in 1615 and Fr John Salisbury succeeded him initially using Raglan Castle as a major Catholic centre later buying a farm known as the Cwm, on the Welsh - English border, near Monmouth, where he founded the Jesuit College of St Francis Xavier in 1622.

 Suspicion of Catholicism intensified and they were blamed for the Great Plague of London (1665) and The Great Fire of London (1666), culminating in the Popish Plot (1678 - 1681), a fabricated conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates that  gripped Britain with anti-Catholic feelings and resulted in many Jesuits suffering execution and martyrdom.

Notable Welsh Jesuits:

Philip Evans from Monmouth was sent to South Wales as a Missionary in 1675.  When the Oates scare swept the country, John Arnold, a hunter of priests, offered a reward of £200 (an enormous sum then) for his arrest in 1678.  But despite the manifest dangers Father Evans steadfastly refused to leave his flock.

John Lloyd - after taking the 'missionary oath'  he was sent to England in 1649 and then to Wales in 1654.  He was constantly on the run for 24 years.

David Lewis - from Abergavenny, was raised as a Protestant, but  converted to Catholicism at age 16 and subsequently became a Catholic priest. Three years later, he joined the Society of Jesus and was arrested in 1678, at St Michael's Church, Llantarnam on a charge of high treason, for saying Catholic Masses.  He was then sent to London to be examined by Titus Oates. 

All three priests were declared guilty declared guilty of treason and executed in 1679.  They were canonized as Christian martyrs by Pope Paul VI in 1970.

The Society of Jesus today is engaged in evangelization and apostolic ministry in 112 nations on six continents. Jesuits are involved in promoting education research, as well as cultural pursuits.  They also supply retreats, ministers in parishes and hospitals and promote social justice.  Their headquarters are the General Curia in Rome.  

Today is the feast day of St Baruc (Barrwg)

Saint Baruc  c.540,   was a disciple of Saint Cadog.  It is said that one day, he had forgotten to bring Cadoc's reading matter with him on a journey from the island of Flat Holm and Cadoc asked him to go back for it, but he drowned in the Bristol Channel on the return journey.  His body was found on the beach at Barry Island, where he was buried and the island was later named after him .     

For action on this day 1857, during the Indian Mutiny, at the Siege of Lucknow, bombardier Jacob Thomas from Llanwinio, near Carmarthen of the Bengal Artillery was awarded the Victoria Cross.  His citation read:

For distinguished gallantry at Lucknow on the 27th September, 1857, in having brought off on his back, under a heavy fire, under circumstances of considerable difficulty, a wounded soldier of the Madras Fusiliers, when the party to which he was attached was returning to the Residency from a sortie, whereby he saved him from falling into the hands of the enemy.

The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys (Indian soldiers) of the East India Company's army and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions, posing a considerable threat to Company power.  The rebellion was a result of various grievances, but the flashpoint was reached when the soldiers were asked to bite off the paper cartridges for their rifles which they believed were greased with animal fat,

The Siege of Lucknow was the prolonged defence and subsequent evacuation of the Residency (political offices) within the city of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.