The Cardiff Book of Days

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The Cardiff Book of Days Page 14

by Mike Hall


  July 25th

  1857: In the last public execution to be held in Cardiff, John Lewis was hanged for the murder of his wife Gwen at Merthyr. He had claimed she had fallen downstairs but scratches on his face seemed to confirm the doctor’s view that there had been a struggle and that she was pushed. At his trial the prosecution claimed that Lewis attacked her because he wanted to spend the housekeeping money on drink. There had been a retrial after the first jury failed to agree but he was then convicted at Swansea Assizes. (www.truecrimeslibrary.com)

  2012: In February 2011 it was announced that the first event of the London 2012 Olympics would be a women’s football match staged at the Millennium Stadium at 4 p.m. on this date, two days before the actual Opening Ceremony. ‘In terms of the first event taking place in Wales, it sits well with the work we have done in the nations and regions that the very first event will take place in Cardiff,’ said Lord Coe. ‘We have been clear that the football tournament should be UK-wide’. (South Wales Argus)

  [Readers of this book in the future will be better placed than me to judge how this event went – author.]

  July 26th

  1909: The National Pageant of Wales opened at Sophia Gardens. 30,000 people at each performance saw members of the South Walian Society re-enact scenes from Welsh history, with the castle providing a magnificent backdrop. The Marchioness of Bute, portraying ‘Dame Wales’, and ‘a number of ladies of high social distinction’ took part in the opening ceremony. Llewelyn the Great was played by Mr Morgan Williams, King Arthur by Mr R. Graham and Merlin by Ifano Jones. Some 500 footballers appeared as Welsh clansmen storming Cardiff Castle in the revolt of 1158. In a more tranquil scene ladies and courtiers danced a pavane. Another scene depicted the Act of Union of 1536 (see also August 7th.) (Dennis Morgan, The Cardiff Story, D. Brown & Sons, 1991)

  1969: The birth in Cardiff of athlete Tanni Grey-Thompson. Born with spina bifida, she became one of Britain’s most successful paralympians. She won a bronze medal in the 400 metres at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and gold at Barcelona (1992), Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000) and Athens in 2004. She was made a Life Peer in 2010 and is much-involved in broadcasting, education and charity work. (T.D. Breverton, The Welsh Almanac, Glyndwr Publications, 2002 / Wikipedia)

  July 27th

  1928: Two 15 year olds from Penarth, Edith Parnell and Dennis Tidball successfully swam from Flat Holm to Penarth in 4¾ hours, leaving Flat Holm at 6.30 a.m. They were accompanied by a boat carrying officials from the Welsh Amateur Swimming Association who were there to verify the record. In August 1929 Edith swam from Penarth to Weston-super-Mare. She later married the journalist Hugh Cudlipp but died in November 1938 aged just 25. Dennis Tidball made unsuccessful attempts at swimming the Bristol Channel in 1928 and 1929. He died at the age of 49 in October 1961. (Roy Thorne, Penarth: A History, Vol.2, Starling Press, 1976)

  1932: A three-day ‘Test Trial’ match between England and The Rest began on this date but was almost entirely washed out by rain – only three hours of play were possible on the first day and none at all on the other two, depriving local cricket fans of the opportunity to see top players including Herbert Sutcliffe, Walter Hammond, Frank Woolley, Douglas Jardine and Harold Larwood. The loss of gate revenues and the expense of staging the game plunged the Glamorgan club into financial crisis. (Andrew Hignell, From Sophia to Swalec: A History of Cricket in Cardiff, The History Press, 2008)

  July 28th

  1923: The Melangriffith Volunteer & Cadet Corps Band turned out to play at Hazelwood, Llandaff, the festivities to mark the Silver Wedding of Mr and Mrs Hubert Spencer-Thomas. Mr Spencer-Thomas was owner of the Melangriffith Tinplate Works. The band has a long and distinguished history and claims to be the oldest in Wales. Its origins lie in a Drum & Fife Band formed in Whitchurch in 1798 to assist the recruitment of a Company of Volunteers to defend the country against Napoleon’s army who were threatening to invade. In 1850 it became the band of the Glamorgan Rifle Volunteers and had its premises at Melingriffith, beginning a long association with the tinplate works until it closed in 1957. The band still carries on, now as the City of Cardiff (Melingriffith) Band. (www.cardiffbrass.com)

  1971: Cardiff yachtswoman Nicolette Milnes-Walker arrived at Newport, Rhode Island, in her 30ft yacht Aziz to become the first woman to sail single-handed across the Atlantic. She had set sail from Milford Haven on June 12th. (T.D. Breverton, The Welsh Almanac, Glyndwr Publications, 2002 / Wikipedia)

  July 29th

  1645: King Charles I arrived in Cardiff to raise fresh forces following the Royalist defeat at the Battle of Naseby. He was met with very little enthusiasm. Much of Glamorgan was still loyal to him but people realised that his cause was lost. (William Rees, Cardiff: A History of the City, Cardiff Corporation, 1969)

  1727: The birth of William Thomas, ‘The Rural Pepys of the Eighteenth Century’ at St Fagans. An itinerant schoolmaster, land surveyor and clerk to the Commissioner of Taxes, he is best-known for the diaries he compiled between 1751 and 1795 which record births, deaths, marriages, scandals, calamities and social occasions in the area around St Fagans and Michaelston-super-Ely. It was all there – except for his own affairs, about which he kept quiet! (Charles F. Sheppard, ‘The Parish of St Fagans’, Glamorgan Historian, 1972)

  1976: A massive fire in their store in Newport Road destroyed most of the costumes belonging to the Welsh National Opera Company. (Western Mail)

  1995: Shirley Bassey gave a concert at Cardiff Castle, attended by 100,000 people. (Western Mail)

  July 30th

  1819: The first record of a cricket match at Cardiff. The Carmarthen Journal stated that a club had been formed in the town that ‘such is the rapid proficiency of the members that they bid fair to rival in a very short time any similar club in Glamorganshire’. Despite this accolade, it does not seem to have lasted very long. (Andrew Hignell, From Sophia to Swalec: A History of Cricket in Cardiff, The History Press, 2008)

  1977: The last greyhound races to be run at Cardiff Arms Park took place. The Welsh Rugby Union took the decision to end racing because it needed to extend the terracing at the stadium. 1,128 fans saw ‘Lilyput Queen’, owned by Cardiff butcher Malcolm Davies and trained by Freddie Goodman, win the very last race. For over fifty years greyhound racing was a regular attraction on Monday and Saturday evenings. The regular fixtures included the Welsh Greyhound Derby and the Welsh Greyhound Grand National. (www.walesonline.co.uk / Stewart Williams, Cardiff Yesterday)

  1994: Operatic tenor Jose Carreras performs at a sell-out concert at the Arms Park. (Western Mail)

  July 31st

  1645: King Charles I was still at Cardiff, having arrived on July 29th and leaving on August 5th for Llancaiach. Matters discussed at various meetings during his time in the Castle included the removal of Papists and the replacement of the English garrison at Cardiff with a governor and garrison drawn from the locality. Charles appointed Sir Richard Stradling as Governor and, at a meeting at Cefn On, it was agreed that the Cardiff garrison be replaced by local men under Sir Richard Bassett. He left Cardiff, deeply dejected at his uncertain future. With his departure virtually all South Wales passed into the control of Parliament. Charles later observed that ‘the hearts of the people of Wales are as hard and rocky as their country’. (William Rees, Cardiff: A History of the City, Cardiff Corporation, 1969)

  1951: The aircraft-carrier Campania, which had been launched in 1943, arrived in Cardiff and stayed until August 11th. During this time 104,391 people visited her at her berth in the Queen Alexandra Dock. This visit was part of a tour of major coastal ports as part of the Festival of Britain celebrations. In all, the ship visited ten ports in five months that summer. Other Festival of Britain events in Cardiff included a ‘Pageant of Wales’ and a folk festival at St Fagans. (Stewart Williams, Cardiff Yesterday)

  August 1st

  1871: ‘The Council of the Borough of Cardiff is desirous of appointing a Crier for the Borough. Applications for the appointment in the
handwriting of the Candidates with Testimonials to be sent to my office on or before Saturday, the 12th day of August, endorsed “Town Crier” – George Salmon (Town Clerk).’ The first known mention of a Town Crier in Cardiff was in 1772 but the history of the post probably goes back much further. Traditionally the holder was supplied with an impressive uniform and cocked hat. In 1922 the Council decided to combine the job with that of Macebearer with an allowance of £10 5s per occasion but also to appoint another full-time macebearer with both officers to receive a uniform and boot allowance of £1 per year. (Stewart Williams, Cardiff Yesterday)

  August 2nd

  1948: Andy Fairweather-Low was born at Ystrad Mynach. He was to become the lead singer of the Cardiff band ‘Amen Corner’ which took its name from a weekly session at the Victoria Ballroom (later known as The Scene Club) where every Sunday night DJ ‘Doctor Rock’ would play the latest American soul music. The group began playing mainly blues and jazz standards but when they changed record labels they were steered in the direction of more commercial pop songs. This policy paid off financially because in early 1969 they reached No.1 in the charts with a song somewhat convolutedly titled ‘(If Paradise is) Half as Nice’. This was followed by another top five hit ‘Hello Susie’ but at the end of the year Amen Corner disbanded. Fairweather-Low went on to a successful solo career in the 1970s, including another No.1 hit in 1975 with ‘Wide-Eyed and Legless’. He was much in demand as a musician and played regularly with such rock stars as Eric Clapton, George Harrison, the Strawbs and the Bee Gees. (Wikipedia)

  August 3rd

  1914: With the declaration of war against Germany imminent, Cardiff General Station was crowded with sailors responding to the summons to report to naval bases. The sailors and the crowds of relatives and friends sang patriotic songs with great gusto. There were so many people in the station that the gates had to be closed. (John O’Sullivan & Bryn Jones, Cardiff: A Centenary Celebration, The History Press, 2005)

  1874: Twenty-two men of Lord Bute’s household played a three-day challenge match against an All England XI on the cricket ground at Cardiff Castle. The chance to see some of the finest cricketers in England take on the local men drew a large crowd. The Western Mail set up a printing press on the ground so that the spectators could have up-to-date scorecards when they arrived. Sadly things did not go to plan. Heavy rain held up play on both the second and third days. Sections of the crowd got distinctly unruly, abusing the Englishmen vociferously. The Glamorganshire Militia had to be summoned from the docks to restore order. After all that, the match ended in a draw. (Andrew Hignell, From Sophia to Swalec: A History of Cricket in Cardiff, The History Press, 2008)

  August 4th

  1914: Four German vessels berthed at Cardiff Docks were seized following the declaration of war. One of them was the Rickmers, a five-masted barque which had just discharged her cargo of grain and had been about to load coal. She was renamed Neath but was sunk off Fastnet in March 1917 by a German submarine. (John Richards, Cardiff: A Maritime History, The History Press, 2005)

  1956: ‘I weave through the crowds in the station concourse. The scene can be summed up in one word – bedlam. The time is August Bank Holiday 1956, the place is the down platform of Cardiff General Station. The island platform is crammed solid. Never before or since have I seen so many people crammed onto it. Before I have moved a yard, I am besieged on all sides. “When is the train to Tenby?” “Has the Birmingham train arrived yet?” “When does the Swansea train leave?” It is standing at platform 4 and should have left by now.’ (James Page, Rails in the Valleys, David & Charles, 1989)

  1992: The Welsh Heart Research Unit opened at the University (Heath) Hospital. (Western Mail)

  August 5th

  1944: England test cricketer and former Glamorgan cricket captain Maurice Turnbull was killed in action in Normandy. A talented all-round sportsman he played in nine Test matches and captained his county for ten seasons. In his final year at Cambridge he was captain of the University XI. He played rugby for Cardiff and had two games for Wales. He also played hockey for Wales and Cambridge. He is still the only person to have played cricket for England and rugby for Wales. He was also South Wales squash champion. A Major in the 1st Battalion. Welsh Guards, he was killed instantly by a sniper during intense fighting near Montchamp after the Normandy Landings. Glamorgan were playing in a fundraising match at the Arms Park when news of his death reached Cardiff some days later. Shortly after the announcement was posted on the notice-board in the pavilion, the crowd spontaneously rose and stood in silence in tribute to one of their own. (T.D. Breverton, The Welsh Almanac, Glyndwr Publications, 2002 / Andrew Hignell, From Sophia to Swalec: A History of Cricket in Cardiff, The History Press, 2008)

  August 6th

  1910: Ernest Thompson Willows was just 19 when he designed and built his first airship. Four years later his second one was constructed at East Moors and in June 1910 he caused a sensation when he flew it over the centre of Cardiff. Overnight on August 6/7th Willows flew this craft from Cardiff to the Crystal Palace, a distance of 140 miles, in ten hours. (Stewart Williams, Cardiff Yesterday)

  1914: William Welton, a stoker on board the HMS Amphion, became the first Cardiff man to die in action in the First World War. His ship sank with all 130 hands after she hit a mine in the North Sea. (J.H. Morgan, ‘Cardiff at War’ in Stewart Williams (ed.) The Cardiff Book, Vol.3, 1974)

  1926: The Cunard Liner Scythia, sailing from New York to Liverpool, diverted to Cardiff to allow Welsh-Americans travelling from America for the Royal National Eisteddfod at Treorchy to disembark. They were ferried ashore by Campbell’s steamer and continued their journey by special train from Bute Road station. It was worth their while making the trip – the Scranton Male Voice Choir from Pennsylvania won First Prize! (John Richards, Cardiff: A Maritime History, The History Press, 2005)

  August 7th

  1909: Massed ranks of fairies joined hands to form a map of the counties of Wales in the picturesque closing performance of the National Pageant of Wales (see July 26th). The whole event was seen by many as evidence of a heightening of Welsh national consciousness. It was yet another local event that owed much to the practical and financial support of the Bute family. Over 4,000 people watched the final show outside Cardiff Castle. Souvenir postcards, which are now highly-prized by collectors, were produced for the pageant. The included pictures of famous Welsh landmarks, traditional costume, extracts from traditional songs and humorous cartoons. (Stewart Williams, Cardiff Yesterday / www.gtj.org.uk)

  2010: Cardiff pub The Cayo reopened after refurbishment with a VIP Launch Night. Among the more unlikely attractions was a ‘larger-than-life cricketer on stilts’ giving customers the chance to win tickets for Glamorgan matches at the Swalec Stadium. Pub manager Chris Thomas told the South Wales Echo that he was planning ‘an ever-changing menu and special midweek offer’.

  August 8th

  1917: Two members of the Dunraven, Lieutenant C.G. Bonner and Petty Officer E.H. Pitcher, were awarded the Victoria Cross after a naval engagement in the North Atlantic. The Dunraven (formerly the Boverton) was a Cardiff vessel that had been converted to serve as a ‘Q-ship’, a merchantman which acted as a decoy to trick German submarines. The idea was that when a U-Boat appeared, intending to attack the vulnerable-looking ship, a ‘panic party’ would row away from her, giving the impression that she was being abandoned. In fact a full crew was still aboard and, when the U-Boat was within range, the White Ensign would be raised and the guns fired. In this incident, however, the Germans were not fooled, even when three panic boats were despatched from the Dunraven. Torpedoes were fired, one sailor was killed and the Dunraven badly damaged. She sank while being towed back to Plymouth. (John Richards, Cardiff: A Maritime History, The History Press, 2005)

  August 9th

  1855: The Bishop of Llandaff, the Rt Revd Alfred Olliphant, was one of a team of twenty-two cricketers from Cardiff & District who turned out at the Arms Park for a Challe
nge Match against William Clarke’s All England XI. It was promised that the game would ‘prove an epoch from which we shall hereafter have to date the progress of South Wales to a higher elevation in the noble art of cricketing’. As well as the Bishop, the Cardiff team also included the Revd Cyril Stacey (Curate of St John’s) and Captain Maher, who was in charge of the lightship in Cardiff Bay. It was further strengthened by inclusion of established county cricketers from Herefordshire and Oxfordshire. It was all to no avail though, the visitors being victorious by five wickets. Two years later a game was played against a different All-England team including John Wisden, the founder of the well-known almanac, but the result was exactly the same. These two defeats and the heavy gambling on the results that took place seem to have seriously embarrassed the Cardiff cricketing fraternity and it was several years before their reputation recovered. (Andrew Hignell, From Sophia to Swalec: A History of Cricket in Cardiff, The History Press, 2008)

 

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