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Michael O’Brien spent 11 years behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit.In December 1999, after judges quashed his conviction, he asked me to write a piece about his two-week appeal.That request turned into a plan to write a complete book of Mike’s life.It is an incredible story.Mike’s arrest and life sentence for the murder…
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This short report on Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s visit to Gaza is only two minutes and three seconds long.Watching it won’t take up much of your weekend. But his words might stay with you for much longer.
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Back in the 1970s the BBC produced a critically-acclaimed drama series called Secret Army.The programme followed the exploits of a group of ordinary Belgians who ran an evasion line, helping Allied airman return to Britain after being shot down.The series was based on the Comet Line, a network established by a young Belgian girl, Andrée…
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Here’s a great snap. It shows a road traffic accident from almost 90 years ago. Even with so little traffic on the road in those days, this crash was certainly unusual enough to be marked and turned into a postcard. The card is captioned “Army (I think) Lorry Accident Caerleon Bridge, October 6, 1919″. It…
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Farewell to Tower Colliery – and best wishes to all the miners who made the final march from the pit today.Tower, a workers’ co-operative, was the last deep coal mine in South Wales. It is a remarkable story, which has been told many times. Despite the understandable mythologizing, the colliery has always been about basic…
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Family history is one of the most popular subjects on the internet.And our fascination with genealogy reveals an interesting truth.It’s embarrassing to find your father is a shoplifter; but discovering your great-great-grandfather was a cattle rustler is a matter of great pride.We long to dig up something interesting, even if it makes us a descendant…
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Vandals defaced a plaque in honour of the International Brigade volunteers who were killed nearly 70 years ago in the Battle of the Ebro.But on Saturday, November 10, a new plaque will be placed in memory of the dead of one of the Spanish Civil War’s bitterest battles.The memorial is set at the top of…
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“I am here because I know that these fellows fought not only for Spain but for me and the whole world. It is my duty to be here.”Those were the words of Paul Robeson on the return to their homes of the South Wales veterans of the Spanish Civil War in December 1938.Seven thousand people…
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Wise and Foolish Dreamers, an exhibition about Wales and the Spanish Civil War, is now touring Wales following its Swansea launch.It is currently at Ammanford Library (until August 2); and will then be at the National Eisteddfod (August 3-11); Rhondda Heritage Park (Oct 1 – Nov 4). More dates soon as it travels around Wales.The…
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Head to the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea if you can. The centre is the first host for the Wise and Foolish Dreamers exhibition, which is part of a major project about Wales and the Spanish Civil War. It will tour every area of Wales over the next two years. The exhibition, which was put…
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Greg Lewis 