history
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“We hear from the guards that one bomb blew up Nagasaki.” Les Spence writes in his diary, August 1945 For more than three years during World War II, Les Spence was a prisoner of the Japanese. Spence, who would later go on to become president of the Welsh Rugby Union, had been captured in early March…
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He is one of Wales’ greatest explorers – but few remember his name and there is no national monument in his honour. There is a story behind why Wales may have tried to forget Edgar Evans – but it concerns a sense of misplaced shame. ITV Wales’ Wales This Week has turned the clock back…
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The man who advises both the Crown and the UK Cabinet on the law has expressed his “huge regret” at the collapse of the Lynette White police corruption trial. The UK Solicitor-General Edward Garnier QC was answering questions from MPs about the collapse of a trial of eight police officers accused of perverting the course of justice during the…
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The 77th HAA (Heavy Anti Aircraft) Regiment was created to provide air protection for Cardiff, Newport and Barry, and surrounding districts. Many of its members were local sportsmen who joined up together, such as Les Spence, who been Cardiff Rugby Club captain during the 1936-37 season, and his team-mate Wilf Wooller. Other sports stars in…
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There will be no action taken against witnesses in one of the most notorious miscarriages of justice from the 1980s. The Crown Prosecution Service has been considering action against a number of civilian witnesses who gave evidence in the hunt to find the killer of Cardiff newsagent Philip Saunders in 1987. Three men, Michael O’Brien,…
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The UK Government yesterday claimed that the post mortem examination report into the death of biological weapons expert Dr David Kelly was being kept secret to protect his family.Campaigning MP Norman Baker asked Justice Minister Michael Wills who had made the decision that medical reports and photographs connected to the death of Dr Kelly should…
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I have a small number of copies of the Spanish Civil War book ‘A Bullet Saved My Life’ available for sale. The book, which was a Morning Star book of the week when it came out in 2006, tells the story of Welshman Bob Peters and his adventures in getting to and fighting in the…
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Rhondda-born Alun Menai Williams had two remarkable photographs in his collection.One was a sad reminder of a friend, Billy Davies, who served in the Spanish Civil War, and was killed a few days after the snap was taken.The other was a source of immense pride. It showed Alun marching to the front, the flag of…
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A Welshman, who helped rescue more than 2,600 refugees from Spain during the civil war, was this week honoured by the people of Alicante.Archibald Dickson, captain of the merchant steam ship Stanbrook, risked his life to enter the port as the civil war drew to a close.On Sunday, his son and daughter, Arnold Dickson and…
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Psst, do you want to know a secret?It’s the story of a heroic Welshman, although it doesn’t start off very courageously.I mean, our heroes are rarely “mean-spirited” and “bony-faced”.They don’t normally have ill-shaped ears, or make a spectacle of themselves by only putting in their false teeth to eat.What manner of hero is this, I…
Greg Lewis 