history
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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…
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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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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…
Greg Lewis 