Welsh history
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D-Day sniper describes his lucky escape
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At 8.30am on July 7, 1916, the 38th (Welsh) Division began its attack on Mametz Wood. The capture of the wood was key to a successful attack on the German second line in this area of the Somme battlefield. The first advance floundered in chaos 200-300 yards short of the wood, and a further attack…
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Just over a week after the end of the war in Europe a car driven by a German soldier who had worked at Flossenbürg concentration camp was involved in an accident. In the other vehicle was a Welsh-born officer named Major Jacques de Guélis. A highly-decorated war hero, de Guélis had served behind the lines…
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Gaynor Madgwick lost her brother and sister in the Aberfan disaster and was herself pulled from the wreck of the school. She meets survivors, rescuers and members of the community tell her story and Aberfan’s using the voices of the villagers themselves. This programme hasn’t been heard since the 50th anniversary in 2016. I thought…
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After becoming the first man to climb Mount Everest Sir Edmund Hillary returned to North Wales where he had trained for the historic event. Planning to meet up with Lord Hunt and the rest of the expedition for their first-ever reunion, Hillary arrived late at the Pen y Gwryd hotel and was told that everyone…
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The wooden toll bridge at Penmaenpool provides a peaceful walk for visitors to the Mawddach Estuary near Dolgellau. The area is a haven for walkers, cyclists and bird watchers. The RSPB has turned an old signal box into an observation centre overlooking the estuary. But the Grade II-listed bridge, which was built in 1879, was…
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Via Y Lolfa On the 21st of October 1966, the village of Aberfan in south Wales was shattered by one of the worst disasters in Welsh and British history. Following days of bad weather, water from a spring had destabilized a huge coal slag tip – one of the black man-made mountains which surrounded the…
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A Life On The Edge, reviewed by Lyn Ebenezer, author of Operation Julie and Fron-goch Camp 1916 I have never met Eric Jones, yet I feel as if I know him well. Two contributions on the back cover of his autobiography sum up my impression of his character. One is a long-range photo that…
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Update: Canadian airman Bill Robertson’s return to the crash site in Hasselt made national news in Belgium. See the full clip here: Bill Robertson
Greg Lewis 