Welsh history
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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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WALES’ last veteran of the Spanish Civil War has died. Bob Peters, was the last surviving member of a brave generation of Welsh men, who volunteered to fight fascism in Spain in the 1930s.He died on Monday, aged 92, after a brave battle with cancer.Today First Minister Rhodri Morgan paid tribute to Mr Peters, saying
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A Bullet Saved My Life tells the remarkable story of Bob Peters, one of the last surviving veterans of the Spanish Civil War.Penarth-born Bob left Wales to go to Canada during the Depression. He found work on the Great Lakes and also became interested in politics.Early in 1937 he sailed from New York to France
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Anyone know the area well?Question posted as follow-up here . Can anyone answer this one?“Bedwellty workhouse has a small part to play in Labour history (with a certain resonance to today’s political scene). In 1927 the workhouse guardians were disqualified by the government for spending too much on supporting out of work miners. It would
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Good turn out for today’s Dic Penderyn Commemoration which took place at the entrance to Cardiff market where he was hanged in 1831.The event honoured not only Penderyn, but the late Councillor Charlie Gale and Welsh volunteers in the Spanish Civil War, especially Alun Menai-Williams who died last month and Bob Peters.The event was hosted
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The Western Mail ran my tribute to Alun this week. It is here .
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Alun Menai-Williams, one of the last remaining British veterans of the Spanish Civil War, died yesterday.He was 93.Alun lived a remarkable life. As a medic in Spain, as an RAF policeman in World War 2, as a loving family man who rarely talked about his experiences.And then after his wife died in 1998 he wrote
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Pierrepoint, a film about the most prolific British hangman of the last century, opened this month.It contains by all accounts a remarkable portrayal by Timothy Spall of the man who executed an average of 18 people a year between 1932 and 1956.Albert Pierrepoint saw himself as part of the state machinery. His role, he believed
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For those interested in Welsh links to the Spanish Civil War, there is an article on Alun Menai Williams in April’s Military History magazine which is now in all good bookshops (as they say).I’m presently working with Alun on a book about the Battle of the Ebro. It’s a follow up to his engrossing memoir
Greg Lewis 