Category: General Interest Articles

 

    PORT ROAD

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Named Port Road because it connected Cardiff to the port at Aberthaw which existed long before a port was constructed in Barry

Port Road construction past the village © 1930

 

Port Road Nant Isaf junction © 1975

 

Port Road new junction to Wenvoe quarry© 1980

 

Village fete parade along Port Road on its way to Station Road playing fields © 1987

 

Port Road – start of Covid lockdown March 2020

 

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  A BRIGHT LITTLE TOWN WITH A VERY DARK STORY

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Hay on Wye is a historic market town in Breconshire which has become world-famous as a “town of books”. It is a pretty, busy place with small independent shops selling everything from high-end fashion to agricultural equipment and of course the 21 bookshops. There are at least six pubs and a range of good restaurants with Chapters recently added to the Michelin guide. It is a great day out being only an hour and twenty minutes from Wenvoe

We walked into Hay on a cold sunny day in January and learnt the story of the infamous “poisoner of Hay”, a chilling tale which I will tell you here. Herbert Rowse Armstrong was a solicitor and convicted murderer, the only solicitor in the history of the United Kingdom to have been hanged for murder. As a leading solicitor, he had a fine office in the centre of Hay and lived just outside the town in Cusop. He practised law from 1906 until his arrest on 31 December 1921 for the attempted murder of a professional rival by arsenic poisoning. He was later also charged with, and convicted of, the murder of his wife, the crime for which he was executed.

Herbert Amstrong was born in Plymouth and his family later moved to Liverpool. From school, he went to Cambridge where he read law. Once qualified he worked as a solicitor in England before he successfully applied for a vacancy in Hay-on-Wye in 1906. The next year he married an old sweetheart Katharine Friend, who was known as Kitty.

The legal practice thrived and the family moved into a large house where they brought up three children, two girls and a boy. On the outbreak of the First World War Herbert joined the army and served in France in the Royal Engineers, rising to the rank of Major. He was later awarded the Territorial Decoration, a medal for loyal and long service.

In May 1919, not long after Herbert had returned from the war, Kitty’s health deteriorated. She was seen by various doctors and spent some time in a mental asylum. Her symptoms were a bit of a mystery, but she became well enough to return home in January 1921. It was noted that her husband took good care of her and would sit by her bed reading to her. Sadly, exactly a month later on 22nd February

1921 she died. Her death certificate stated that she died of “gastritis, aggravated by heart disease and nephritis.”

Mrs Armstrong had an overbearing personality and was not popular in the village. Her husband on the other hand had a string of affairs while he was away during the war, and on his return, he would attend village dances on his own. If he had anything to do with the death of his wife, he did well to avoid suspicion.

However – Herbert Armstrong had a rival solicitor in Hay and the two lawyers were locked in a dispute over a property deal. A deposit on the sale had been paid to Armstrong but it seems that he had gambled it away. Oswald Martin, his adversary, put pressure on him to come up with the money and Armstrong invited him to come to tea to discuss things. On 26th October 1921, Martin arrived and was given a scone with his tea. When he arrived home, he was violently ill. Martin’s father-in-law was the chemist in Hay and he became suspicious and remembered selling Armstrong some arsenic for use as a weedkiller. The local doctor noted how the symptoms which Martin suffered from were like those of Kitty Armstrong.

It was subsequently discovered that a few weeks before the tea party, a box of chocolates had been anonymously sent to the Martins. Mrs Martin’s sister-in-law had eaten some and become violently ill. Fortunately, some chocolates remained and when examined some were found to have a small hole in the base. Dr Hincks contacted the Home Office and explained his suspicions about what had happened to Martin, and also voiced suspicions about Mrs Armstrong’s death. Samples of the chocolates and Martin’s urine were examined and found to contain arsenic, and the Home Office then passed the case to Scotland Yard. Armstrong was arrested on 31st December 1921 and was found to have a packet of arsenic in his pocket. He was charged with the intended murder of Oswald Martin. The body of Kitty Armstrong was exhumed and found to be riddled with arsenic. So in January 1922, Armstrong was also charged with the “wilful murder of his wife”. He strongly protested his innocence on both charges.

The trial was held in Hereford on 3rd April 1922 and the legal proceedings ended the following month. Armstrong was hanged on 31st May and the hangman said his last words were “Kitty I’m coomin to ye!”. Earlier that morning the prison governor asked him if he had anything to say to which he replied, “I am innocent of the crime for which I have been condemned to die.”

Over the years there has been much debate about the case, especially as arsenic was an ingredient in some medicines at the time. There is a view that this was a miscarriage of justice, and that Armstrong was wrongly convicted. If an innocent man was hanged, we can at least be grateful that in the UK the death penalty was abolished in 1964.

 

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.  Time to get tough with the Fly-tippers

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There were over 35,000 fly-tipping incidents in Wales last year and fly-tippers leave some pretty bizarre rubbish.

Fly tipping seems to be on the increase and the lanes around Wenvoe have recently witnessed the dumping of all manner of rubbish, including old mattresses, paint pots and even fridges. The widespread anger this practice generates seems to have little impact on the perpertrators One morbid litter bug dumped a coffin in the street in Redbridge, north-east London, along with a pile of tyres. Redbridge Council clean-up crews were relieved to discover that there was no body inside. Other bizarre examples have included a mattress hanging from a telegraph pole and live turtles left in a shoebox.

Fly tipping is not only a blight on our community but the environmental and financial costs are high. Every year clearing up after fly tipppers costs the Vale of Glamorgan Council about £20,000. Fly tipping is in fact a criminal offence. In the worse cases convictions in a crown court can result in unlimited fines and lengthy prison terms. The Vale of Glamorgan Council are in fact part of Fly-tipping Action Wales, a partnership initiative, sponsored by the Welsh Government and made up of 50 partners including the 22 local authorities in Wales, the national police and fire services, the National Farmers Union and others. As well as the recycling centres in Barry and Llandow, the Vale Council, like all local authorities in Wales, offer at a reasonable cost, a bulky item collection service.

You might be surprised to learn that over two-thirds of fly-tipping contains waste from people’s homes and often unscrupulous culprits are hired in good faith by members of the public to remove rubbish. But be warned! That cheap offer you found on social media might well be a scam! It’s so important to check with Natural Resources Wales that the person or company you are using is a registered waste carrier. If not and waste is identified as belonging to you, a heavy fine is the likely outcome. Incidentally, if you refuse to pay because you feel the problem was caused by the person you hired in good faith, think again. The matter will likely be taken to court and lead to an even higher fine. Incidentally, it is illegal to dump waste near any full bin. Apart from being unsightly this practice can be a health hazard, attracting rats etc.

A lot of charities like the British Heart Foundation are happy to collect donated items for free. One Cardiff based project set up by Cadwyn Housing Association, Nu Life Furniture upcycle unwanted household items, including furniture and white goods, to sell on to those who need them, at an extremely affordable price. If you live in Cardiff or surrounding areas and would like to donate your unwanted items to help people furnish their homes affordably, fill out the booking from on the Nu Life Furniture website: http://nulifefurniture.co.uk/donate. NuLife Furniture collections are free and the organisation is currently searching for the following priority items: fridges, fridge-freezers, wash machines, cookers, bed frames, mattresses, wardrobes, sofas, tables and chairs.

Shop a Tipper

It could be time for all of us to get tough with fly tippers. Fly-tipping fell by half in Wolverhampton after its council launched a “shop a tipper” campaign, where residents received a £100 gift voucher for information leading to a fine or successful prosecution. The council crushed two transit vans and two cars caught fly-tipping on CCTV. “We do not want fly-tipping in our city. If you don’t pay the fine, we will seize your vehicle and if you don’t come forward to claim it, it will be crushed,” said one councillor, Steve Evans.

You can check whether operators are licenced online at naturalresources.wales/checkWaste or by calling 03000 65 3000.

If you witness or see a case of fly-tipping you can report it online using a simple form on the Vale of Glamorgan Council website found at: https://forms.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/en/Flytipping

 

 

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More Ely Racecourse History

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Dear What’s On readers,

It was great to see in last month’s What’s On Ely racecourse being highlighted.

Steve Jones and myself wrote three books on the history of Ely, Caerau and Michaelston Super Ely back in the 1990’s. The racecourse hosted a number of historical events as well as horse racing. In fact, as our book and the Western Mail detailed on 22nd September 1911 ‘History was made in Ely near Cardiff on Saturday and it is difficult to estimate the far-reaching significance of what took place. Mr H Grindell-Matthews, the inventor of the aerophone, succeeded under almost the worst conditions possible in establishing communication by wireless telephony with an aeroplanist careering through the air, 700 feet high, in strong wind and rain and at a speed equal to an express train Mr B.C Hucks is also very much elated at being the first airman to take part in wireless telephony’. The next day Hucks was back at the racecourse giving a flying display charging 1 shilling entrance.

In 1920 and 1931 grand flying weeks took place on the racecourse and Pat O Hara made a 1,000-foot parachute jump from the airliner Prince Henry as well as walking the wings in mid-air displays.

Another ground-breaking event took place on 14 October 1919 when ‘a large company gathered at Ely racecourse to witness the navigation of the Cardiff- London-Paris aviation (mail) service of Messrs S Instone and Co., A letter was handed to the pilot, Lieut, Barnard, from the Cardiff Chamber of Commerce to the Paris Chamber of Commerce. The plane took off and rose beautifully against the wind and after circling Sweldon Farm a couple of times and doing a few stunts the pilot and his mechanic were away on their long trip’.

The racecourse also has a roman villa and hosted events such as sheep dog trials, international athletics, church and sporting events and motocross.

Ely has a fascinating and proud history of which the racecourse is just one aspect!

Nigel Billingham, Church Rise.

 

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