Category: General Interest Articles

Articles of general interest on no particular subject

Wenvoe’s Part In A Game Of Thrones

WENVOE’S PART IN A GAME OF THRONES

As Brexit heralds an uncertain future, it is worth a look back to what was going on in Wenvoe and other Vale villages during the turbulent summers of 1648 and 1649. Following a prolonged period of civil war between King and Parliament, our community was torn apart by the nearby Battle of St Fagans and in 1649 by the shocking trial and execution of King Charles I.


Civil wars are often the bitterest of conflicts dividing family members and friends alike. Ordinary people in Wenvoe however, probably did not understand what the war was about. For centuries they had been loyal to their King and Parliament. Farm labourers and their families in the local community suddenly found themselves on one side or the other. This decision was made for them by their social superiors and landlords, several of whom actually changed sides during the conflict.
The uncertainty and impact of these events must have been frightening. This cartoon from the time ‘The world turn’d upside down: or, A briefe description of the ridiculous fashions of these distracted times’ summed up how people would have felt about the perilous times in which they lived. It was a clever image summing up how ordinary life was undergoing strange and unpredictable change.
Local people had already suffered greatly in the years of conflict before 1648. Officials warned villagers if they didn’t pay wartime taxes they would be subject ‘at your peril of pillaging and plundering, and your houses fired and your persons imprisoned.’ Apart from those conscripted to fight, skilled craftsmen were forced to leave their homes to work for the armies.
The battle itself, in May 1648, involved around 11,000 men. It ended in victory for the well paid, trained and equipped Parliamentarian
forces. The Royalist army, who had hoped to restore Charles I to the throne, was routed. Many men from surrounding villages were ‘volunteered’ to join the Royalist army and bring their homemade weapons such as Welsh bills (a farming implement similar to a scythe) and clubs to the fight in the face of the cavalry, pikes, muskets and canon of the professional armies. The brutal fighting, much of which was close at hand, was reminiscent of what we saw in TV’s recent Game of Thrones. The exit wound of a musket shot was the size of a dinner plate and it was no surprise therefore that the River Ely was said to have flowed red with blood.
In the days following the battle, locals who had already witnessed horrific scenes and injuries were forced to help with mass burials of several hundred dead. One burial mound, which can still be found at Duffryn, is said to be the resting place of Royalists caught and killed when fleeing after the battle. Soldiers did not wear dog tags so once inevitably stripped of all possessions, bodies could not be identified. In local villages, the bereaved families never knew what happened to their loved ones. Survivors faced plundering at the hands of victorious soldiers. Diseases like bubonic plague and dysentery were spread by both armies. Farms were ruined. With food stores and farm animals seized for army use, starvation was inevitable. Vengeance was rife. Miles Button of Duffryn was captured and fined £5000 for his part on the Royalist side in the battle. His annual income was £400. His brother wasn’t so lucky. He was tried and executed for treason.
And what of the loyalty shown by our farm labourers to the King? Already by June 14th a poster appeared in Cowbridge calling all able bodied men between 16 and 60 to rendezvous with weapons and horse ready to fight for Parliament.

 

 

The Wenvoe Telephone Box

Our Grade II Listed Telephone Kiosk

In spite of being a relatively small village, Wenvoe has three listed buildings. Most will probably be aware of St. Mary’s Church (Grade II*) and the Old Rectory (Grade II), but perhaps less well known (and not another attempt at an April Fool) is our Grade II listed telephone kiosk.

Listed buildings are nationally important and of special interest. For a building to be included, it must be a man-made structure that survives in something at least approaching its original state. Other than buildings, structures such as bridges, monuments, sculptures, war memorials, and even milestones may also be listed.

The Wenvoe telephone box is a K6 (Kiosk 6) design. These cast-iron boxes were introduced in 1926, with our K6 version appearing in the 1930s. They were designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, the architect of the Battersea Power Station and Liverpool Cathedral. At its height there were 92,000 telephone boxes like this in the UK. The iconic booths began disappearing in the 1980s, when the privatisation of British Telecom and the rise of the mobile phone consigned most of them to the scrap heap.

Our telephone box shares its listed building status with some other iconic landmarks. Wenvoe has something in common with the famous Beatles Crossing in Abbey Road (an ideal question for the excellent annual St Mary’s Church quiz), recognised as Grade II in 2010 for its historical and cultural importance. It also shares the distinction with an Esso petrol station in Redhill, Leicestershire. The circular Mobil canopies were designed by the American modernist architect Elliot Noyes in the late 1960s, along with the controversial Preston Bus Station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the left is a defibrillator at Upper Slaughter in the Cotswolds. Defibrillators in phone boxes like this one, have helped save lives in areas where medical help can be slower to arrive. On the right is an art work in Kingston upon Thames

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Old Docks Offices In Barry

 

If you’ve travelled along Ffordd y Mileniwm from Palmerston to the Barry Waterfront, you will have passed by one of the most iconic buildings in the area. This imposing building looks out over Barry Island – but at one time it faced the busy Barry Docks and housed the Docks Offices.

Barry docks office building

At the end of the nineteenth century a group of industrialists got together under the leadership of David Davies of Llandinam and with financial investment from John Cory of Tŷ’r Dyffryn, amongst others, to develop new docks in Barry for the exporting of the coal mined in their mines in the Rhondda Valley. The Chief Engineer of the docks project was John Wolfe Barry – who had also been involved in the construction of Tower Bridge in London. Interestingly, one of the other engineers who worked on the docks project was Henry Marc Brunel – the son of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

The headquarters of the Barry Docks and Railway Company was built between 1897 and 1900, designed by architect Arthur E. Bell after the style of Christopher Wren. It cost £59,000 to build and an imposing bronze statue of David Davies stands in front of it today. The statue is the work of Alfred Gilbert, the man who designed the statue of Eros in London. A copy of the David Davies statue stands beside the A470 in his home village of Llandinam in mid Wales.

This building exhibits many interesting and unusual features. It is one of a number of buildings which are found all over the world called ‘calendar buildings’. Other examples are Avon Tyrrell House in Hampshire, Cairness House in Aberdeenshire, Adare Manor near Limerick, Schloss Eggenberg in Graz in Austria and so on. The features seen in such buildings are a reflection of various numbers in a calendar.

In our building in Barry there are 4 floors (4 seasons in a year), 52 marble fireplaces (52 weeks in a year),

12 panels in the porch (12 months in a year), 2 circular windows – one on each side of the porch representing the Sun and the Moon, 7 lights behind the traceried fanlight window (7 days in a week), 365 windows (365 days in a year) and a staircase made of Portland stone, which consists of 31 stairs (31 days in most months).

In 1984 much of the building was destroyed by fire, but fortunately, it was rebuilt and today can be seen in its former glory. It now houses the offices of the Vale of Glamorgan Council.

 

 

Ann M. Jones

 

 

Marine Colliery Personal Reflections

 

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

In the March edition of the ‘Wenvoe What’s On’, the leading article talked about the crippling explosion at Marine Colliery in Ebbw Vale on 1 March 1927, killing 51 miners. This led one of our readers to reflect on her childhood growing up in the mining community of Cwm, some 3 miles from Ebbw Vale in the years following the Marine Colliery Disaster. She shares this with us here:

‘The Marine Colliery was situated in my home village of Cwm where I was born and lived until the age of 16. In such a small community and in the surrounding area, few families were left untouched by the Marine Colliery Disaster on 1 March 1927. In the valley it was always referred to as ‘The Explosion’ and through family connections with the pit and faithful entries in family Bibles, local children were made fully aware of the events of that dreadful day.

My own father worked at the Marine Colliery when he left school, but he never worked underground. However, my grandmother was left a young widow with two small girls to raise, the elder of whom was my mother. In that single day, Gran lost her husband, her father and brother. Can you imagine surviving such a loss at that time?

The Marine Colliery is long gone, and a monument has been raised in memory of the miners. The valley has largely been restored to its former beauty, but as with other disasters, scars will always remain.’

Marilyn Case.

 

 

Girls Like You

 

Girls Like You

Blogging about International Women’s Day has become almost tradition at this point. You may think it odd that I continue to celebrate this day every year though it’s not considered an international holiday. But every year, International Women’s Day exemplifies the importance of positive reinforcement for young girls. Whenever I browse social media on March 8th, I’m always flooded with stories about strong women I can aspire to be or shown stories of the women who’ve fought for the rest of us to have made it so far. I’m also shown ways of helping others, whether that be through the UN Women’s social media pages, or Plan International or Amnesty International, I see a way of helping women who aren’t as fortunate as I am. But the most prominent feeling I get from International Women’s Day every year is that women deserve to feel valued and that by lifting each other up we can all feel stronger. Cheesy, but true.

This International Women’s Day I’m celebrating the women in my life. Whether that be friends I’ve grown up with through school, friends I’ve met through sports, friends I’ve gained through musical theatre, friends I’ve met more recently at University or the incredible women I’m surrounded by in my family. I’ve never felt limited by any of them, and all I’ve ever received is support. Support to push beyond the boundaries that may sometimes be in my way, and support to continue through those boundaries when there’s no way around them.

This International Women’s Day I want to thank the women who’ve had my back (and held my hair). To my friends, who I see every day being sensational young women and forging paths for themselves. To my family, who’ve shown me ways of being an amazing woman, regardless of whether they’re older than me or not. And to the women I see in the media punching through stereotypes and fighting even when it seems impossible. Thank you.

It’s not the perfect time to be a woman in today’s age; between the fight for reproductive rights, the fight for an equal place at the table, the fight to have the choice who to marry and when and the fight against the stereotypes, it’s still a tough world. But it used to be far, far tougher and we can’t deny that some things are better. Young girls are able to open a magazine and see people like Ashely Graham or Iskra Lawrence looking like their body type and having it be celebrated. Others are looking at entertainment and seeing that they are so much more than the stereotype that have thrust upon them because of the colour of their skin. Others are realising that they weren’t born to be in the body they have and understanding that that’s okay. Some are realising that they get to love whomever they want to love, and it’s a brilliant thing. Young women and women everywhere are beginning to see their value, because there are more outlets showcasing every kind of woman. So yeah, being a woman’s still not perfect, but at least women are understanding that they deserve the perfect rights.

International Women’s Day began on February 28, 1909 when the Socialist Party of America organised a women’s day in New York, with the International Socialist Woman’s Conference suggesting a Women’s Day be held annually. March 8th was introduced by the Soviet Union in 1917 when women gained suffrage and the date became a national holiday, later being adopted as the international date for Women’s Day in 1975 by the United Nations. To reiterate what I say every year, today isn’t a day for bashing men – I’d actually like to celebrate my Dad and my brother for always encouraging me to be me and be the best person I can be. Today is a day to celebrate the women in our history who have shaped the world when it was deemed impossible for them to do so.

Mary Kom, an Indian boxer once said, “Do not say you are weak, because you are a woman”. Don’t limit yourself because of your gender; sex is biological, gender is a social construct. The stereotypes placed on women have been placed there by the men and women of the past. Think – a century ago women weren’t allowed to vote in elections because ‘common sense’ deemed that women were incapable of making sound decisions without the aid of a man. The world has seen a fair share of female political leaders since then. Women who’ve changed the world in some way, or at least changed the world’s perception of what it is to be a woman. Being born a woman ought not limit anyone, and I’ll be damned if the young women growing up in this century think less of themselves because of the sex on their birth certificate.

Whether you were born a woman or discovered later in life you should have always been a woman, you count. You are more than the limits the world will often put on you.

You count, you mean something, and I can’t wait to see you change the history books.

By Tirion Davies

 

 

The “What’s On” is your magazine

 

WHAT’S ON MAGAZINE

This is your magazine.

We have a team to format articles and build the magazine but we do rely on YOU to supply the material to put in each edition. Thank you to all of you who supply us with regular items.

There is no charge for anything you want to have included in the magazine except for commercial advertisers.

Why not write a letter, an article about your holidays or something you have seen or taken part in locally or you consider of interest to others. E-mail your item to one of the team on page 2. If you cannot communicate electronically please leave the item in the What’s On box in the library or Village Shop.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

 

 

The Reassuring Sight of Wales Air Ambulance

 

As the crow flies Wenvoe is directly in between Cardiff and RAF St Athan which is the reason the South Wales Police helicopter can be seen often overflying our village. A common sight, the blue and yellow liveried aircraft has now become a routine crime fighting tool. It is based at RAF St Athan but covers both the South Wales and Gwent Police areas. Neighbouring forces of Dyfed Powys and North Wales have their own aircraft.

Helicopters have become an important vehicle with modern day emergency services with 3 in use with the police and another 3 bright red Air Ambulances covering the whole of Wales. Able to respond very quickly, unaffected by terrain or traffic jams, they can reach their destination with relative ease and then provide ground staff with all manner of specialist support. Even the Fire Service have experimented with helicopter support

Some interesting facts – Air Ambulance

  • The aim of Wales Air Ambulance is to reach, treat and transport patients with the greatest speed possible. A pilot can have the helicopter airborne within 3 minutes of receiving an emergency call.
  • The aircraft can travel at 140mph – over 2 miles per minute – and can reach anywhere in Wales within 20 minutes.
  • Wales Air Ambulance responds to over 1,000 missions every year and approximately 40% of missions are to road traffic collisions.
  • Treatment within the ‘Golden Hour’ improves the chances of a patient’s survival and early recovery.
  • A helicopter has the capacity to carry 1 pilot, 2 paramedics and 1 patient. The new EC-135 can also carry the parent of an injured child.
  • The cost of running the service across Wales is £5-million per year with each mission costing approximately £1,200.
  • Wales was the last country and region in Europe to have an air ambulance service, but it has since grown to become one of the busiest air ambulance operations in the UK.

 

Some interesting facts – South Wales Police Air Support Unit

  • The helicopter can carry up to 7 people to include passengers, specialist officers and casualties.
  • The helicopter will soon have a dog carrier on board for police dogs and has a stretcher on board for casualty evacuation.

 

  • It has the latest camera technology along with digital image management and recording systems. The Star Sapphire Camera has four camera capabilities and can clearly record images.
  • It can transmit images from its ‘heli telly’ system enabling ground commanders to see real time pictures of incidents, disasters and major events.
  • It is a faster flyer, more efficient, has greater endurance, more powerful engines, and has a lower noise footprint which means it is much quieter than the old helicopter.
  • It regularly features in ITV Wales’ programme titled ‘Sky Cops’
  • It is available to be called on to assist front-line police officers in exactly the same way as any other police specialist such as dog handlers or firearms experts.

 

Whether its the Air Ambulance or police Air Support Unit they are a reassuring sight in our skies.

 

 

What Else Happened On St David’s Day?

WHAT ELSE HAPPENED ON ST DAVID’S DAY?

March1st is arguably the most widely known and important day in Welsh history and culture. Across the country we mark the death of St David, patron saint of Wales, who died on 1st March in 589 AD. Most celebrations take traditional forms, such as eisteddfodau or arts festivals. Perhaps one of the most unusual though, took place in 1956, when the Goons celebrated St. David’s Day by lighting cigarettes with leeks.

St David’s Day has many other significant and interesting events attached to it in recent Welsh history. On St David’s Day in 1827 the appropriately named St David’s College, Lampeter, now the University of Wales Trinity St David, was opened. Today it has campuses in Lampeter, Carmarthen and Swansea as well as another campus in London and learning centres in Cardiff and Birmingham.

On 1 March 1927 a crippling explosion at Marine Colliery, Ebbw Vale, killed no fewer than 51 miners. There had been worse mining disasters in Wales but this one, coming so soon after the tragedy of World War One, was a particularly poignant and painful event.

On a lighter note, on 1 March 1965 Tom Jones hit the number one spot for the first time with his single ‘It’s Not Unusual.’ Songs like ‘Green, Green Grass of Home’ and ‘Delilah’ are generally loved in Wales and beyond. No rugby international would be complete without at least one rendering of Delilah. It all began on St David’s Day.

St David’s Day in 1979 saw the rejection of devolution (by the huge margin of 4-1) in a referendum held right across the country. The idea of devolution disappeared from the Welsh political agenda for over ten years; only in September 1997 was a second referendum held, this time resulting in a narrow victory for the supporters of devolution.

Dylan Thomas, in many respects the traditional national poet of English-speaking Wales, was honoured on 1 March 1982. On that day a memorial was unveiled and dedicated at Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey.

St David’s Day 1986 saw the death of one of Wales’ great sporting heroes. Tommy Farr, the ‘Tonypandy Terror,’ who died at the age of 73. Born in Clydach Vale on 12th March 1913, Tommy became British and Empire Champion in 1937 and in August of that same year was matched against the great American world champion, Joe Louis, in a bout at Yankee Stadium, New York. Louis had carried all before him, knocking out all nine previous opponents. Nobody gave the Welshman much of a chance. In a brutal and close contest Tommy Farr lost on points and earned the respect of Louis and the American boxing fans. Indeed, when the decision was announced many of the crowd booed to show their disapproval. Tommy’s later life did not run smoothly and, having retired in 1940, he was forced to return to the ring to try to recapture some of his lost fortune. He tried singing and even ran a pub in Brighton for a while, but his moment of triumph (even though it was, in reality, a defeat) had come years before in his contest with Joe Louis.

 

 

Nobody Really Likes an Angry, Angry Man

 

Nobody Really Likes an Angry, Angry Man

The past few weeks in the news have been odd. With Theresa May’s Brexit deal falling through and her government barely supporting her, the world just seems weird at the moment. But if you haven’t seen a big advert being a headlining article in many newspapers, you’ve probably missed something. Let’s talk about the new Gillette advert.

Gillette, a men’s razor company, recently premiered its new advert, a short film named ‘Believe’. The film replaces Gillette’s signature “The best a man can get” with “The best men can be”. Gillette had said that it wanted to “hold men accountable”, which is exactly what it does with this short film.

The advert shows images of sexual harassment, bullying, misogyny and aggressive behaviour by men, before revisiting these same scenarios, but including another male lead who steps in these certain situations to prevent these behaviours. In the times of MeToo and HeForShe, the film shows men exactly why these movements have been so important as of late. By giving examples of inappropriate behaviour and counting it as inappropriate behaviour, it begins to hold men accountable for their actions. The behaviour we’ve seen time and time again as branded ‘boys will be boys’ finally gets the boot that says ‘no, this is wrong, and no one should allow this to happen’. By suggesting other men should prevent this behaviour if they see it, it creates reinforcement that the behaviour shown is inappropriate. Behaviour women have been telling the world for years is inappropriate, needed a man to reinforce this message. People are listening, but they’re not fans.

The endless comments on the YouTube video show men claiming it to be “feminist propaganda” and suggesting that stepping in to prevent sexual harassment is stating that Gillette no longer want the business of “manly men”. If you think being manly includes being a bully and a sexual harasser, your issues go far beyond any advert. Gillette probably doesn’t want your business if you think that way.

The short film did gain some positive feedback from very few men, but those who supported the advert commented on its powerful message. “By eliminating excuses for bad behaviour, and supporting a new generation working toward their personal ‘best’, we can help create a positive change that will matter for years to come” says Gillette’s president, Gary Coombe. Gillette has partnered with the Building a Better Man project for this short film (which aims to reduce violent behaviour in men) to help induce a drop in male violent behaviour and suggest more positive behaviours for men of the future.

Gillette knew that its advertising would cause backlash. But even I’m shocked it caused as much backlash as it did. Admittedly, it’s by men who are trying to justify the behaviours shown in the advert

as appropriate, but which could be seen to be eerily similar to their own behaviours. But the fact is, this conversation needed to happen – it did. In my opinion, there’s no arguing that the behaviours seen in the short film are in any way healthy. The fact that there are so many who can’t see that these scenarios are problems is indicative of the change that is surely needed.

I’m not telling you that you need to wholeheartedly support this advert and give it all the press in the world (that would be ideal, but some people will always seek to find a problem). I am however telling you that if you don’t identify the behaviours seen in the advert as inappropriate or wrong, you are a part of this problem. This short film was designed specifically to call out these scenarios and show, without an ounce of sugar coating that these behaviours are unacceptable. You don’t have to buy Gillette for the rest of your life or post this advert to every social media platform. You just have to understand why these behaviours are wrong and see that the advert is doing the right thing – it’s discussing it. The world has a problem with discussing toxic behaviours in both women, but especially men. Gillette is holding people accountable. We all need to do this.

The advert had been watched over 2 million times on YouTube in 48 hours. Backlash and support aside, take what you will from this advert but understand Gillette’s point is valid. It may be hard to swallow for some people, but the message needs to be heard. 2019 is holding everyone accountable for their actions, and I’m glad for it. Nobody really likes an angry man.

By Tirion Davies

 

 

Barry Dock RNLI Lifeboat Station

 

Barry Dock RNLI Lifeboat Station is discreetly located in what’s called ‘The Outer Harbour’ which is next to Jacksons Bay on Barry Island. Unlike many other RNLI stations it is not an imposing building on the seafront, nor does it have any wonderful or imaginative launch mechanism like a tractor or impressive slipway. Indeed the current station is an old recycled office from a wood supply business that was once based on the dock.

The lifeboat also sits out of view, permanently moored on the water alongside a floating pontoon which is secured to the dock wall. A big, beautiful orange and blue beast of a machine always ‘on the starting blocks’ with engines kept warm ready to go from a standing start to full power at a moments notice.

However it wasn’t always like that. The RNLI is forever changing, improving and upgrading. Innovation is a massive part of the seafarer’s world as old technologies become redundant to be replaced by newer, safer, more hi-tech alternatives. And so the story goes…..

Work on the first Barry Dock Lifeboat Station started in 1884 as part of the larger development of Barry Docks itself. The initial lifeboat station built with a slipway then received its first Thames type lifeboat in 1901 and became operational which cost £600 and was named “John Wesley” after her benefactors the Wesleyans. She was a 43’ long sailing boat with no internal engine but she was equipped with 10 oars rowed 5 a-side by the crew. She remained on station for 21 years before being sold for £135 having launched on 41 occasions and saved 1 life.

In September 1922 the station received a new 40’ Watson class lifeboat named Prince David which cost £8,000 and stayed in service until 1937 when she was replaced by another 41’ Watson Class boat named Rachel and Mary Evans which cost £6,400. She was the first Barry lifeboat to have an inboard engine driving a single propeller, a fantastic innovation for the crew! This boat saw much service during the war years being called into action with much gallantry on many occasions. Regrettably she

met her end smashed onto rocks at Western Super Mare in 1969

In 1967 a brand new style of Waveney Class of lifeboat was delivered to Barry Dock named “Arthur and Blanche Harris”. This was the station’s first steel hulled lifeboat with much more power from twin Cummins marine engines and was much faster. Also, her metal hull meant she was to be left permanently afloat rather than garaged in a lifeboat station. She had a crew of 5 but could rescue up to 35 casualties in one journey – a huge leap forward. In 1974 she was replaced by an Arun Class lifeboat which didn’t have a name but had the RNLI designation of 52-01. This was a fast craft capable of 18 knots with a crew of seven. In 1997 she was replaced by another Arun Class named Margaret Frances Love and in 2003 was further replaced by a third Arun Class named Mickey Salvesen which stayed there until 2006.

In 2006 the existing boat was delivered – a huge, powerful, fast and very capable Trent Class lifeboat named “Inner Wheel II” after the popular ladies charity organisation. Inner Wheel remains the only All-Weather Lifeboat covering the entire Severn Estuary (there are several other types of lifeboats around the area). She has 2 huge diesel engines which put out vast power to her twin-screw propellers and her wake at full power is something to behold. She carries a volunteer crew of 7 and has the most up-to-date navigation and lifesaving equipment. She is also a self-righting boat in the event of a capsize, keeping her crew safe in a watertight wheelhouse. This is one hugely capable boat supported by a very experienced crew.

If you want to know more about Barry Dock Lifeboat you can follow us on Facebook. If you would like to donate you can contact our Barry Dock Fundraising Manager Avril Kitchen at kitchenavril@gmail.com or you can find out more about the amazing history and equipment of the RNLI at www.rnli.org

 

 

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