Category: News
75th. Anniversary VE Day
A Personal Reminiscence
I was prompted, to put pen to paper, by the recent hype of the 75th anniversary of the end of WW 2, particularly the coverage of Captain Toms’ “100 years young”, raising £30 million plus for charity [ Isn’t he a marvel ], the Dan Snow BBC coverage of D-Day landings, WW2 history footage, etc. and lastly, the photo of Mike Tucker in uniform in the June “What’s On. I worked regularly with our uniformed lads and lassies during my career as an estate surveyor with the Ministry of Defence [MoD].
In 1970, I was posted from the Defence Land Agents [DLA] office, Dorchester to the DLA office in Dusseldorf which was responsible for the estate management of the military bases, airfields, married quarter sites, etc., in the north western part of Germany “policed” by the British Army of the Rhine [BAOR] area. At this time there was still two “wars/conflicts” in progress; the Cold War with Russia [Breznev, a hardliner, was the President at this time], its’ “Iron Curtain” allies and the conflict with the IRA in Northern Ireland.
During my first week, I had to attend indoctrination courses which involved the tactics of Russian/East German agent activities in Western Germany, particularly their movements, spying and possible infiltration by way of “honey traps”, etc. One eye opener of the course was the communication method of getting coded messages to their agents on the ground. This was done by a radio broadcast every day at exactly 10:00 hours from East Berlin by a female, nicknamed “Berlin Annie”. She would read out in a monotone staccato voice, a series of four numbers from 1 to 9: for example, zwei, sieben, acht, funf [ 2, 7, 8, 5 ] . drei, neun, eins, vier [ 3, 9, 1, 4 ] and so on for a period of about ten minutes. The agents would note these numbers and decode them into messages. By the time British Intelligence deciphered the messages, it was apparently almost too late to take any action.
The Russians were allowed to travel in vehicles in West Germany but they had to display a yellow background number plate with a number and Russian flag display with the wording underneath “SOVIET MILITARY MISSION BAOR” this was called a “SOXMIS” vehicle. If any of these were spotted during our travels around Germany we were to report the number and location immediately to the military police especially if the vehicles were in a restricted area such as a military installation, barracks, etc. As civilians, we apparently had the power to “detain” the vehicles by “boxing them in” !!!!!
As already mentioned, another “sinister war/conflict” was still continuing in Northern Ireland but the IRA were now expanding their operations outside of the UK – Several IRA activists were detained in Gibraltar about this time, for example. They were also now operating in Germany and the Netherlands. During 1972-1973, Dusseldorf barracks, where the DLA office was situated, was
subjected to periodic security alerts strongly tightened on intelligence of IRA presence in the area. Dusseldorf, the BAOR HQ at Rheindahlen and the RAF bases at Bruggen, Laarbruch and Wildenraath are closely situated to the Dutch border where British families often crossed to visit such places as Arnham, for example, and the nearest town of Roermond for its shops and cafes around its central square. It was here that the IRA targeted a cafe frequented by Brits and exploded a bomb which fortunately resulted in no serious casualties.
I had to travel to London on several occasions for meetings, briefings, etc. I always travelled on “Air Trooping” aircraft with military personnel on route to and return from Belfast. On one return flight back to Dusseldorf, I sat next to a corporal [Chris] who sat in the window seat. During our chats, he told me he was excited at returning, after six months duty, to see his three month old daughter for the first time. Half way into our flight, the captain announced that we were, for technical reasons, being diverted to RAF Gutersloh, an hour’s train journey to Dusseldorf and that relevant passengers would be given train passes and ferried on to the station. At this point, Chris started to become agitated, mumbling that he wasn’t going to see his first child. He eventually calmed down but on landing at Gutersloh, he suddenly tried to shoot out of his buckled seat shouting we are going to crash !!!. The reason for the outburst was the noise of the engine brake and he saw the wing flaps suddenly drop for further braking. This was obviously a case of PTSD [Post Traumatic Stress Disorder].
On the train from Gutersloh, I sat next to a Sergeant and his comrades who were also returning to Dusseldorf after their six months duty in Northern Ireland The train was travelling at a high speed when suddenly a another train passed us in the opposite direction, also at high speed, which produced a high sounded “WHOOOSH/THUD” which was frightening. The sergeant and several of his colleagues suddenly jumped into the aisle, taking up a kneeling/crouching position, holding imaginary rifles and furtively looked around the train. This was an eye-opener, witnessing the aftermath of what our lads had gone through and were still going through in defending our country and freedom. It is therefore disgusting that some have been and are still being persecuted for historical allegations of murder. Etc. It is understandable why our lads suffer from PTSD.
“Yn union”.
What’s On Contributions
WHAT’S ON CONTRIBUTIONS
Thank you once again to everyone who has supplied material to fill the pages of this month’s magazine.
Contributors are welcome to remain anonymous if they so wish, we, as editors need to be aware of the supplier of material.
As more freedom of movement looms, where would you recommend going and why.
How about a congratulation message to somebody local?
Have you had a sort out over the last months? You could sell the unwanted item or give it away free via the free adverts column
All entries to the editors by the 18th July.
A Statue For Abolitionist Iolo Morganwg?
DOES THE VALE’S IOLO MORGANWG DESERVE A STATUE?
The current debate over statues and memorials brings to mind one of the Vale’s most notable historical figures, Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name, Iolo Morganwg. Iolo, born near Cowbridge in 1747, is the inventor of the Gorsedd of the Bards, the ceremonial gathering of druids at the National Eisteddfod. However he was also one of Wales’s best-known campaigners for the abolition of slavery. Below is an extract from one of his poems in which Iolo (who styled himself ‘The Bard of Liberty’) addresses the goddess Liberty.
Join here thy [i.e. Liberty’s] Bards, with mournful note,
They weep for Afric’s injur’d race;
Long has thy Muse in worlds remote
Sang loud of Britain’s foul disgrace.
In the mid 1790s, Iolo opened in Cowbridge, what was possibly the first Fair Trade shop in Wales. He once displayed the book ‘The Rights of Man’ in his shop window. Two government spies bought the book, thinking it to be banned work by the radical Tom Paine, only to find a copy of the Bible inside its covers. What better book to expound the rights of man, retorted Iolo to the enraged spies!
In line with his anti-slavery, Iolo refused to sell books to Bristol slave merchants and to sell West Indian sugar produced by slaves. Instead, he stocked East Indian sugar produced by free labour, with a sign in his shop window reading: ‘East India Sweets, uncontaminated with human gore.’
Ironically, his two brothers were prosperous sugar planters in Jamaica, owning 240 slaves. It seems Iolo could have gained substantially from the slave trade but refused any financial help from them, including a sizeable inheritance. ‘May the vast Atlantic Ocean swallow up Jamaica and all the other slave trading and slave holding countries before a boy or girl of mine eats a single morsel that would prevent him or her of perishing from hunger, if it is the produce of slavery.’
Iolo is a controversial character, deserving of praise but also not immune from criticism. In spite of his stance on slavery, by 1815 and in great debt, Iolo accepted £100 from the will of one of his brothers to pay off his debts and set his son up as a schoolmaster in Merthyr. This he knew was money made from the slave trade. As a Unitarian he was a religious man. He was a collector of medieval Welsh literature and did much to promote Welsh history and culture. On the other hand, on occasion he forged ancient documents. He was a great thinker, but also used the opiate laudanum; on the grounds it helped his asthma.
Iolo has several memorial plaques, including one at Primrose Hill in London and a blue plaque at his
Vale birthplace. He has a Welsh-language school, Ysgol Iolo Morganwg, named after him, and Super Furry Animals vocalist Gruff Rhys dedicated a song to him on his 2014 album, American Interior.
The writer and former archdruid T James Jones described him as a great visionary who realised Wales needed its own institutions such as the Senedd. James went so far as to argue that Iolo Morganwg deserves a statue in his honour in Cardiff Bay. It is topical to consider whether such a statue should be erected or if there was one there already, would there be justifiable calls for it to be removed
How to make a journey stick
How to make a journey stick
Have you ever made a journey stick when you are out for a walk? It is a fun way of remembering what you have seen and where you have been. Aboriginal people in Australia used journey sticks to more easily recount their journeys to other people upon their return. They found a large walking stick, collected materials found along the way, and tied them to the stick in chronological order. Native Americans also decorated sticks to recount their journeys and tell about their travels.
You will need a stick that is about 30cm long and quite thick, some coloured wool and a pair of scissors.
As you go out for your walk collect things that you see, such as a feather or a leaf. Each time you find a new treasure use the wool to tie it to your stick. When you get home see if you can use your journey stick to tell someone about your walk
July’s Letter From Jon
July’s Letter From Jon
Dear Friends
I am writing this letter on Friday 18th June and like many I have been listening to the announcement of the Welsh Government and the relaxation of the lockdown. Like many I was listening in order to ascertain when I would be able to next see my parents in Neath and also when it may be possible to visit our daughter in London.
As well as the personal family matters that have affected us all, I was also delighted to learn that the Welsh Government has said that places of worship can open for private prayer. It is important to stress here that wording of “can open” and “private prayer”. In conjunction with this the Church in Wales has issued a practical guide on re-opening the churches during the Red Phase which is the new phase we are in.
As this has only been announced today and as I have only seen the guidelines today I am unable to give exact dates and times as to when St Mary’s Church Wenvoe will be open. Over the next few days we will be working through the guidelines and getting systems in place in order to be able to safely open the building. More details will follow in due course on our facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/sullywenvoeandstlythans.
However, it is important to note the following at this stage
- The church building is open for private prayer only. There will be no formal worship or singing.
- As there is no formal worship we are still unable to undertake funerals, weddings and baptisms in the church
- The Church in Wales Guidelines state that we are not able to offer people votive candles to light
- The Church in Wales Guidelines stress that those who are shielding should not enter the church building
- The Church Hall will remain closed at present
2m social distancing – at the time of writing – continues to be applied at all times in the approach to the church and inside the building
This list has a bit of an austere Old Testament look to it – and I apologise if people find it off putting, but I am sure that, as you can imagine, we have to stay within the Guidelines as set by the Bench of Bishops of the Church in Wales.
You will notice that we are not as yet permitted to open the Church Hall in Wenvoe. It has also been decided that during the Red Phase we will not be re-opening the church in St Lythans.
But please don’t be downhearted by the rules and regulations, rather see them as the first small step towards opening our doors freely to all who wish to enter our beautiful ancient parish churches.
Should you require any more information then please do not hesitate to contact me on revjonormrod@yahoo.co.uk
Yours
Jon
St Mary’s Church Appeal
ST MARY’S CHURCH WENVOE APPEAL
Helping to maintain our historic church
About St Mary’s – The earliest mention of a church in Wenvoe was 1064. The present building is 12th century, added to in the 17th century and greatly enhanced in the 19th century. In 1991 the north transept was built.
St Mary’s is a Grade 2* listed building and as such it takes an enormous amount of money just to keep the building in good condition. As with all ancient buildings the church needs a great deal of care and constant attention to meet the exacting standards set by Cadw and the Church in Wales. Costs are high and even small repairs can run to thousands of pounds.
Every generation has diligently cared for St Mary’s. Now it’s our turn. You can donate direct to our Bank account 08-90-03 Account No 50192159 or by cheque to Rev. Jon Ormrod, The Rectory, Port Rd., Wenvoe Cardiff CF56DF
Thank you
Vale Reviews Its Statues
Vale Reviews Its Statues Following Recent Events
In the light of recent events, Neil Moore, Leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council has asked officers to begin work to review statues and commemorations, including street names, public buildings and plaques. ‘It is vital those on public land are representative of local people’s values and those of a modern, inclusive Council. We will work with our communities and appropriate organisations to investigate links to slavery and any other behaviour or practice not befitting our ethos’ he said.
The legacy of the slave trade runs through the history of many British ports, but it was largely the profits of coal and iron ore that led to the growth of ports in Wales. Cardiff has become one of the most multi-cultural cities in the UK, but nevertheless its history shows it was not immune from the issue. In November 1843, the Times published a short story (below) about an incident at Cardiff docks. The Times is scathing in its condemnation of the people of Cardiff, although it doesn’t make clear what could have been done to help the poor man. Hopefully he lived to see the abolition of slavery in the United States in 1865.
‘A runaway slave, belonging to an American vessel that lay out in the Penarth roads last week, was found secreted on board a Waterford brig in the Bute docks, which he had entered some weeks previous as an able seaman. A strong party of the American ship’s crew, having ascertained his place of retreat, entered the brig and forcibly bore off the unfortunate slave. Neither remonstrance nor resistance was offered on the occasion, and the Yankee trader having conveyed the poor fellow on board, immediately set sail for his destination. The captured slave was an excellent seaman, and borne upon his person many and severe marks of his helpless condition, and the brutality of his task-masters. It is a disgrace to the people of Cardiff to have allowed this poor fellow to be recaptured and dragged back by his tormentors from the sanctuary of the British soil.’
Swansea had a more direct link to the slavery issue through its world famous copper works. The 19th century Welsh demand for copper meant turning to the notoriously cruel El Cobre mines of Cuba, worked by slaves. James Whitburn, a Cornish man who worked in the mines described what went on. ‘The flogging of the Negroes in this country is most cruel. I have seen them laid on the ground, sometimes tied to a ladder, and at other times held by one man at the foot and another at the head, while another Negro with a whip 10 or 12 ft long from the end of the stick to the point of the lash, gives the Negro confined 25 blows or I may say, cuts …every blow rattles almost as loud as a gun.’
The Lord Mayor of Cardiff has called for a bust of one slave owner, Thomas Picton, to be removed from City Hall. Picton, the most senior general to die at the Battle of Waterloo, was accused of the torture of a teenage girl, when governor in Trinidad. The historian Prof Chris Evans has suggested cases be looked at on their own merits and the views of local communities taken into account. For some monuments it may mean demolition and for others removal to a museum where they can be properly contextualised and explained. It will be interesting to see what happens in the Vale.
Elsewhere, we investigate the case of Iolo Morganwg, the anti-slave trade protestor from Cowbridge
Thank You Wenvoe
Thank You Wenvoe
I would like to say ‘Thank You’ to the residents of Wenvoe for all your donations for Llandough Hospital following my GoFundMe request. Thanks to your financial contributions we were able to source a specialist Visor, masks, cases of coke, cereal bars and biscuits for the staff on the wards.
I would also like to thank the residents who spent their time making Scrub bags, mask mates and residents, including Compass Catering in Cathays, who donated food, fruit, cases of water, teabag
coffee, snacks, material and toiletries. Also Vale Visors who donated visors for Llandough Hospital. It has truly been appreciated.
National volunteer week is 1st – 7th June and it seems the appropriate time to thank our Neighbourhood Watch Group, Glenys Tucker for running a superb Wenvoe Facebook Page, Anwar and Reema and all our volunteers who have been helping the residents of Wenvoe. On behalf of everyone in Wenvoe we would like to say a massive Thank you!
Claire Harlow
Thanks For Everything
Thanks For Everything
Thank you to the What’s On team for continuing to produce editions of your excellent magazine during these strange times we are in. It is great to have something normal to remind us of more pleasant happenings. We would also like to thank Mike and Glenys Tucker for their help during this lockdown and for cheering us all up with their marvellous effort on the 75th Anniversary of VE Day. We are so lucky to have our village shop which Anwar keeps well stocked. Thank you too to Jon our vicar for keeping our church alive with online services.
We feel we are very fortunate to live in such a friendly village.
Best Wishes,
Sandra and Brian Jones