On 26 February, 40 years back 1969 there took place a series of raids throughout Wales to arrest, detain and put on trial nine radical nationalists. Charged with organising, Training and Arming a Welsh Military Organisation, after a long trial through the summer of 1969, three of those charged were sentenced and Imprisoned. They were two FWA Commandants, the late Julian Cayo Evans and Denis Coslett and myself. I at the time was General Secretary of the National Patriotic Front, and along with four others detained was a leading member, and organiser of the Anti - Investiture Campaign.
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The so called FWA trial was in fact an Anti - Investiture Conspiracy Trial, and despite my being as ''guilty'' as they come regards attempting to organise a Welsh Freedom Army, I believe that I was arrested and detained with five others of the nine because of our Anti - Investiture Activities. This was a deliberate attempt by the English Government to thwart the Anti - Investiture Campaign and thus to a great extent they succeeded in doing, for after these arrests the radical & militant campaign sapped it's energies and efforts in support of we imprisoned Anti - Investiture activists.
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Despite only being an erstwhile member of the FREE WALES ARMY, I nevertheless sympathised greatly with the general reasoning for the need to establish such an Army. Essentially, I was considering we needed something akin to the pre 1916 Irish Volunteers or similar to the Israeli 'HAGANHA'.
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Until that is group of Patriotic Front Plotters, including myself began planning to disturb & disrupt the Investiture to be held later that year in Caernarfon. Amongst much else we decided that the FWA no matter how small a body had to commit to some Anti - Investiture Action, this is what the 'Abergwesyn Camp' was all about. But that proved to be no more than the beginning of the end of the FWA and our PF Plot and Planning to stop the Investiture of an Englishman as Prince of Wales. Do note a fuller account of the events of 1969 will be run in posts to my Alternative Welsh Nationalist Movement &Struggle Blog during the course of this year.
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I have set up the above foto recently, and have been using it in posts to my blogs in main as tribute to my fellow Compatriots of 1969, five of whom have since died; the two aforementioned, also Dai Bonner, Vivian Davies and Toni Lewis (PF President). The Welsh Quisling Establishment of 'China - Cumru' censors and sanitizers of Welsh history will ignore this anniversary that falls on 26 February 1969 but no doubt will help organise a major right Royal event at Castell Caernarfon on 1st July 2009 to mark 40th anniversary of that Investiture of am ENGLISH PRINCE OF WALES. The purpose of which of course will be to prepare the Cymry (Cymraeg Speakers) and the Welsh (English speakers) mentally for Investiture III possibly in the not too distant future.
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However, You know what they say, old Soldiers never die but just go marching on, so I guess somewhere the boys are still 'Wearing the Green' and Tramp! Tramp! Tramping along, maybe their spirit will be along side those Radical Nationalists of our present time who yet might discover some 'Ysbryd'69' to inspire real Cymric Courage of Commitment & Conviction to March on Castell Caernarfon on 1st July 2009. There assemble at the gate, at least in their 100's, if not thousands! To declare loudly...Once! Twice! but never Thrice! NO TO ANOTHER INVESTITURE OF ANOTHER ENGLISHMAN AS PRINCE OF WALES!
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All this in mind, I have been set
to thinking, what if in the wake of the Cymru Fydd disaster, old ''Cambrian' Liberal Nationalism, radical remnants of Cymru Fydd had turned to a more militant road as the Irish were to do. Possibly stimulated by a version of a ''Ghost Dance'', that is the 1905 Religious Revival, are there similarities between the last days of the Sioux and those of the old post Victorian 'Cambrians', think on it?
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1909 was year of the grand Welsh National Pageant in Caerdydd, the year in which the ''Cambrian Nation'' and the last remains of it's Gentry class along with it's Native Victorian Capitalist Class along with dieing Welsh Liberalism were to show off their 'Cambrian Brand' of Pageant style Patriotism and Romantic Nationalism (I believe so called Welsh Patriot Owen Rhoscomyl) wrote the script for ths Pageant and the 1911 Investiture). What if this along with 1905 had encouraged into existence a Welsh Republican Movement complete with its own 'Welsh Volunteers' aka a 'BYDDIN CYMRU'.
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In 1911 Wales was to have an Investiture, and that old Welsh 'Cambrianism' was going to sell out as it would in 1969. However, what if the aforementioned more Radical Republican Nationalism was to mount an Anti - Investiture Resistance as we did in 1969 but maybe succeeding where we failed? However, there is one big fly in the ointment year and that is the Great CAMBRIAN LOCK OUT, a strike which lasts over 1910 to 1911. Yet most contemporary Welsh Nationalists ignore this history of the Welsh Working Class, some accuse our history of being Anglo-centric, perhaps it's too Gwynedd-centric? or rather rural Crachach-centric.
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Thinks! how come Rebecca gets so much attention and yet the Scotch Cattle are all but forgotten, why is that, I know why but I will let you think on it! Herian recently produce a wonderful illustrated Wall chart of their 'Cordell Country' (Industrial Glywysing), they included Newport Rising 1839, Ammanford Workers Strike 1925 and Rebecca Riots but forgot to include the Great Southern Workers Strike of 1816, Merthyr Insurrection 1831, The Scotch Cattle 1831 - 39 also forgotten was Tonypandy 1910 and Llanelli 1911. Odd don't you think?
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The event related to this Miners Strike as best known are the TONYPANDY 1910 RIOTS, this event is also famous for the controversy as to whether or not Winston Churchill did send troops to back up the Police Occupation of Tonypandy and surrounding areas. However, the main point is that this strike was a struggle between Welsh Workers and Welsh Capitalism, all of which you will be informed of during course of 2010 via the Media and Commemorative Events taking place in Tonypandy.
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So much to educate as to the reality but do also creatively think along lines of an Alternative History (see my ASSYRIAN ROD blog), keeping in mind that 1911 was year of the LLANELI RIOTS, possibly best opportunity that a RED REPUBLICAN CITIZEN ARMY rather than a possible Nationalist Republican 'BYDDIN CYMRU' would have been interested in exploiting. Well that is some stimulating food for thought, and an interesting way to research and think about our history. Also do remember the important 100th anniversaries of 1910 and 1911, re Tonypandy, Llanelli and of course Caernarfon and Investiture 1911.
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Gethin Gruffydd.
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PS: Do not get too excited about the fotos it's not my intention to attempt establishing of another Welsh Army, be it Green or Red. Those days are long gone, an age as made me much softer and a seeker of a quite life really, though I can still manage some 'Guerrilla Remembrancing', if you want to join me in that, your very welcome OK!
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