Storming Iscoed House, Pontmorlais 1935
by Christine Trevett
It was a Monday afternoon – the afternoon of February 4th 1935 to be exact, and it had been snowing heavily that day. The women arrived first at Iscoed House, Pontmorlais, which housed the area offices of the Unemployment Assistance Board. There, the plan went, an orderly deputation which would include the district secretary of the National Unemployed Workers Union (NUWM) would be speaking with officials. Perhaps as many as a thousand women were part of the protest outside. They had marched there with around double that number of men, coming from all directions to reach Pontmorlais in a United Front demonstration during the Means Test protests of that year. Such things were happening all over South Wales and elsewhere.
The Unemployment Assistance Board
That had been set up by the government in the previous year (1934). It administered means-tested assistance to those who had no contributions-based unemployment benefit. In the Depression of the 1930s the Merthyr region was very hard-hit economically and many people were affected by Means Test decisions, a Test which at this time was creating even further hardship. Opposition to it was widespread, with the criticism coming from not just the working classes and the unemployed, so that the government was getting jittery. From 1931-June 1935 it was a National Government (a coalition) under the leadership of Labour’s Ramsay MacDonald and with Conservatives, Liberals and others in it.
Protests in Merthyr Tydfil region
Not quite two weeks previously, in January 1935, there had been another United Front demonstration. That Front was a sign of temporary Labour Party/Communist collaboration where The Means Test was concerned and that January demonstration had brought perhaps ten thousand people to Penydarren Park. They had marched there in organised processions from all parts of the Borough. Many women were in the throng, and carrying infants.
The crowd had been addressed by Wal Hannington, one of two organisers of the National Unemployed Workers Union (NUWM). Not a local person, he had also been the Communist candidate in Merthyr’s bye-election in the previous year. The crowd was addressed also by John Dennithorne, Warden of Dowlais Educational Settlement (the seat of all kinds of social and educational work) and by ILP (Independent Labour Party) leaders.
A deputation was agreed (it included two local ministers of religion) to interview officials at Iscoed House. They would present grievances and protest the unemployment assistance legislation. On that day the deputation had been told that its concerns would be passed on. The Western Mail of 23rd January 1935 (p. 10) had reported that the gathering ‘dispersed in good order’.That had been then. But come February 4th at Iscoed House, matters would change from being orderly.
On February 4th traffic was brought to a standstill on Brecon Road as the demonstration took its course and from all quarters marchers were heading for Pontmorlais. The protest was being overseen by a contingent of police not large enough to be effective if trouble broke out on a large scale, given the numbers in the demonstration, but then the organisers of this United Front demonstration did not seem to be expecting trouble.
The actual march and deputation had been organised by the NUWM and by invitation it was also being led by the London-born Warden of Dowlais Educational Settlement, the same John Dennithorne (mentioned earlier). Dennithorne, who had served in World War I, was a Quaker and a pacifist.
Accounts of what happened
There are some first-hand accounts of the events of Fabruary 4th, including one from John Dennithorne and another from Griff Jones, a local NUWM member who had been with those ‘starting off from Pengarnddu with banners’(an interview with him is kept in the South Wales Miners’ Library collection in Swansea university). Also there is a fictionalised account by the Clydach Vale born novelist and NUWM member Lewis Jones in We Live – his novel about those times.
The deputation was doing its work inside the building and thousands were gathered outside. UAB clerks on an upper floor had been ‘making faces’ at the crowd (Griff Jones recalled). They soon stopped, as the slim cordon of police was clambered over by a determined group –‘a mob of men who were prepared for anything’ as John Dennithorne called them.
With no previous sign of their intention they had made ‘a sudden rush’, so The Western Mail recorded. Stones were hurled through the office windows, shattering glass over the clerks; the gate of Iscoed House gave way; Dennithorne expected to be arrested. Inside the building he clambered onto a windowsill to be heard but ‘a howling mob’, now inside, shouted down his appeals against violence. ‘Old bug whiskers’ (a jibe at the bearded Warden, who was 39 years old) was told to ‘get down!’ as furnishings and fittings were being broken up and records angrily plundered for burning. Blood was spattering through the air, John Dennithorne recalled. Only a couple of well known South Wales Communists were suffered to speak.
It was the police which persuaded the violently protesting minority to disperse and to leave the grounds of Iscoed House. Hundreds of thousands of protestors had been on the nation’s streets that day. Given the strength of feeling nationally against the government’s stance there was some rethinking of the legislation. The Western Mail was already recording on February 5th that ‘To-day Mr. Oliver Stanley (Minister of Labour) will probably announce changes in the regulations to meet the special grievances raised. New instructions have already been sent to area officers’.
There is more about this and those times in:
- Lewis Jones, We Live (Parthian Books 2015)
- Daryl Leeworthy, Labour Country: political radicalism and social democracy in South Wales 1831-1985 (Parthian, 2018).
- Christine Trevett Dowlais Educational Settlement and the Quaker John Dennithorne (Merthyr Tydfil Historical Society, 2022)
- Stephanie Ward, Unemployment and the State in Britain: the Means Test and Protest in 1930s South Wales and north-east England (Manchester University Press, 2013)
Captain Nelson Morris Price C.B.E., J.P.
by J Ann Lewis
A Merthyr Express headline 60 years ago today, on 18 August 1962 read “Captain Nelson M. Price: the Man Who Stopped a King is Dead”.
The headline referred to an event in 1936 during the visit of King Edward VIII. Captain Price had organised an unofficial parade of his former colleagues in the old Fifth Welsh Battalion in front of the Castle Cinema. As the procession passed, the Royal car stopped, and Captain Price told the King “These men want you to see them, in the hope that you may be able to bring new industries to the Borough so that they may find work”. The King got out of the car, to the astonishment of his ministers, and spoke to the 52 men on parade. The King again departed from the official programme and paid a visit to Dowlais, and it was there that he made the famous remark, “Something must be done”.
Nelson Price was born on 22 May 1892 near Bethesda, North Wales, and when he was quite young, his family moved to Dowlais, settling in Broad Street. Within a few years however, his father died, leaving a widow and eight children.
Nelson volunteered for service on 4 August 1914, the very day that the First World War was declared. He served in Gallipoli, Egypt and Cyprus before being discharged as no longer being fit for service, and he returned to working in the collieries, where he had been studying to become a mining engineer prior to the outbreak of the war.
Following the armistice, he decided to become involved with welfare work relating to the war disabled, war widows and orphans. He was a founder member of the Royal British Legion, becoming the first Chairman in the Wales Area. He also worked tirelessly for the War Pensions Advisory Committee, and was appointed Chairman of the North East Glamorgan War Pensions Committee, being acknowledged as an authority on War Pensions Regulations. He was a champion for the War disabled for over 42 years, and his work was recognised when he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1939, Officer of the Order in 1946 and Commander of the British Empire in 1960.
It was during his time as Chairman of the British Legion in Wales, that he was instrumental in negotiating the gift of Buckland House in Bwlch (the former home of Henry Seymour Berry, Lord Buckland) to the British Legion as a home for ex-servicemen.
During his lifetime, Nelson Price was also appointed Chairman of the Merthyr Magistrates, Chairman of the Lord Buckland Trust, Lifetime President and Honorary Secretary and Treasurer of the Merthyr and District Angling Association. He was also a lifetime member of the Cardiff Athletic and Rugby Club.
At the time of his death in 1962, he was living in Caeracca Villas in Pant, in a house named ‘Cilfoden’ – the village of his birth. His wife Jane Ann survived him by two years.
Floral Fete
110 years ago today….
Merthyr’s Bridges: St Tydfil’s Bridge
Not exactly history, but St Tydfil’s Bridge is an iconic structure that will be part of Merthyr’s History in future generations. We all know it, you either love or hate it, but what do you know about it?
Here’s a transcription of an article that tells us all about its construction:
An iconic steel composite bridge forms the centrepiece of a multi-million pound regeneration scheme in the South Wales town of Merthyr Tydfil.
Spanning the River Taff and connecting a recently redeveloped college with the town centre, the River Taff Central Link Bridge forms an important element of Merthyr Tydfil’s £24M regeneration programme.
Funded by the European Regional Development Fund and Welsh Government, the regeneration masterplan encompasses a number of town centre enhancements with the new road bridge helping to make the riverside area an attractive destination for future investment.
The council’s Regeneration Manager Gavin Lewis wanted something that would be a feature and not simply a typical highway bridge structure. A number of design options went out to consultation with the local planning and highways authorities, together with other stakeholders, and the favoured design was for a bridge with an iconic arch.
Once a bridge design was selected locally based civil engineering company Alun Griffiths was chosen as the principal contractor for the project, while Mabey Bridge was awarded the bridge construction subcontract package.
Designed by Capita, the bridge’s stand out feature is 136t skewed arch. Measuring 40.9m across its base and reaching a maximum height of 18.5m, it was fabricated from 60mm thick plate. Connecting the arch to the bridge deck are a total of 14 × 80mm diameter hangers ranging in length from 4.7m to 22.5m.
One of the project’s main technical challenges revolved around the hangers and the associated cable tensioning. “During the non-linear analysis of the installation and stressing procedure for the hangers, we found that some hangers would go into compression if the full pre-stress design was induced in an adjacent hanger,” says Christopher Prosser, Capita Project Engineer. “We therefore had to design an incremental tensioning sequence to prevent this occurring. The designed sequence was later streamlined by Mabey Bridge during the construction phase in order to speed up the process.”
The appearance of the bridge was critical to the overall design and so it was decided that each hanger fin plate would be designed with the same geometry, but with varying orientation to suit the alignment of the hangers. This required Capita to extensively model each element to ensure there were no clashes and determine the practicalities of completing the internal welds, while ensuring the alignment of the hangers between the top and bottom plates was correct both aesthetically and structurally.
When designing the structure it was also necessary to take into account the BS EN 1993-1-11 requirement for the loss of a hanger without any restriction to live load capacity. “This required us to model what effect the loss of a hanger had on the remaining structural elements for the critical loading case. This analysis resulted in the increasing of the diameter of the hangers and associated fixings,” says Mr. Prosser.
For the site erection programme, the 29m long x 19.8m wide deck was the first steelwork to be installed earlier this year by Mabey Bridge. It is formed with a ladder configuration with two main 900mm deep × 600m wide outer girders, each 29m-long, connected by a series of nine crossbeams.
“We erected the deck steelwork using MEWPs positioned on each riverbank in conjunction with one 250t capacity crane,” says Andy Hosking, Mabey Bridge Project Manager. “Once the beams were erected we then bolted on the cantilevers which support the parapets as well as having the deck connection for the hangers.”
Mabey Bridge’s contract required it to have input in a number of aspects relating to the project, not just the steelwork detailing, but also construction methodology, and cable installation and stressing. However, the company’s main recommendation was to fully assemble the arch and then lift the complete structure into position.
This eliminated working at height as well as having environmental benefits as no trestles were installed into the fast flowing river. Working in this way also reduced the construction programme as steelwork fabrication was carried out off site by Mabey Bridge while Alun Griffiths was constructing the substructure on site.
The arch was transported to site in four equal sections from Mabey Bridge’s Newhouse manufacturing facility which is 88km away from Merthyr Tydfil. Once on site, the sections were placed on temporary trestles and welded together to produce the continuous and completed arch.
Using a single 550t capacity mobile crane positioned on one of the riverbanks, the entire arch was lifted into a vertical position, slewed over the river to its final position where it was fixed to the abutments. “The entire lifting procedure took eight hours and a large crowd, including school children and council representatives, gathered to watch,” says Mr Hosking.
Commenting on the bridge, which is scheduled to open in November, Daniel Francis, Project Manager for Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, says: “It is an iconic structure that also opens up areas of the town for future development. It is also a key structure in our redevelopment programme that will, along with a new road system, cater for our anticipated increase in visitors to the town.”
This article is transcribed with the kind permission of The British Constructional Steelwork Association Limited. To view the original article, please click:
https://www.steelconstruction.info/River_Taff_Central_Link_Bridge,_Merthyr_Tydfil
Watkin George
Today marks the 200th anniversary of the death of one Merthyr’s greatest pioneers – Watkin George.
Watkin George is not a name that most people think of when talking about Merthyr’s great men of the past, but his contribution to the town’s history and his legacy is incalculable.
Born in about 1759 in Trevethin, Pontypool, very little is known about his early life, other than he trained as a carpenter, but by his early thirties, he had had married Anne Jenkins (of also of Trevethin), and had moved to Merthyr to work at the Cyfarthfa Ironworks as an engineer, as his expertise in designing and building metal structures had become well known.
He soon became the foundry manager at the Cyfarthfa Works, and in 1792, Richard Crawshay appointed him as a partner in the business. One of his first projects as partner was designing the Pont-y-Cafnau (Bridge of Troughs), a combined tramroad and enclosed aqueduct built to supply the works with limestone and water.
This was closely followed by the incredible and innovative design for a mechanism to pump air into the blast furnaces – a huge timber aqueduct spanning the River Taff and providing water to power a 15m diameter waterwheel, used to work an air pump for blowing the iron smelting furnaces. The Gwynne Aqueduct and ‘Aeolus Waterwheel’ soon became famous throughout the country, and visitors would come to Merthyr just to see them. Indeed Some contemporary accounts actually referred to the Aeolus Wheel as ‘the Eighth Wonder of the World’.
In 1799, George designed what would become his most iconic structure – the Old Iron Bridge, and two years later he designed the Ynysfach Ironworks.
In about 1805, having helped Cyfarthfa Ironworks expand, George left the partnership. Reports vary on the amount of money he amassed for his 13 years of service, either £40,000 or £100,000 — “equal to one share”. He joined Pontypool Ironworks as partner to its owners Capel Hanbury Leigh (1776-1861) and Robert Smith, restructuring the works and making great improvements to balling and refinery operations.
In 1811 he prepared a design for Chepstow Bridge – a series of cast iron spans on the existing piers. His design was not adopted, and the new bridge was eventually designed by John Urpeth Rastrick. George’s designs for the Chepstow bridge are his last known work.
Watkin George died on 10 August 1822 and was buried at St Cadoc’s Church in Trevethin.
Today, of his works, the Ynysfach Ironworks Engine House still stands, and his Pont-y-Cafnau is the oldest surviving example of a cast iron railway (tramway) bridge and aqueduct, and is probably the second oldest surviving iron bridge in the British Isles (after Ironbridge in Shropshire), so he is certainly someone who should be remembered amongst the great men of Merthyr.
Merthyr’s Heritage Plaques: Dr Joseph Parry
by Keith Lewis-Jones
Dr Joseph Parry
Plaque sited at 4 Chapel Row,CF48 1BN
Joseph Parry was born on 24 May 1841 in the front, side room of 4 Chapel Row, Georgetown, Merthyr Tydfil. At the age of seventeen he began to take music lessons and made rapid progress. He sent four compositions to the Swansea Eisteddfod in 1863 signing them ‘Bachgen Bach o Ferthyr, erioed, erioed’ (A Merthyr boy forever and ever).
In 1868 he entered the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied for three years.
It is estimated that his songs numbered about 300, including the well-loved ‘Myfanwy’, in addition to some 300 anthems, chorales, glees, choruses, operas and orchestral works. He is probably best known internationally for his hymn tune ‘Aberystwyth’ – ‘Jesu, lover of my soul’.
Grand Holiday Programme
110 years ago today……
Never too old!!!
From the Merthyr Express 70 years ago today….
The Execution of Dick Tamer – part 2
Continued from the last article…..
CONFESSION OF RICHARD EDWARDS.
In the early part of the week, the Culprit made the following statement to the Chaplain:-
“I was not alone when my mother came by her death There were three presents beside me. My child (10 months old), was in bed in the room. My mother died on Thursday night. When dead, two women placed my mother in bed beside my little boy, where the corpse remained until the Monday night following. The two other persons present, beside me and my wife, when my mother died, were the nearest relations of Peggy (my wife). Peggy and the other person had been in the womb of the other. These three persons told my father-in-law and my mother-in-law’s sister, that they had passed that night in Cefn Coed Cymmer. I gave my mother a blow about the jaw, because Peggy cried out that my mother was beating her. My mother fell down under my blow.
Peggy, her mother, and brother then laid hold on my mother. My mother did not speak; she groaned for some time. I saw Peggy and the other two squeezing her throat until she ceased groaning. I was in liquor: the three others were not. This happened about 12 or 1 o’clock, I cannot tell exactly, for there was no clock or watch there. And now, if Peggy had been allowed to be examined by me in the Hall, I would have made all this known then. Peggy asked me to bury her. I said I would not, I would leave her there, for I was afraid to be seen. I told them they had killed my mother. They begged me to keep everything secret. We all remained in the house till the dawn of day. I then went up to Dowlais, and the others returned home (to my father-in-law’s, as they say) and told their story about being at night at Coed y Cymmer.
I met my wife again about six o’clock the evening of the following Monday, at her aunt’s house, at Cae Draw (Jane Phillips’s) and we went together, the child in her arms, to my mother’s house. My wife placed the child in the opposite side of the bed to where my mother’s body was lying. We then together dragged the corpse out, and placed it under the bed. We continued to live in the house dining the rest of the week sleeping five nights in the bed under which the corpse lay! I was full of anxiety all the week, and on Saturday I started off the day my mother’s body was discovered, leaving my wife in my mother’s house. I was absent from Saturday until the following Wednesday, when I was apprehended in the Cast-House at Dyffryn, and wandering about.
I tell the best truth – the truth I should tell in the presence of God, where I shall he next Saturday – to you now. My blow did not kill my mother, for she groaned afterwards. Her death was caused by their meddling and scuffling with her on the ground. I know not exactly ill what manner. I mean Peggy, and her mother, and brother was scuffling with her. Neither of these three charged me at this time with having killed my mother. This is all true as I shall answer to God. I know nothing of the death of any other human being, male or female. If I did, I should confess it now, having gone so far. But I am guilty of every other sin or crime, excepting theft or murder. And now I have no more to say, having told the whole truth, and my heart is already feeling light. I began to feel lighter yesterday, when I determined and promised you to confess everything”.
The mark X of RICHARD EDWARDS.
The whole of the foregoing statement was read over in Welsh by Mr. Stacey, and explained to Richard Edwards, and signed with the mark by him in my presence, this 18th day of July 1842.
JNO. B. WOODS,
Governor of the County Gaol.