On becoming Welsh and Why a Welsh Patriot & Nationalist? as much to do with the below, these are pages from a child's encyclopedia. My Mam bought for me as an Xmas present, cannot remember what age I was but quite young, maybe just pre-teens? Whatever, of particular interest to my young enquiring mind was the feature on the 'British Isles' and the story of Wales, Scotland, Ireland and of course England. These pages must have made an huge impression on me as somewhere along the line I took them out of the Encyclopedia and kept them all these years. Thinking back I remember it was my comparing the histories of the three Celtic Nations that started to make me a Welsh Patriot, not quite a political nationalist as such but the Story of Ireland's struggle for Independence was not lost on me. However, not this alone my early years was one of being sent to Sunday School, yes more history of the Holy land than Wales but still we were introduced to 'Cymraeg' via hymns. Neither in my young years was the fact lost on me that I came from a Southern Coal mining background, my Mams father was killed in a coal mining accident and as I grew up in Pencoed I was to witness the funerals of miners also killed in Coal Mine tragedies. My grandfather had fought in WW I, been wounded and gassed, had been involved in the Stay Down Strikes of 1935, Mam remembers him taking her to listen to street orators in Merthyr as his idea of taking her for an outing, I think I might have inherited some ''Rebel Genes'' from my Grandfather, who I do just remember in a few fond memories as I do of my fathers perents who I used to stay with in Gilfach Goch. Given all this Southern and Working Class background how did I become a Welsh Nationalist and not a Welsh Socialist? that we can put down to the 60's and many internal Wales and external international influences all of which I deal with in my blog: ALTERNATIVE WELSH NATIONALIST MOVEMENT & STRUGGLE ARCHIVE http://awnms.blogspot.com/ As for my interest so much in Welsh History, that owes much to the below, not least regards Welsh Medieval History and Princes, although that as much to do with the 60's also. All of which will lead me to Cilmeri http://coffadcilmeri.blogspot.com/ and Cofiwn http://cofiwn.blogspot.com/ in later life . However, I have not totally forgotten my roots and over the years ahead hope to make up for not focusing much on such with more attention being paid to Welsh peoples history rather than the history of Welsh Princes, so keep eye on Red Remembrancer http://redremembrancer.blogspot.com/ On with this post:
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Becoming Welsh had began long before reading these pages, my Merthyr background and staying with my grandparents there often made a small contribution, as did later growing up in Pencoed contribute to my sense of ''Welshness''. Primary school years made me aware of Dydd Dewi but it was my fathers Rugby Patriotism and interest in Boxing that also left a big impression not least because the Dragon you see pictured above came to be worn on the dressing gown of the Boxer Dick Richardson.
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My father and his brother were greatly into the Boxing world of the South in the 50's and as my father worked in the textile industry, when Dick Richardson wanted a Red Dragon for his dressing gown my father made him a few large cloth back patches with the above Red Dragon providing the design to copy. Dad also used to buy me Classics Illustrated comic regularly which give me a good early start into World History even if mainly fictional, I have no doubt that this and the pages from the already mentioned encyclopedia contributes greatly to my interest in history. My Mams was a great reader of both historical fiction and biographies, in main to do with English & European History but all the same as a young lad I would from time to time browse these books and they too would add to my interest in history.
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However, the big moment that made of my interest in history and growing Welsh Patriotism into being more Nationalist was an event similar to that in the film ZARDOZ, that scene were a mysterious figure throws that book Wizard of Oz at the character played by Sean Connery. If you have not seen the film, do! it's got a Political Message that has stayed with me, not least when I think of ''Crachach''. However, first let me say a bit more about these Secondary School years, it was making friends with one Morgan Mounty (RIP), a Welsh Speaking farmers son which began to truly politicise me as a nationalist. Morgan's parents used to listen to ''illegal'' Plaid Cymru radio broadcasts and Morgan used to tell me about this, this was a major input to the development of my Welsh Nationalism, that was it, I guess! However, sadly I along with my young peers would give the ''Welsh Teacher'' much hassle, none of us were keen on learning to speak 'Cymraeg'. One lesson, I had been pretty awful and was made to stay behind to tidy up the class room. I gathered up the 'Llyfrau Cymraeg' and as I was putting them in the cupboard, a book fell out on to the floor, yes that Zardoz Moment! I picked the book up, it was called Raise up the Drawbridge, curious I sat down to read it, read of the story of the struggle for Welsh Freedom from Anglo - Norman conquest. Ironically, it was not the English who were denying us our history but this Cymraeg speaking teacher as she had never pulled this book out of the cupboard, ever to engage us with our own National Identity. But that day, I consider the day of my sudden 'Cymric Consciousness' awakening. That truly did it for me, by end of Secondary School years was writing Nationalist Slogans in Exercise books and finally in my last year, one night painted my first political slogan HOME RULE FOR WALES on a wall in the school yard
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Upon leaving school and starting work I took to buying the Western Mail to read on the bus, and yes the Western Mail contributed much to my Welsh Patriotism and growing Political Welsh Nationalist beliefs. This may make you wonder how? quite simply because the Western Mail reported Welsh News and Welsh features, it was the Western Mail that made me more fully aware of a Wales outside my own backyard so to speak. The WM informed me on ''Wider Wales'', Welsh Issues and politics and our place more or less in the scheme of things. We got to admit now, that if only more of our people read the WM than at the very least they would be a lot more aware of their ''Welshness'' beyond sport . It will be this hard fact alone that Welsh People just do not buy into Welsh News Media in great numbers that will possibly be the undoing of much we believe in or wish for Wales!
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Scotlands History:
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Irelands History:
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Then this Englands History:
FIN?
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