The Cardiff Book of Days (15 page)

1884:
Rugby internationals between Wales and Ireland got off to a shaky start. The first, played at Lansdowne Road, Dublin, in 1882 had been treated with such apathy by the Irish players that only four of those originally selected turned up to play. In 1883 Ireland refused to play Wales at all. In 1884, for the first international to be played at the Arms Park, the Irish once again had great difficulty in fielding a team. They were forced to ‘borrow' two Newport players, believed to be Charles Jordan and J. McDonald to make up the numbers. Wales won by two drop-goals and a try to nil. The points system (later amended to give greater value to tries) was not introduced until 1890. (Steve Lewis,
The Priceless Gift: 125 Years of Welsh Rugby Captains
, Mainstream, 2005)

1869:
A Thanksgiving Service was held at Llandaff Cathedral to celebrate its restoration after years of neglect. Architect John Pritchard had carried out an extensive rebuilding programme, begun in 1843. This included reconstructing the presbytery and nave. The tower that had collapsed in 1723 was replaced by a spire. Critics agreed that Pritchard's work blended in well with the remaining medieval structure. Other Llandaff buildings designed by Pritchard include the Probate Registry and St Michael's College in Cardiff Road and many of those around The Green. (Llandaff Cathedral guidebook)

1895:
The official opening of Penarth Pier. The Cogan Brass Band provided the musical entertainment and steamers the
Bonnie Doone
and the
Waverley
embarked for Weston-super-Mare. Pleasure trips proved very lucrative for the ship owners and there was always the temptation to cram on extra passengers. In July 1900 the Master of the
Glen Rosa
was prosecuted for carrying 797 people when only licensed for 541. (John Richards,
Cardiff: A Maritime History
, The History Press, 2005)

1969:
The Tenovus Cancer Research Centre at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, was opened. It had been financed by the Welsh business community. The charity had been registered in Cardiff in 1964 but its origins go back to the Second World War. John O'Sullivan and Bryn Jones in
Cardiff: A Centenary Celebration
describe how, in 1943, a haulage contractor named Eddie Price received multiple injuries when a lathe he was delivering fell on top of him. He was unconscious in Cardiff Royal Infirmary for ten days and took several months to recover. One of his visitors was Prudential Insurance manager David R. Edwards who remembered how Eddie had come to his rescue when he ran out of petrol. He gave Eddie a portable radio which he was not allowed to play as it would have disturbed other patients. With the help of eight other businessmen – making up the ‘Ten of Us' – Eddie and David raised £1,200 to buy headphones for every bed in the CRI. Commentaries of football matches at Ninian Park were relayed to the hospital.

1912:
Two local boxers, Leslie Williams and Dai Bowen, died in the loss of the
Titanic
. Cardiff boxing promoter Charles Barnett had been asked by Pittsburgh millionaire Frank Torreyson to send out two men that he could sponsor on the American boxing circuit. They were to be paid £5 a week pocket money, free board and lodging, travelling expenses plus all they earned in the ring. His first two choices, Jimmy Wilde and the aptly-named Newport lightweight Johnny Basham, had turned down the opportunity – and must have been very glad they did! Originally booked on the liner
Baltic
, Williams and Bowen transferred to the
Titanic
as this would be quicker and, as there was a gym on board, they would be able to keep fit en route. (John O'Sullivan & Bryn Jones,
Cardiff: A Centenary Celebration
, The History Press, 2005)

1969:
A bomb planted by Free Wales Army activists protesting against the Investiture of Charles as Prince of Wales, exploded outside the Lost Property Office at Cardiff's new Police Headquarters at Cathays Park. Considerable damage was done but there was no one in the office at the time. (John Humphries,
Freedom Fighters: Wales' Forgotten War, 1963-1993
, University of Wales, 2008)

1935:
Fighting broke out at Cardiff Docks when the Chief Engineer of the
Ethel Radcliffe
was prevented from selecting coloured seamen for his crew. This was later reported by George S. Brown in ‘The Keys – The Official Organ of the League of Coloured Peoples', dated October/November 1935. Mr Brown claimed that this was only one of ‘35 extreme cases' of ‘the wilful misapplication of the Aliens Registration Act in the cases of coloured British seamen residing in and working out of Cardiff'. This Act forced non-British citizens to carry ‘Alien Cards' but he described cases in which the Police ‘forced cards on those who should not have needed to carry them …Seven of the men had their passports forcibly withheld by the Cardiff police when displayed for inspection as a protest against Alien Classification. No receipts were given for them.' The article quoted fifteen cases where seamen described by the police as aliens had excellent records of service in the British Forces. One had been in the Boer War and another at the Battle of Jutland. Three had been torpedoed, suffering severe injuries and later getting compensation awards from the Government.

1792:
At a meeting held on this date the chairman of the Quarter Sessions, who was in favour of moving Cardiff's prison to Cowbridge, refused to allow any more expenditure on the old site. The majority of the Justices of the Peace disagreed with him but nothing was done. In 1797 a Judge Hardinge proposed that a next-door bakehouse be purchased and demolished in order to improve ventilation and to give the prisoners more space for exercise. He also recommended the partitioning of the passage leading to the chapel ‘to prevent the debtors and criminals from seeing each other'. (E. Alwyn Benjamin,
Penarth 1841-71, A Glimpse of the Past
, D. Brown & Sons, 1980)

1937:
Cardiff-registered vessel the
Seven Seas Spray
received an ecstatic welcome at Bilbao after breaking the blockade to bring in much-needed supplies to the city, which was besieged by General Franco's fascist forces. Captain Bill Roberts of Penarth and what was described as his ‘cheerful coloured crew' had sailed under cover of darkness from St Jean de Luiz. Roberts' daughter Fifi gave an account of their adventure to the
News Chronicle
and later reported on her visit to the ruins of Guernica, bombed by the Luftwaffe on April 26th. (John O'Sullivan & Bryn Jones,
Cardiff: A Centenary Celebration
, The History Press, 2005)

1886:
‘Palm Sunday, or “Flowering Sunday” as it is popularly called, was observed in Cardiff. It was a fine though rather cold day, enabling many, who otherwise would have been prevented, to conform to the beautiful custom of decking with flowers the graves of friends “gone before” … Some good people imagine that this practice is a relic of Popery. It is not so. It existed before the Roman Catholic Church and before the advent of Christianity itself. On Saturday the shops were literally filled with choice wreaths and floral devices. Nearly every other female met in the streets carried a touching token of love for some dear lost one. On Sunday the graveyard of Llandaff Cathedral was visited by thousands of people … One very unpleasant feature must not be allowed to pass unnoticed. Itinerant vendors of sweets and refreshments waylaid the passers-by, while near the New Cemetery a shed had been converted into a refreshment booth. This practice, which has been growing for some years, cannot be too strongly condemned. It is to be hoped that in the future steps will be taken to put a stop to such thoughtless desecration.' (
Western Mail
)

1340:
Cardiff receives a charter from Hugh Despenser, Lord of Glamorgan. This gave the Burgesses important legal status and trade advantages. It confirmed that the Midsummer Fair could be held, lasting a fortnight from June 23rd, and a week-long fair for the Feast of St Mary from September 7th. (John Richards,
Cardiff: A Maritime History
, The History Press, 2005)

1952:
Gus Risman (born in Cardiff on March 21st 1911) became the oldest player to play in a Rugby League Cup Final when he turned out for Workington Town, aged 41. He had played rugby union as a schoolboy in South Wales before being signed by Rugby League club Salford, where he made his debut in August 1929. During his time there he won seventeen international caps for Great Britain. He finished his career at Workington, leading them to unexpected Challenge Cup glory. He was celebrated as one of the few Welshman to score more than 2,000 points in a rugby league career. After retiring as a player he coached at Oldham and Bradford Northern. He died in 1994. His son Bev also became an accomplished rugby league player. One of the streets in Workington's regenerated town centre was named Risman Place. (T.D. Breverton,
The Welsh Almanac
, Glyndwr Publications, 2002 / Wikipedia)

1660:
In the earliest-known contested election for the Cardiff seat in Parliament Herbert Evans of The Knoll, Neath, and Bussy Mansel of Briton Ferry were both elected. However, in June Evans was unseated as a result of a complaint and a petition to Parliament. Mansel had been a zealous supporter of Parliament during the Civil War. He had been made Commander in Chief of their forces in Glamorgan under Lord Fairfax, a post that gave him considerable authority and power. During the time of the Commonwealth, Bussy had been appointed a Commissioner under the ‘Act for Ejecting Inefficient Ministers and Schoolmasters'. At the Restoration in 1660 Bussy made his peace with King Charles II and continued to serve in the House of Commons as the Member for Cardiff & Glamorgan. He died in May 1699. (W.R. Williams, ‘Members of Parliament for Cardiff')