The Cardiff Book of Days (21 page)

1940:
Eight Cardiff paddle-steamers took part in Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of 330,000 British and French troops from the beaches at Dunkirk which began on this date and continued until June 4th. One of them, the
Brighton Belle
, was lost on May 28th after she struck the wreck of a recently-sunk vessel off Ramsgate. All the crew and soldiers on board were rescued. (John Richards,
Cardiff: A Maritime History
, The History Press, 2005)

1837:
The
Cardiff & Merthyr Guardian
carried an advertisement referring to the use of ‘Cardiff Arms Park by Betty's Amphitheatre'. This is believed to be the first time the name ‘Arms Park' was mentioned in print. A few years later, between 1848 and 1853, the diversion of the River Taff overseen by Brunel to provide space for the South Wales Railway's station greatly extended the area of meadowland at the rear of the Cardiff Arms. The building had once been an impressive seventeenth-century townhouse, originally known as Ty Coch, which had been built near the West Gate for a wealthy family. In 1787 the property had been converted into an inn, known as the Cardiff Arms Hotel. The name derived from a shield, bearing the red and yellow crest of Cardiff, that hung above the doorway. An early proprietor was a Miss Wood, the sister of the Keeper of Cardiff Jail. Reminiscences published in the
South Wales Daily News
in 1911 said she ‘was a superior type of woman and a high-class establishment was soon created'. (Andrew Hignell,
From Sophia to Swalec: A History of Cricket in Cardiff
, The History Press, 2008)

1874:
(Continued from May 12th) St Mellons girl Mary Jones visited Cardiff with James Gibb, the butler from Llanrumney Hall with whom she was romantically involved. The purpose of the visit was to make arrangements with the registrar for their wedding. In the afternoon they enjoyed a carefree visit to the circus. Mary later maintained that she had known nothing of his marriage to his wife Susan, cruelly murdered by him a fortnight before. Yet he must have walked past the site where he had dumped her body whenever he walked from the Hall to Mary's house for their frequent lovers' assignations ... (continued on June 3rd). (Mark Isaacs,
Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Cardiff
, Wharncliffe, 2009)

1949:
John Davies (12), a member of the 14
^th
Cardiff Scout Group drowned attempting to save friends swept away as they tried to cross the causeway from Sully Island to Swanbridge beach. He was posthumously awarded the Albert Medal and the Bronze Cross, the Scouts' highest award for gallantry. Fourteen-year-old Margaret Vaughan from Whitchurch ran into the fast-flowing current and managed to rescue the two boys. She too was awarded the Albert Medal (later upgraded to the George Cross), becoming its youngest female recipient. Rover Scout James Rees also won the Bronze Cross for his part in the incident. (John O'Sullivan & Bryn Jones,
Cardiff: A Centenary Celebration
, The History Press, 2005)

1883:
The death of former Mayor John Batchelor, after an eventful career in the town. He was born in Newport but moved to Cardiff in his early twenties. He became a prominent local businessman, involved in shipbuilding and the timber trade. It was his political views that caused some controversy. He was an active Liberal, which brought him into conflict with the Tory Bute family and their supporters – not, perhaps, a wise move in Cardiff. It was widely believed that their scheming led to the collapse of his shipbuilding business. After his death, a fund was started to pay for a statue in his memory – and 2,000 people signed a petition against having the statue. (Wikipedia)

1949:
Margaret Vaughan, who only the previous day had bravely rescued two scouts from drowning (
see
May 28th) was back in the water, representing Penarth Grammar School in a Swimming Gala. Swimming was her passion and, as a schoolgirl, she was one of the pacemakers for Bristol Channel swimmers. Later in 1949 Margaret swam the seventeen miles from Swanbridge to Weston-super-Mare in just over ten hours. (John O'Sullivan & Bryn Jones,
Cardiff: A Centenary Celebration
, The History Press, 2005)

1885:
The first meeting was held at Ely Racecourse, which owed its development to the support of noted Glamorgan landowners and hunting families such as the Homfrays. (Stewart Williams,
Cardiff Yesterday
)

1947:
Murder of GWR platelayer Ronald Lewis whose body was discovered in Sophia Gardens by two boys. Forensic investigation showed that he had been violently punched in the face but that the cause of death was drowning. It was unclear whether he had been thrown into the river or had stumbled in after being beaten up. Two pools of blood some 20ft from where the body was found suggested that he had lain in that place for some time. The motive for his killing was also unclear. His watch was missing but not his wallet. Why had he gone into that area of woodland on the edge of the gardens? Had he gone there with someone who then attacked him? Had he been some sort of peeping tom assaulted for seeing something he shouldn't? No one ever discovered and the case remains unsolved. (Mark Isaacs,
Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Cardiff
, Wharncliffe, 2009)

1882:
The new extension to the City Library was officially opened by the Mayor, Alfred Thomas. The event occasioned great celebrations which included a procession and a reception in the Town Hall that evening. (Stewart Williams,
Cardiff Yesterday
)

1901:
‘Educated Archie', an elephant that was the star of Sanger's Travelling Circus, died at Penarth. The circus had been at Newport the previous night and was moving on to set up at Solomon Andrews' field. Archie had shown signs of illness before starting on the 14-mile journey. He had almost made it but as the procession made its way along Stanwell Road he collapsed. The stricken animal refused bread but was reportedly given five bottles of whisky and two of rum. Whether this medication made any difference or not is unclear but the poor thing died beside the road. A derrick and chain were needed to lift the 4 ton 15cwt carcase onto a cart and six horses to pull it to Solomon's Field. (Roy Thorne,
Penarth: A History
, Starling Press, 1975)

1854:
The old Town Hall in St Mary's Street was officially opened by the Mayor, John Batchelor (
see
May 29th). It was replaced by the new City Hall in 1906 and demolished in 1913. (Stewart Williams,
Cardiff Yesterday
)

1901:
The death, at the age of 45, of John Viramu Jones, first Principal of the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire. Son of an independent Minister, he went to University College, London, at the age of 16 and graduated at 19. He died in Geneva and his body was returned to Wales for burial in his native Swansea. (Stewart Williams,
Cardiff Yesterday
)

1937:
614 Squadron was formed as part of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and based at Pengam Aerodrome. It was an attractive option for young men who could enlist for training as pilots and air-crew. The squadron proved its worth during the Second World War but was disbanded, along with the rest of the RAAF in 1957. (Stewart Williams,
Cardiff Yesterday
)

1919:
The Lord Mayor, Councillor A.C. Kirk, and members of the Corporation were at Victoria Park for the unveiling of a captured German tank as a permanent memorial to the patriotism and self-sacrifice of the people of Cardiff during the First World War. (Stewart Williams,
Cardiff Yesterday
)