The Cardiff Book of Days (51 page)

1859:
Police Superintendent J. Box Stockdale set up the Cardiff People's Rifle Corps which recruited ‘respectable working people', a group that was not represented in the town's other such groups. At a dinner the following year he stated that ‘working men can be trusted with arms. The working classes are now an educated thinking set of men and I am quite certain they will not abuse that confidence. The way to make men know themselves and the position they hold in the world is to place confidence in them.' When the Cardiff Artillery Corps was set up in 1860 the
Cardiff & Merthyr Guardian
emphasised that their aim was ‘to raise a truly popular corps, one intended for muscular young men, able and willing to tuck up their shirtsleeves and work.' (Matthew Cragoe and Chris Williams,
Wales and War
, 2007)

1968:
The Queen opened the new Royal Mint at Llantrisant. It had been decided to move the Mint from its old premises at Tower Hill. One of the new Mint's tasks was to make the decimal coinage due to be introduced in 1971. (
Western Mail
)

1879:
‘The proceedings in connection with the bazaar in the Town Hall concluded on Tuesday evening and, although it is not yet known what the actual outcome of the three days receipts is, the success is considered satisfactory. One of the most interesting features was the drawing for prizes. A revolving apparatus, containing the numerous counterfoils for the tickets issued, was provided for this occasion. The handle was turned by Miss Ward and Miss Decandia drew the winning numbers. Father Clarke superintending the drawing in the presence of a numerous company of visitors.

The first annual meeting of the Cardiff Quoit Club was held at the Town Hall, Mr S. Cooper presiding. Twelve gentlemen were selected to form the committee. A new piece of ground has been laid out in Tredegarville and it is confidently anticipated that a large number of gentlemen will avail themselves of the opportunity of indulging in a very healthy and pleasant exercise. The club numbers already over sixty members and, after a successful season, will commence the year with a handsome balance in hand.' (
Western Mail
)

1901:
In a landmark ruling judgement was given in favour of the Taff Vale Railway Company against the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants. The TVR had taken legal action against the union to recover losses they had incurred during a strike. Up to that time it had been assumed that trade unions could not be sued for action carried out by their members but they lost the case and were fined £23,000. This exposed unions to the risk of being taken to court every time they were involved in an industrial dispute. After the 1906 General Election the Liberal Government passed the Trades Union Disputes Act which removed unions' liability for damages due to strike action. (T.D. Breverton,
The Welsh Almanac
, Glyndwr Publications, 2002 /
www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk
)

1953:
In the first rugby international to be televised live, Wales defeated New Zealand 13-8 at the Arms Park. It was a result that went very much against the run of play. The New Zealand pack had been in complete control but they only led 8-5 as the game entered its final quarter. An infield cross-kick by Clem Thomas led to the crucial score by Ken Jones which secured the Welsh victory. (Steve Lewis,
The Priceless Gift: 125 Years of Welsh Rugby Captains
, Mainstream, 2005)

1910:
Cardiff boxer ‘Peerless' Jim Driscoll was controversially disqualified in a British light heavyweight title fight against Freddie Welsh – a decision that led to street-fights in Cardiff for several days afterwards (
see
October 5th). (John Davies
et al.
,
The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales
, 2008)

1955:
In response to a Parliamentary question from Mr David Llewellyn MP, the Secretary of State for Welsh Affairs, Mr Gwilym Lloyd George, stated that the government was ‘prepared to recognise Cardiff as the capital of the Principality'. It was an unspectacular moment but the Lord Mayor and Council made the most of it. The mayor had an escort from the Welch Regiment when he announced the news to a small crowd outside City Hall and a similar proclamation was made to cheering traders at the Coal Exchange. Local MP James Callaghan was less impressed. ‘Dockworkers would be more excited,' he said, ‘if Mr Lloyd George had announced that two more ships a week would be sailing into Cardiff to discharge their cargo.' (John O'Sullivan & Bryn Jones,
Cardiff: A Centenary Celebration
, The History Press, 2005)

1855:
The Taff Vale Railway brought in the first trainload of steam coal from the Rhondda into Bute East Dock. In 1857 the Rhymney Railway opened up another important source of business – the Monmouthshire mining valleys – at the expense of Newport. (W. Jones, ‘The Taff Vale Railway in Modern Times' in the
Trains Illustrated Annual
, 1960)

2010:
Five Cardiff men, aged between 23 and 28, were arrested on suspicion of involvement in terrorist activities. Most were believed to be of Bangladeshi origin. Officers carried out a search of a seven-bedroom house in the Riverside area and were reported to have seized a Mercedes estate car. In the Ely area up to twenty plain-clothes officers smashed their way into a flat above a takeaway. The arrests were related to an alleged Al-Qaeda plot to target Christmas shoppers in London in a wave of suicide-bomb attacks. (
Daily Telegraph
)

1871:
‘One of the crew of an Italian barque lying in Penarth Dock died on board last night from the effects of injuries inflicted by another member of the crew. It appears that the two men were washing the deck and a dispute arose between them. One man struck the other on the head with a broom and the man who was struck went to his bunk complaining of pain. The blow, however, was not looked upon as a severe one and no serious consequences were apprehended but the injured man died at five o'clock. The Captain placed in irons the seaman who had struck the blow and went for a constable. Failing to find the policeman in Penarth, he came to Cardiff and gave the information to the borough police.' (
Cardiff Times
quoted in E. Alwyn Benjamin,
Penarth 1841-71, A Glimpse of the Past
, D. Brown & Sons, 1980)

1888:
Cardiff's Norman Biggs won his first cap for Wales at the age of 18 years and 49 days, a record that would stand until Tom Prydie was selected in 2010. The game, which was against the All Blacks, was played at the St Helen's ground in Swansea and the local crowd gave him a rough reception because they felt a Swansea player should have been selected in his position. He was described as ‘palpably nervous' and had a poor game. (
see
also February 27th). (Robert Cole & Stuart Farmer,
The Wales Rugby Miscellany
, Sports Vision Publishing, 2008)

1871:
‘A fire was discovered on board the
Psyche
, lying at Penarth Dock basin, ready for sea. Captain Harris was in Cardiff and for a few minutes there was no one to direct the movements to extinguish the fire. A telegram was sent to Cardiff for the fire-engine there being, strange to say, no engine in Penarth Dock or in the basin. As the steam engine, by order of the Town Council, is not allowed to leave the borough, the manual engine was despatched. It left Cardiff at 1.45 and reached the burning ship at 2.10, having taken only twenty-five minutes to get over four miles of very muddy road. By this time the fire had got possession of the whole of the cabin and threatened to destroy it. Gradually, the effort to fight the fire was increasingly successful but there is no doubt that, had the steam fire-engine been on hand, it would have been quickly extinguished. Captain Harris, who had arrived some time before, said that besides some paraffin and kerosene, there was also a magazine of gunpowder aboard. A slight explosion, which shook the stern of the vessel and the black flames which rose directly after, were judged to be paraffin-caused.' (
Cardiff Times
, quoted in E. Alwyn Benjamin,
Penarth 1841-71, A Glimpse of the Past
, D. Brown & Sons, 1980)

1869:
According to an episode of
Doctor Who
(broadcast in April 2005), on this date the Doctor (played by Christopher Eccleston) and Rose Tyler (Billie Piper) arrived in Victorian Cardiff just as the town was being terrorised by a group of zombies which refused to stay in their coffins. One sat down in the theatre audience just as Charles Dickens (Simon Callow) was reading passages from
A Christmas Carol
. It proceeded to evaporate into a cloud of gas and fly all around the building. The episode was part of the first series of the iconic TV series following its revival after fifteen years absence. It was now being made in Cardiff as was its later spin-off,
Torchwood
, and Cardiff Bay became a familiar location. One story, concerning Rose's parents' wedding was filmed at St Paul's, Grangetown, and showed it being attacked by alarming flying aliens. (Gary Russell,
Doctor Who: The Encyclopaedia
, BBC Books, 2007 /
Western Daily Press
/
Cult TV Magazine
No.186)