The Cardiff Book of Days (10 page)

1951:
After a performance of his London hit musical
King's Rhapsody
, celebrated composer Ivor Novello (born in Cardiff in 1893) was taken ill and died the next morning. He was famous for his patriotic ‘Keep the Home Fires Burning', sung by so many during the First World War, and musicals such as
Glamorous Nights
,
Careless Rapture
and
The Dancing Years,
which dominated the West End in the 1930s and '40s. The route of his funeral cortege was lined with mourners, a bouquet of white lilacs adorned his coffin and he was laid to rest to the strains of his greatest hit ‘We'll Gather Lilacs in the Spring Again'. (Stewart Williams,
Cardiff Yesterday
)

1984:
The start of the national Miners Strike led by Arthur Scargill and the National Union of Mineworkers. They were protesting against the programme of pit closures proposed by the National Coal Board management led by what the Bishop of Durham famously described as ‘elderly imported American' Ian McGregor and Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government. South Wales was solid in its support for the strike and when it ended a year later miners at the doomed Maerdy Colliery were the last to return to work, marching proudly with their banners and led by the colliery band. The long legacy of bitterness that the dispute caused is reflected in the words of Terry Breverton written nearly twenty years later: ‘At Maerdy there was not one strike-breaker. When dispassionate historians look at the illegalities and procedures adopted by the State and the Police towards the miners they will wonder about the nature of democracy in 20th century Britain.' (T.D. Breverton,
The Welsh Almanac
, Glyndwr Publications, 2002)

1910:
General Sir Robert Baden-Powell visited Cardiff to inspect the South Wales Scouts at a parade in Cathays Park. He was escorted by the Lord Mayor (Alderman John Chappell) and Viscount Tredegar. (Stewart Williams,
Cardiff Yesterday
)

1911:
Central Cinema, The Hayes, opened. The building had started life as a skating rink only three years previously. The programme included
West and South Germany
, described on the posters as ‘a delightful travel picture';
Adventures of a Bachelor
(‘a laughable piece of comedy');
Kit Carson
(‘a sensational Western') and
Tilly's Unsympathetic Uncle
. (Stewart Williams,
Cardiff Yesterday
)

1917:
Cardiff Council received a letter from M.E. Jones Ltd of Leicester offering help if the Council decided to undertake the breeding of rabbits as a means of increasing food supplies. The matter was referred to a sub-committee which was authorized to spend £10 on breeding stock. In December 1918 the minutes of the Council's Parks Committee record the authorization of an advertisement of twenty rabbits for sale. After this date rabbit-farming does not seem to have been one of Cardiff Council's responsibilities. (Stewart Williams,
Cardiff Yesterday
)

1917:
‘Drivers are warned that the Electric Brake must be applied when making ordinary stops for the purpose of picking up and setting down of passengers and, when used to prevent accident or collision, the incident (with witnesses) must be reported. The local papers today, March 8th 1917, contain serious reading for all tramway staff: a person having secured £700 for being thrown off the seat of a car in this locality. Arthur Ellis (Manager) Central Tramway Office, The Hayes, Cardiff.' (Stewart Williams,
Cardiff Yesterday
)

1924:
The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) and the Duke of York (later King George VI) became the first members of the Royal Family to watch a rugby international in Wales. They were among the crowd of 35,000 who saw Ireland beat Wales 13-10 to secure their first victory in Cardiff for twenty-five years. The Prince must have enjoyed himself because he returned for the game against Scotland in February 1927. He saw Wales beaten again, losing 5-0. (Robert Cole & Stuart Farmer,
The Wales Rugby Miscellany
, Sports Vision Publishing, 2008)

1891:
David Sanders (18) and George Pine (50) were charged with riotously and tumultuously assembling at the Great Western Railway Approach with a number of other persons and did behave in a riotous manner; with intimidating seamen and with assaulting PC Smeadley in the execution of his duty. At a strikers' meeting at the Colonial Hall their leader, Mr John Gardner, condemned the inattention of pickets to their duty. He had paid a surprise visit to the docks over the weekend and found only ten out of 180 pickets present. It was agreed that any picket not found at his post should have 2 shillings deducted from his strike pay. It was reported that the colliery and dock proprietors had been recruiting non-union workers from East Devon and that ‘labour in these parishes has consequently become very scarce and farmers are complaining that they cannot get necessary work done'. (
Western Mail
/
Western Morning News
)

1849:
A new vessel launched after sunset from the Batchelor Brothers' shipyard on the River Taff near St Mary's Street was next morning discovered to be stuck on a mudbank. A channel had to be dredged to free her. This somewhat embarrassing event turned out to be the last launch from the yard. The following year the course of the river was diverted to allow for the construction of the South Wales Railway and the brothers moved their operations to a new site near Bute Dock. Batchelors was to become one of the most important families involved with shipping in Cardiff. They were shipbrokers, ship owners and built vessels to order for other companies. (John Richards,
Cardiff: A Maritime History
, The History Press, 2005)

1929:
The Jazz Singer
, the first ‘talking picture', was shown at the Queen's Cinema, Queen Street. (Stewart Williams,
Cardiff Yesterday
)

1957:
Terry Holmes, scrum-half for Cardiff, Wales and the British Lions born in Cardiff. He won twenty-five caps for Wales and signed for Rugby League club Bradford Northern for a fee of £80,000. Injuries meant that he only played forty games for them. He retired in 1987 and later coached Cardiff and Caerphilly rugby union teams. (T.D. Breverton,
The Welsh Almanac
, Glyndwr Publications, 2002 / Wikipedia)

1911:
Wales, captained by Billy Trew, defeat Ireland 16-0 at the Arms Park to secure the first official Five Nations ‘Grand Slam'. In 1908, the year before France entered the championship, Wales had also won every match. (Robert Cole & Stuart Farmer,
The Wales Rugby Miscellany
, Sports Vision Publishing, 2008)

1917:
The
Horngarth
, owned by Turnbull Brothers, was the victim of a cunning ruse by the German warship
Seeadler,
which had set out from Bremerhaven disguised as a Norwegian vessel. The
Seeadler
was equipped with concealed guns and an auxiliary engine and her hold had been fitted with enough bunks to accommodate 400 prisoners. She sighted the
Horngarth
, which was carrying maize from Montevideo to Plymouth, and fired a distress flare, making it look as though she was on fire. The
Horngarth
altered course to offer assistance but then the
Seeadler
unfurled the German ensign, shot the Cardiff ship's aerials away and attacked. Her crew were taken prisoner, explosives were placed aboard the
Horngarth
and she was blown up. (John Richards,
Cardiff: A Maritime History
, The History Press, 2005)

1867:
‘I found two day schools and three Sunday schools, two in connection with the Church and one with the Calvinistic Methodists. One of the day schools was held in St Fagans Castle and was under the patronage of Lady Harriet Clare. The other, under Miss Lisle, the Rector's sister, was held in a small cottage in the village. The room in the castle was well-furnished with cards and prints, desks and benches.' (School Inspector's Report, quoted in Charles F. Sheppard, ‘The Parish of St Fagans',
Glamorgan Historian
, 1972)