Category: Activities

1964 Meirion yn Diolch i Gwynfor

The photographer Tudur Owen, from Croesor, has presented a series of pictures dating back to 1964 to the Plaid Cymru History Society.  Among the photographs are the Adoption Meeting of Elystan Morgan as a candidate in 1964, celebrations in the Plaid Cymru conference in 1966 following Gwynfor Evans’ by-election breakthrough, the Rhondda West and Caerffili campaigns of 1967 and 1968 and Dafydd Wigley’s campaign in Meirionnydd in 1970.

Plaid History Chair Dafydd Williams said, “This collection is a substantial addition to the archive and its great to see all the activity and buzz of the 1960s era brought to life in these photos.

“It’s interesting to see the presence of Winnie Ewing and a contingent of friends from the SNP in these images, in several memorable campaigns – a sure sign of the ties between our two national movements over the years.

Winnie Ewing a Vic Davies yn Nolgellau 1966

“We are truly grateful to Tudur Owen for presenting this collection.”

A special event was held to commemorate the 90^th anniversary of the first meeting of The Welsh Movement, the group which led to the formation of Plaid Cymru. The historic, secret meeting was held in Bedwas   Place in Penarth on January 7, 1924, and led by the lecturer and dramatist, Saunders Lewis, who lived in Penarth for many years. At this month’s event, guest speaker Professor Richard Wyn Jones spoke of the importance of the meetings held by the group and how they led to links with Nationalists in north Wales and the official formation of Plaid Cymru the following year. He explained how policies drawn up by the group became the policies of Plaid Cymru in its early years. As well as Saunders Lewis, the first historic meeting was attended by the historian, Ambrose Bebb, and the owners of the house in which it was held, the historian and Welsh scholar, G. J. Williams, and his wife, Elizabeth. This month’s event, organised by the Plaid Cymru History Society and the Penarth Branch of Plaid Cymru, was attended by about a hundred people, including a television crew. A packed room at the Windsor Arms heard Penarth Branch Chairman Adrian Roper welcome Prof Jones, party members and supporters and local residents interested in the history of politics in Penarth. The meeting was chaired by Assembly Member Alun Ffred Jones, a grandson of the Rev Ffred Jones, who joined the group shortly after the first meeting. A vote of thanks to the speakers was given by the Chairman of the Plaid History Society, Dafydd Williams. Among the audience at the commemorative event were the parliamentary and Assembly candidates for Cardiff South and Penarth, Ben Foday and Dr Dafydd Trystan Davies, who was elected as the party’s national Chairman last year.

In the 2013 Annual Conference  an exhibition of Women in ‘Plaid Cymru – The Early Years’ prepared by Yvonne Balakrishnan was displayed by the History Society.             

Amongst the women shown in the exhibition are –

Cassie Davies, Tegwen Clee, Eileen Beasley, Nesta Roberts

Priscie Roberts, Mai Roberts, Efelyn Williams, Kate Roberts

Dr Ceinwen H. Thomas, Cathrin Huws, Caerdydd, Jennie Gruffydd

Nans Jones, Nora Celyn Jones, Llinos Roberts, Lerpwl

Here are some of the portraits  –