Glyndwr Michael & Major William Martin

A true story revealing imagination, courage and hope.

A welshman who felt he was worthless, had nothing and could see no further into the future than to end his own life, helped to end WWII.

After much conjecture and disclosure of names of various people, a document has recently come to light which allegedly reveals it was Glyndwr Michael from Aberbargoed, South Wales, whose body saved 30,000 allied lives.

In 1943, his body was identified by Bentley Purchase the London coroner, to be suitable for disguising as a drowned allied marine major carrying secret documents.  Great pains were taken to ensure his wallet contained the essentials, such as a picture and letters from his girlfriend.  His body was then recovered by the Germans and the documents examined and felt to be genuine.   The German army was then deployed from Sicily to Greece and Sardinia, allowing the British army to land in Sicily.

There is much documentation on the internet about this Ian Fleming 'type' story.  Some even give credit to him providing the idea.   

I feel it is fantastic that Glyndwr Michael, a man who was at his lowest, was not forgotten, but buried with full military honors and is still the subject of books, films and documentaries nearly 70 years later.

Book:   Operation Heartbreak, 1950
Film:   The Man who never was.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/6923826/Historian-claims-to-have-finally-identified-wartime-Man-Who-Never-Was.html

I have recently discovered that Glyndwr Michael is a name inscribed on the War Memorial at Aberbargoed.

Sunday on the Mon & Brecon Canal, South Wales

Sebastopol to Griffithstown

Spring blossom

The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal is beautiful at any time of year.  Today its still green and fresh from the excessive rain during June.   The sound of trickling streams and babbling brooks is everywhere as water cascades from the mountain or drains from the canal through its overflows.

Another length of the footpath has been tarmac'd, making walking and cycling easier, but it somehow takes the atmosphere away and changes it from when I was a child.

At four years of age I joined the Sunday school at the Baptist Chapel in theneighbouring village of Griffithstown.   Firstly my cousin used to call and take me (she was five years older).   But when I fell into the canal complete with woollen winter overcoat, trying to see the fish she was pointing out, they must have thought better of the idea.

Every Sunday Mam would walk me down the road as there was no pavement, and with perhaps twenty cars a day using this road, it was considered quite dangerous.  After a few yards we'd reach the Crown bridge with its entrance onto the canal.   From there I would walk along the towpath to the next bridge and up the road to the chapel.


After service I would make the reverse journey home, taking care on the unpaved road.   During my walk I would pick wild flowers, examine insects on the pathway, listen to the birds, talk to the ducks and admire the swans.

A photograph taken on a mobile phone can have atmosphere...

These days there are no swans on the canal, and no unaccompanied children.   How sad.

http://www.mon-brec-canal-trust.org.uk/news.html

Tunnel of the Mon & Brecon Canal, South Wales

Mon & Brecon Canal constructed 1797 to 1812
(Pics of tunnel coming soon.)

Autumn leaves

South of the village of Sebastopol, the canal runs through open fields, except for a section cut through the hillside.   Here the towpath rises over the hill through a copse, whilst the canal disappears into it.    Barges these days have engines so, if this section ever became navigable again, it would be easy to pass through the 87 yards of darkness.   But when barges were horse drawn, the only way through was by "walking."   No, not on water, as this may sound, but on the roof.  

The bargee and hopefully a helper (perhaps his wife), would lie on their backs on the top of the barge, facing the rear.  Then, with their legs in the air, they would stride along the roof of the tunnel, forcing the barge along beneath them.

Spring sunshine

Think of all the spiders and creepy crawlies disloged and falling into their faces as they worked their way along to the horse, waiting patiently at the other end.

Summer lushness

This must have been a particularly enjoyable stretch for the tow horses as they worked their way towards Cwmbran.   As well as waiting at the tunnel, they would have had very little work to do while the barges waited for the series of locks to fill or empty, and take their turn in the queue of traffic hauling limestone, coal or iron down to the sea, or returning with imported supplies from Newport Docks.  

The Works, Ebbw Vale, South Wales

"The General"

This old office building, all that remains of the extinct steelworks, has a name which well suits this very dignified structure, and comes not, as you may imagine, from military parlance, but just "the general offices."

Home to the Gwent Archive, the Steelworks Museum and hopefully many more attractions in the future, including a
3-D cinema, this building appears very grand by today's standards, for 'just' a steelworks office block.   Well worth a visit if you love architecture and old buildings, as it has been very sympathetically restored, both inside and out, and recently visited by the Queen on her recent visit to Wales.

A grand staircase greats you as you enter the main entrance, with arches and floors which would grace a country mansion.

The Steelworks Museum

Staffed by volunteers, mainly retired steelworkers, this museum, consisting of two rooms, is stuffed with photographs, memorabilia and memories of the old works and how things used to be.



A splash of molten ironfrom the furnace floor now art

Arriving with very little previous knowledge of the area, I found the enthusiasm contagious, making me want to know more about the site and its previous inhabitants.



Bell from the original general offices

Records for the site go back to 1640.  At that time there were both salmon and sewin in the river Ebbw in Ebbw Vale.   Who knows, we may see them again now the heavy industry has gone.   The works first opened in 1790 and closed in 2001.   In October 2010 the Steel Works Museum took up residence at The Works.  

This is a wonderful resource for anyone wishing to investigate steelworks for whatever purpose.




The Gwent Archive

Previously the Gwent Records Office, it stores records for the counties of Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly.   In this state-of-the-art facility, records of national as well as local importance are protected and preserved.  

Anyone wishing to research their family tree, or local history are welcome, but it is suggested that a phone call is made first to ensure a table is available.

Anyone with documents they feel would be of interest to others, and should be preserved for posterity may offer them to the Archive.

The Archive are in the process of digitising the collection, and volunteers are always welcome to help with this task.



The typist who used this machine would be amazed at the computers of today.





www.theworksebbwvale.co.uk/?force=en   
www.ebbwvalearchives.talktalk.net/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebbw_Vale

Blaenavon Visitors' Centre, South Wales

Based in a renovated school building, Blaenavon Visitors' Centre is modern and inviting.  Although parking opposite is limited, there is a large parking area just down the hill.   Everything is on a slope in Blaenavon.

The automatic door opens onto an area with slate flooring and a Reception area where you receive a cheery smile and can purchase momentoes of your trip, such as books, stuffed sheep or jewellry.   To the right are two viewing areas and the information area.   This area has a timeline located around the room, along with large information boards and interactive screens.   Telephones allow you to listen to local voices telling their own stories and relating their experiences.

Upstairs a display gallery of photographs of South Wales, but this room is also available for meetings and conferences.

The "Lost Landscapes," project holds workshops and events here and uses it as a starting off point for exploring the local mountains.   Drystone walling is just one skill they have encouraged.

As you enjoy coffee and a cake, glass walls provide a light airey feel to the cafe, with open views of Forgeside and the mountains.   Just below the window lies an intriguing cemetery.   Brambles and shrubbery almost swallowed the many impressive grave stones, but recently a local group have been attempting to clear it.   I feel many of the people who helped to make Blaenavon must lie there beneath these magnificent monuments.

Blaenavon Ironworks is a World Heritage site.  Its well worth a visit while you are in the area, as is the Workman's Hall and the Community Museum with its area dedicated to the author Alexander Cordell.   He wrote fiction interwoven with local events, tales and characters.

http://www.thevalleys.co.uk/attractions/blaenavon-world-heritage-centre-and-tourist-information-centre-p9911

www.visitblaenavon.co.uk

Pantygasseg to the British & Castle Wood, South Wales

Driving along this welsh mountain road from Pantygasseg to Castle Wood and the British, there might appear to be very little to see, but leave the car and things become interesting.

The amount of space around you is immediately evident.   The sky comes down almost to your ankles.  A strange phenomenon for someone living a valley existence.  

The slightest depression in the grass, unusually for July, oozes and squelches under foot.   Tufts of reeds reveal bogs and marshes which require sturdy footwear and great care.

An inviting grass bank tempts me to sit and enjoy the wonderful view, but unfortunately, waterproofs would be needed today.   A lone mushroom stands out brilliant white against the green.   It would be interesting to see if its spores create a fairy ring in the future.   Not if this huge black slug eats it first.

Through a row of grizzled hawthorn trees a town appears in miniature.   Abertillery, nestles amongst the hills as though deposited by some glacier as it passed through.   Its steep hills and narrow streets appearing almost flat from this distance.

On the open moorland a concrete path takes us off the main roadway.   Shamefully, people have taken advantage of its isolation to leave their unwanted junk and rubbish to spoil the enjoyment of others, (including the obligatory mattress.)   I wonder if the people who slept on it realised where it would end up?

As the quality of the roadway disintegrates, the dumping reduces and we can, once again, see the beauty of the scene.   A phenomenon of 2012's strange weather is the abundance of vivid pink foxgloves, and here on the open moorland, these woodland plants provide an unusual splash of colour.

Returning to the car the road drops down towards the British, providing a view of Trevethin in the distance.   The British, with its flat open space, coal & iron waste and derelict buildings, is now, apparently, the largest brownfield site in Torfaen.   Recent press articles suggest development could be arriving soon.

A Secret Valley in South Wales

After weeks of constant rain, the sun shone today and we walked.

We tried to visit a beautiful secret valley before, according to rumour, it possibly disappears forever under quarrying.   Unfortunately, the footpath had become part of a mountain stream, the trickles glistening amongst the long grass and a large tree blocked our way.  

An alternative approach took us along the rim of the valley through a wood of decaying pines.  Sheep tracks ran between fallen trees and hanging branches.   Fragments of fleece hung from sharp twigs, tweeked from the sheep's back as it scurried along.   The ground is soft and brown with fallen pine needles, but where the funlight reaches in, small tufts of grass and the stray foxglove appear.   Patches of bright green moss shroud dead stumps and the south facing bark of stoic trunks.

We peered down into the valley, tempted to make our way along the steep bank of shale and grass, but the ground was waterlogged and loose under foot.   This is no place to rick and ankle, and at the least a fall could ensure a copious covering of mud.   No way would my husband allow me back into the car in that state.

Clambering dejectedly over dead logs, we make our way reluctantly back to the car.   As we climb the stile, we meet three eager fishermen, planning to spend the day in this lush sunsoaked valley.   They will need waders, rather than trainers to reach their goal.



We promise ourselves to return to this beautiful
spot created by quarrying and adorned by nature,
before the bulldozers and six-foot fencing
reclaim their territory.

A walk along Domen Fawr tramroad South Wales

We park the car in a small dead end on the road to Festival Park, Ebbw Vale.   Our aim, to climb above Festival Shopping to the tramroad and admire the views along the valley.   Its a sunny day, but everywhere is lush and damp from the extensive rain.   As we walk we can hear hidden water running down grass banks and amongst the shrubby trees.


As we leave the car the path deceptively leads in the opposite direction.   Then we turn left and up the slope, rising quickly above the houses, and after the recent rain, everywhere is lush and green, highlighted with buttercups, bright blue birds eye and unfurling bracken.

Houses in the distance appear in miniature

Climbing above the trees and through a gateway we see the first of the industrial archaeology, a wheel and the remains of a rusting cylinder.   A steam boiler here generated power to move trams up and down the hillside.   Only a few bricks remain of the winding mill, but some have the “Ebbw Vale” stamping still visible from the Ebbw Vale brickworks.

Another rusting hulk appears behind the boiler.   The remains of a car, lying on its roof, the boot lid the only clue that it was once blue.   I hope no-one was hurt when this piece of metal arrived here.

Across the valley the terraces of Wainllwyd and the huge machinery of the Silent Valley Refuse tips resemble kiddies’ toys.   On a clear day the whole valley spreads below, northwards from the steelworks site and beyond to distant hills in the south.

The mountain still slopes steeply above, but the path continues tantalisingly along in front of us. 

Today we follow the zigzag path down to Hall Street, Festival Park and coffee and cake, but we will return to continue along the pathway towards Cwm, the birth place of the celebrity Victor Spinetti.   Sadly recently deceased, he appeared in several Beatles films, but also in a film version of Dylan Thomas’ “Under Milk Wood,” with Richard Burton, Ruth Madoc and other well known welsh actors.  Well worth watching if you can find a copy.

dafads-days.blogspot.com
Leopardpoetry.wordpress.com

Walk through Graig Fawr Woods South Wales

At Aberbeeg, at the base of the hill leading to Trinant is a forest track.  At first it appears to lead to a stables with two chestnut ponies.  

The fence posts reflect the dampness of the woods with miniature whimberry bushes and bonsaied trees growing from their rounded summits.

Mostly dry and even underfoot, despite the wettest June on record, the banks ooze moisture.  Springs trickle or gush as moss drips and glistens in the sunshine.   Green upon green is highlighted by buttercups and vivid purple foxgloves.     Wild thyme peppers the bank with its miniscule blooms.  As we walk, the birds sing and tracks and holes in the bank reveal the presence of more wildlife - rabbits?  foxes?  mice?     A large black beetle scurries across the pebbled path in a rush to cover and safety.

The sound of water is tracked to a stream cascading from the bank.   The water is surprisingly orange from iron deposits.   Is it pollution when the iron is a natural resource?

Barely visible amongst the scrub and trees, are the rocks of a disused quarry, but, peer up through the branches and a large brick wall extends precariously beyond sight.

Mostly dry underfoot and QUIET !

The sound of traffic on the A4046? Aberbeeg to Cwm road is lost as our path rises above its track on the opposite side of the valley.   Then the volume increases as our path drops level.   Very little can be seen of the traffic as it plays hide and seek between the trees, along with the river and railway line in the bottom of the valley.

Iron deposits colour the water seeping from the bank.   The orange streak extends parallel to the path for some yards before disappearing into the ground.

Seeping iron deposits

Recently washed down from the bank by the excessive rainfall, a large trangle of fine silt glitters with small particles of coal.   Useful to bank in a coal fire ensuring its slow burn overnight or whilst the householder is away from home.   With today's homes largely heated by gas and electricity, not everyone would easily recognise it.

Coal deposits washed on to the path by the rains

As a child I was encouraged to pick up any pieces of coal I should come across, "for luck."   In truth, it was added to the fire at home to burn, however briefly.











After an hour's walk, or so, we cross the river Ebbw and an open plain.   Two pit wheels, ceremoniously half-buried, and rings of bobbing margarite daisies are its only decoration.  This was once the noisy, dirty, masculine environment of Marine Colliery, and the end of our woodland walk.

Traffic appears between the trees on the opposite side of the valley

Depending on the time of day, as you reach this point, you may be able to buy a cup of tea and some refreshment from a mobile van, parked on the roundabout near the entrance to the site.

Site of Marine Colliery, Cwm