Most certainly Newport does not ignore it's history, there are a number of excellent sculptures in the town connected with folklore and history also not least wonderful sculptures on theme of the Newport Rising 1831 (see previous posts in this blog) also a wonderful set of murals depicting scenes from this 1839 Workers Insurrection. If only Hirwaun and Merthyr would do similar in connection with the regards to Insurrection 1831, the only memorialising I am aware of is the plaque on the town library largely memorialising Dic Penderyn. Why not something to memorialise the Castle Hotel Massacre of 3 June 1831? In further connection with the Newport Rising 1831, I draw your attention to an excellent article in Llafur Vol 4 No 4 Wales's 'Unionist Nationalist': Sir Thomas Phillips (1801 - 67) by Cris Williams. Phillips as Lord Mayor of Newport ordered English Soldiers to fire on Welsh Workers, he was later to become an hero for Victorian Middle Class Liberal Cultural Nationalists and at the Millennium was voted a ''Welsh Hero'' by Newport Tories. Phillips was not the only example of such ''Cultural Nationalists'' at odds with Welsh Workers. So too was D.Lleufer Thomas one of the founding members of the Dafydd ap Gwilym Society, if my memory serves me correctly, he was a magistrate at trial of Miners during the Tonypandy 1910 riot trials. I believe that he thought much of the problem was down to ''Drunken Young Men'' from outside the community, over the coming year I shall give 1910 and 1911 much more attention and hopefully assist clarify more on all this difficulty between Liberal ''Cultural Nationalism'' and Socialism. In the mean time on 4 November or during this week, if possible do lay floral tributes at the Newport Rising memorial. To conclude, two question begging to be asked: Why are the Scotch Cattle Workers Secret Defence Organisation not remembered, memorialised or commemorated as much as the 'Rebecca Rebellion'? Further, why remember Dic Penderyn but not Edward Morgan? Think about it and discuss it and maybe lets do something about it, yes! Watch this blog for some action in this direction.
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