Unexpected family connections
The opening meeting of 2018 proved something of a disappointment in that the Society's President's annual talk was cancelled owing to ill health. Phylip is on the mend and is now home from hospital, hopefully normal service will be resumed in 2019.
The attendance itself was rather disappointing with the ravages of inclement weather, long term illness and the normal coughs and sneezes reducing the number of members present. It was therefore left to the Secretary to deputise for the advertised speaker with a talk on the Anthracite Strike of 1925 based on a dispute in the Aman valley. It would be improper for the author of this piece to give a precis of the contents of this very interesting if little known dispute, since he also doubles as the Secretary of the Society and keeper of this blog. However, since the Vale of Neath and the Dulais valley played a notable part in this dispute it was very interesting that several of those present remembered fragments of the strike from the recollections of their parents. Indeed, Professor Hywel Francis, the main academic researcher into this dispute had obviously delved deeply into the first hand evidence given by the inhabitants of the Dulais valley, notably his father the famous NUM leader Dai Francis. The work of the Amman Valley History Society had also been crucial in keeping the memory of the anthracite strike alive.
If anyone would like a transcript of the content a similar talk then it is available on the Resolven and District News site http://resolvendistrictnews.co.uk November archive, in an excellent article by Diane Sims.
Next month's speaker is Mr Huw Williams, who will give a talk on the history of the Cynon valley - "Sweet Ber Dare".
The attendance itself was rather disappointing with the ravages of inclement weather, long term illness and the normal coughs and sneezes reducing the number of members present. It was therefore left to the Secretary to deputise for the advertised speaker with a talk on the Anthracite Strike of 1925 based on a dispute in the Aman valley. It would be improper for the author of this piece to give a precis of the contents of this very interesting if little known dispute, since he also doubles as the Secretary of the Society and keeper of this blog. However, since the Vale of Neath and the Dulais valley played a notable part in this dispute it was very interesting that several of those present remembered fragments of the strike from the recollections of their parents. Indeed, Professor Hywel Francis, the main academic researcher into this dispute had obviously delved deeply into the first hand evidence given by the inhabitants of the Dulais valley, notably his father the famous NUM leader Dai Francis. The work of the Amman Valley History Society had also been crucial in keeping the memory of the anthracite strike alive.
If anyone would like a transcript of the content a similar talk then it is available on the Resolven and District News site http://resolvendistrictnews.co.uk November archive, in an excellent article by Diane Sims.
Next month's speaker is Mr Huw Williams, who will give a talk on the history of the Cynon valley - "Sweet Ber Dare".
posted by eclecs | 2:45 pm
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