Brwydr Llangyndeyrn

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-'Llangyndeyrn

-West Wales'

-A Welsh valley

-faces death by drowning.

-Wales is the land of song

-but it will be the land of water.

-The word they use for the scheme

-to flood their valley is vandalism.

-A cruel act of oppression.

-We decided to fight this scheme

-and fight it to the bitter end.

-Unless we can farm,

-we cannot make a living.

-We hear nothing of this campaign.

-This is the valley

-of Gwendraeth Fach.

-The valley that has declared war

-against bureaucracy, the law...

-..and war against

-the town authorities at Swansea.

-There was something protecting

-every gate.

-Giving up wasn't an option.

-The battle of Llangyndeyrn

-was more important than Tryweryn.

-'The Battle of Llangyndeyrn'

-That's where I lived.

-We lived in the school house.

-If you turn to the right, you'll see

-where I spent a lot of my time...

-..walking to the farms.

-I loved the place.

-Oh, a lamb.

-The farms were very exotic.

-They were completely different.

-I was 13

-at the time of this campaign.

-Llangyndeyrn is only three miles

-away from Llandyfaelog...

-..but people don't know about it.

-You need to turn left

-into the village to get there.

-You could go another way.

-The flooding of a valley

-is something very emotional...

-..especially in Wales.

-A tiny village faced the might

-of the English government.

-They challenged these powers.

-I'm quite excited

-about meeting the people...

-..who were part of the campaign.

-I want to know

-what drove these people.

-I can see the church tower.

-Llangyndeyrn. We're here!

-Welcome to Llangyndeyrn.

-I wonder what I'll learn

-whilst I'm here.

-This is the Gwendraeth Valley in

-Carmarthen, 22 miles from Swansea.

-It's fertile, farming land.

-The ground has been tilled by

-the same families for generations.

-The words to describe the scheme

-to flood their valley...

-..include vandalism

-and a cruel act of oppression.

-I don't know anything

-about this story.

-If I want to know what happened...

-..I'll have to speak to the people

-who were involved in the campaign.

-Some of those people

-still live in the village.

-Huw Williams from Pant-teg Farm

-is one of them.

-I'll speak to him...

-..to see what he knows about this

-forgotten part of Welsh history.

-Welcome to Pant-teg Farm.

-It's nice to meet you.

-How long have you been farming here?

-I'm the fifth generation to

-farm here and my son is the sixth.

-How did you hear about the plans

-to flood the valley?

-It was over 50 years ago

-and I was about 25 years old.

-I was working on the farm

-with my parents.

-We'd just finished milking when

-David Smith, the local shopkeeper...

-..delivered the Western Mail.

-Something caught my eye

-on the front page.

-It was a bold, black print.

-"A Welsh valley

-faces death by drowning."

-It was a hard-hitting headline.

-"A Welsh valley

-faces death by drowning."

-Without reading any further...

-..I pitied the people

-who were to be drowned.

-I read further

-and couldn't believe my eyes.

-The Swansea Corporation

-was looking for more water...

-..for the people and industries

-of Swansea.

-One of the favoured options was to

-flood the Gwendraeth Fach Valley...

-..from Llangyndeyrn

-all the way to Porthyrhyd.

-You read it in the newspaper.

-You read it in the newspaper.

-

-Yes, that's right.

-It was the first I'd heard about it

-and I couldn't believe it.

-Pant-teg

-was in the middle of it all.

-It meant the house, the buildings

-and land would be flooded.

-Swansea had seven or eight proposals

-put before it...

-..by consulting engineers.

-The one which appealed most...

-..was one which led through

-the least expenditure line.

-It was to build a reservoir

-in the Gwendraeth Valley...

-..to provide

-twelve million gallons a day...

-..augmented by

-pumping from the River Towy...

-..so it became semi-self-financing

-as we went along.

-I still have the newspaper.

-I still have the newspaper.

-

-You kept it.

-This is what you saw that morning.

-This is what you saw that morning.

-

-Yes, this is the article.

-"A Welsh valley

-faces death by drowning."

-I was shocked.

-What's this?

-What's this?

-

-It's their plan.

-Pant-teg would be

-in the deepest part.

-This entire area up to Porthyrhyd

-would be flooded.

-All of it.

-They didn't have the courtesy

-to tell you about these plans.

-We heard nothing.

-We heard nothing.

-

-It's appalling.

-The newspaper describes it

-as another Tryweryn.

-How do you see the future?

-My livelihood and future

-will be under water.

-It will be difficult

-to find another Pant-teg.

-It's impossible to find

-any place that's like home.

-How did you react to this?

-After we heard the news...

-..the first step was to form

-a committee within the village.

-You formed a committee.

-You formed a committee.

-

-Yes, straight away.

-It was a defence committee.

-Councillor William Thomas

-was its chairman...

-..and Reverend W M Rees

-was the secretary.

-Both men were very determined

-and neither would give in.

-They kept us together.

-These men

-had totally different characters.

-William Thomas enjoyed life.

-He liked a cigar

-and drank whisky but not to excess.

-Rev W M Rees was the opposite

-and abstained from alcohol.

-We all reached a decision

-in that very first meeting...

-..that we would fight this scheme

-to the bitter end.

-It was the start of the battle

-to save Gwendraeth Fach.

-Are you going to use force?

-Well, erm...

-within the law, of course.

-I assure you

-we will stick to our land...

-..like a captain sticks to

-a sinking ship to the bitter end.

-I was going to lose my livelihood

-so I had nothing left to lose.

-It was more than that.

-It was your history,

-your culture and your community.

-Personally, I would have lost

-50 years of happiness.

-I've had the pleasure of passing

-this on to the next generation.

-We used to keep sheep

-but sheep didn't interest me...

-..so I increased the size

-of our dairy herd.

-We're going to meet Alun.

-Alun?

-Come here for a minute.

-Hello.

-Hello, how are you?

-Hello, how are you?

-

-Very good, thanks.

-They had small Fergies when

-I was a child but this one is huge.

-Stop the tractor for a moment.

-You run the farm these days.

-You run the farm these days.

-

-I try!

-I understand you have a herd

-of 200 dairy cows.

-Do you enjoy it?

-Do you enjoy it?

-

-Yes, I do.

-You must be glad

-that they didn't flood the valley.

-Yes, or I don't know

-what I'd have done.

-No, exactly.

-No, exactly.

-

-We'd be on the dole.

-This is the valley

-they planned to flood.

-It stretches

-as far as you can see...

-..and up to Porthyrhyd

-which is in the distance.

-They planned to flood

-over 1,000 acres.

-Over seven farms would lose their

-livelihood because of the flooding.

-Many other farms would lose

-a proportion of their land...

-..which meant a fall

-in their annual income.

-They would flood excellent farming

-land and ruin people's lives...

-..and destroy

-a close-knit Welsh community.

-There were plans to extend the bank

-that's behind us.

-It would stretch all around here.

-It would be 80-feet-tall,

-so it was quite high.

-It stretched over here.

-Let me show you.

-It would come along here and

-I suspect this would be raised...

-..but it would be extended

-to that house...

-..and meet the bank

-on the other side.

-This entire area would be flooded.

-How do you stick together

-over a length of time?

-What was needed for it to succeed?

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-I am W M Rees, the Baptist minister

-of this village...

-..and I'm secretary

-of the defence committee.

-I am heart and soul

-against this project...

-..believing it is sheer vandalism

-and pure Hitlerism.

-The dam will tower

-80 feet above the village...

-..and some people will never see

-the sunshine during the whole year.

-We are heart and soul against this

-and will fight to the bitter end.

-We will fight and fight and fight.

-In order to understand how

-this community saved its valley...

-..I must leave Llangyndeyrn

-and head to the coast...

-..to learn more about the leader

-who kept everyone in order.

-We'll start with that because I

-really want to know more about him.

-He was from Aberdare

-and one of six children.

-He was raised in a religious,

-Welsh-speaking home...

-..and witnessed a lot of suffering

-and poverty within his family.

-Do you remember your father's

-appearance and the clothes he wore?

-He was a relatively short man...

-..who dressed smartly on a Sunday

-in a black suit, collar and tie.

-As soon as the service finished

-and he was at home...

-..the collar came off, he'd roll up

-his sleeves and go into the garden.

-Was your father's upbringing

-in Aberdare in a mining community...

-..a good foundation

-for his role in the campaign?

-I think it helped him to realise...

-..that the working class

-suffered a lot of discrimination.

-I'm sure this prompted him to act...

-..and support the weaker classes

-of society.

-My father

-had nothing materialistic to lose.

-He fought for the things

-you can't see or touch.

-We feel that this cause has not

-had the same support as Tryweryn.

-The damage would be a thousand times

-worse than Tryweryn...

-..in terms of homes,

-farmhouses, land and the community.

-The English stole Tryweryn...

-..but the Welsh are here

-in a true civil war.

-Tell me how you learnt

-of this story.

-A case of artefacts

-came into my possession.

-The case contained items

-associated with Llangyndeyrn.

-I went to his little cabin

-at the bottom of the garden...

-..and found a green file in the case

-about Llangyndeyrn.

-It was a story

-that my father had written.

-I think he's a hero.

-These are the artefacts

-and that's W M.

-I only heard his sister

-calling him William.

-His name was William Mervyn

-but everyone called him W M.

-Where is your father?

-He's easy to spot because he wore

-a long coat and a trilby hat.

-All the farmers

-wore a flat cap...

-..but my father is the one

-in the trilby.

-This is a letter

-from Saunders Lewis...

-..thanking him for the story

-about the battle.

-It was written in 1965.

-"Thank you for your letter

-detailing your successful campaign."

-This is what Saunders had to say.

-"I'm disappointed

-the president of Plaid Cymru...

-"..an alderman

-in your local council...

-"..was not at the head

-of your campaign."

-Gwynfor was a town councillor

-in Carmarthen...

-..and he wanted

-to join the campaign.

-My father wrote a note stating

-Gwynfor was willing to join them...

-..but the defence committee didn't

-want this to be a political battle.

-The committee made a decision that

-this was not a political campaign...

-..that involved

-the different parties.

-What about this poster?

-What about this poster?

-

-It's a poster from the campaign.

-This one is in English

-but there were others in Welsh too.

-"Hands Off Llangyndeyrn!"

-There's a story behind this one.

-Those in the mining region

-of the Gwendraeth Fawr Valley...

-..had little sympathy

-for the people of Llangyndeyrn...

-..so the defence committee

-held a public meeting in Pontyates.

-I wish I'd been

-at that public meeting.

-I'm sure your father

-was a great speaker.

-He was amazing...

-..but the residents of the village

-were also excellent speakers.

-They had a lot of support

-from the miners in Pontyates.

-He could relate to them...

-..because he was the son

-of a former miner from Aberdare...

-..and was genuine in the way

-he presented his argument.

-This is the file I found.

-The Battle of Llangyndeyrn...

-..by W M Rees, secretary

-of the defence committee.

-Have you learnt anything new from

-the notes he made on these pages?

-Water had to be pumped in

-for the purpose of...

-He had excellent handwriting.

-He had excellent handwriting.

-

-Yes, it's neat and very detailed.

-"Huw Williams, Pant-teg,

-saw the value of good soil..."

-He quotes people and has recorded

-the minutes of the various meetings.

-It's written in a literary style.

-"It was a cold Tuesday...

-"..and the drizzle fell as I pointed

-my camera towards Allt y Cadno."

-It's like a novel.

-Why didn't he get this published?

-My father fell ill...

-..and he died soon after

-so it never came to light.

-It's so detailed.

-I think he was a very special man.

-I understand that you aim

-to complete your father's work.

-After reading the script, I knew

-I had to do something with it.

-I set about editting it...

-..and I've also had to make

-a few additions.

-It's been a real pleasure

-for me to do it.

-Did you feel nostalgic?

-Did you feel nostalgic?

-

-Yes, and it was quite emotional.

-It's a large village and I suspect

-there are many are holiday homes.

-Another farmer

-involved in the campaign...

-..was Arwyn Richards

-from Llandre Farm.

-The farm

-is in the heart of the village.

-I'm going to speak to him

-to see what he remembers.

-I feel very bitter indeed.

-Why do you feel so bitter?

-Well, because there are other places

-where this dam could be made...

-..with far less loss

-to agricultural land.

-Surveyors have been on your land.

-What will you do about them?

-It has been pointed out that

-they must have the right authority.

-If they haven't got that authority

-to show us, we will oppose them.

-Giving up was not an option.

-I'm sure you've heard people say

-they fight for king and country.

-This paled into insignificance...

-..when you're fighting for your home

-and livelihood.

-It led to a public enquiry.

-Swansea didn't want to have

-the public enquiry in the hall.

-They knew emotions would run high

-and it worked in our favour.

-The children

-marched through the village.

-The people from Swansea arrived

-but the doors were locked.

-They could enter after the children

-had finished marching and singing.

-They sang Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau.

-It was very patriotic

-but not political.

-Yes, it was very patriotic.

-You were Welsh and proud to show it.

-You were Welsh and proud to show it.

-

-Yes, that's right.

-Swansea wasn't very well-prepared...

-..but we had all the figures.

-They showed our losses in terms of

-agricultural produce such as milk.

-We faced massive losses

-if they flooded our valley.

-It would cover 600 acres

-because it was so shallow.

-We argued that there wouldn't be a

-lot of water and it would be dirty.

-What did Swansea do next?

-We knew they would do everything

-in their power to get a survey...

-..and make every effort

-to secure the survey.

-They took us to court in Carmarthen

-and got a warrant to enter the land.

-A gentleman came to see us on behalf

-of the Swansea Corporation.

-He served the warrants explaining

-that they could enter our land.

-He was dubbed Jones Bach y Dwr.

-This man, Jones Bach y Dwr,

-came to serve the warrants.

-He knocked the door,

-but we didn't answer.

-He pushed it through the letter box

-but we pushed it back.

-This happened four times.

-He wasn't meant

-to serve that warrant.

-Did it frighten you

-that you faced going to jail?

-No, not at all.

-The committee had a plan in place

-that dealt with arrests.

-It wasn't possible

-for everyone to go to prison.

-You were very tied

-if you ran a farm.

-If you had two people on a farm...

-..you could choose which person

-would be arrested.

-It didn't discourage us.

-We had enough faith

-that this was a just battle.

-We would fight to the bitter end.

-We would stop them entering

-but the law was on their side.

-That was the clever thing about it.

-It was like an MI5 story.

-Swansea discussed their plans

-about Llangyndeyrn in the morning...

-..but we knew them and spoke about

-them that night in the Church Hall.

-How did you know their plans?

-How did you know their plans?

-

-We had a spy in their camp!

-Was it an important weapon

-in winning the battle?

-Could you have won without it?

-Could you have won without it?

-

-I don't know, but it helped.

-It all helped because it meant

-that we knew their plans.

-Were you afraid?

-It's a good question.

-Were you afraid?

-Well... no, I wasn't.

-It's all about being in a crowd.

-When you're together,

-you share each other's power.

-What do you do when someone plans

-to flood your valley...

-..and what does the establishment do

-when it's challenged?

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-Swansea had the weight of the law

-behind them...

-..so their officers

-could turn up at any moment.

-How would the villagers

-know that they were coming?

-I'm meeting someone

-who knows the answer.

-One day soon,

-when the church bell rings...

-..it won't be to call the villagers

-to worship.

-Instead, it will be to call

-the farmers to their barricades.

-This is the valley

-of Gwendraeth Fach.

-The valley that has declared war.

-War against bureaucracy,

-war against the law...

-..and war against

-the town authorities at Swansea.

-My grandfather, Jack Smith...

-..was responsible for ringing

-the bell to warn people...

-..that the Swansea officers

-were on their way to the village.

-Can you show me where

-he rang the bell in the church?

-He would run from the corner shop as

-fast as his feet would carry him...

-..and dart into the church

-using his own key.

-Yes, and he'd run to the ropes

-to ring the bell.

-This is where he would come.

-Will you show me

-what your grandfather did?

-BELL TOLLS

-Do you need a strong arm for that?

-Yes, and it's been years

-since I've done this.

-That was the signal to warn people

-about the Swansea officers...

-..and to call the residents

-to the village square.

-Yes, they all gathered

-on the village square.

-Do you know how long

-the bell was rung?

-I'm not entirely sure

-to be honest with you.

-It had to be rung for a while

-to ensure everyone heard it.

-Did he feel irreverent

-by doing this...

-..or did supporting this cause

-form part of his faith?

-Yes, I would think so.

-This was a time before

-the invention of the mobile phone...

-..so this was their only means

-to communicate.

-Swansea didn't know

-why the bell was being rung.

-How old were you

-during this campaign?

-I was six years old.

-Were the children

-protected from this threat...

-..or did your parents

-discuss the campaign with you?

-They were honest.

-I don't think they tried

-to hide anything from us.

-OK, it's this one and that one.

-Do I need to go any higher?

-No, just give a quick tug.

-No, just give a quick tug.

-

-Oh, goodness me.

-Oh... I don't stand a chance.

-Is something happening?

-This one is coming.

-I'll go a little higher up

-with the other one.

-That's it.

-That's it.

-

-Oh, that's it.

-Goodness me,

-you need to be strong to do this.

-I wouldn't stand a chance

-if I had to warn them.

-You've got to use your whole body.

-BELL TOLLS

-It's quite a task.

-I can't do any more.

-Dear me.

-I take my hat off to Jack Smith

-and to you too, Chris.

-This is the man himself.

-This is the man himself.

-

-Yes, at his shop.

-He sold a bit of everything.

-He sold a bit of everything.

-

-Yes, we sold all sorts.

-My grandfather stocked everything

-the farmers needed.

-This photograph

-can be seen in many places.

-It's a wonderful photograph.

-The watchman is in the tower

-with the valley in the background.

-Where is he standing?

-He's on top of the tower

-and looking up the valley.

-BELL TOLLS

-Ringing the bell

-certainly drew attention.

-What sort of relationship did

-the community have with the press?

-I want to know how they used

-the media to promote their cause.

-Do you want me to go behind?

-Do you want me to go behind?

-

-Yes, behind.

-OK?

-Hello?

-Hello?

-

-How are you, Sharon?

-I'm fine, thank you.

-It's good to see you.

-Yes, I haven't seen you

-in a long time.

-It's been quite a while.

-Here we are in Llangyndeyrn.

-I was only a young reporter

-at the time...

-..in training in Carmarthen and

-with the Evening Post in Swansea.

-I have to mention that because

-Swansea wanted to flood this area.

-I suspect some of the people,

-who have become dear friends...

-..were rather suspicious of

-Sulwyn Thomas and the Evening Post.

-They were quite sly when it came

-to passing on any information.

-They knew about PR before the term

-had even been invented!

-One afternoon, the bell was ringing

-and they were on their way.

-We raced down to the village

-at 100mph!

-I was on tenterhooks about

-when we would receive the call.

-It was quite a stressful time

-for the reporters.

-You had Swansea, a large anglicised

-town, yet to gain city status...

-..fighting a close-knit Welsh

-community in the Gwendraeth Valley.

-It was an area

-awash with Welsh villages.

-The locals felt under threat

-from these outsiders.

-They lived

-very different ways of life.

-They were from different cultures.

-However, they had

-the right connections...

-..and were determined

-that their campaign would succeed.

-They fed snippets of information

-to the press...

-..so their story

-stayed in the headlines.

-Success was their only goal.

-I think this was the biggest story

-that I covered...

-..during my time in Carmarthen

-in the 1960s.

-These kind of stories didn't break

-in West Wales every day.

-It's quite amazing...

-..that there was this outcry in

-such a tranquil, peaceful village.

-They had this gut instinct.

-They knew how to use the media

-to promote their cause.

-The big story was that they would

-not be allowed through the gates.

-The church bell rang...

-..if there was a hint

-that someone was on their way...

-..from Pontyberem or Crwbin.

-People knew if there was a stranger

-in their midst...

-..and would warn the others.

-They knew it was over for them

-if the machinery entered the fields.

-I didn't get the impression

-that this battle resembled Tryweryn.

-These farmers thought the world

-of their land.

-They lived on the land

-and for the land.

-They could lose that land

-and a community would be destroyed.

-Where do you get the desire

-to defend your land?

-The Welsh are viewed as a nation

-who get a rough deal.

-This story is completely different.

-Is that why it's forgotten?

-These people stood firm.

-What would Swansea do next?

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-There's Pant-teg Farm,

-Llandre Farm...

-..and Glan-yr-Ynys Farm

-is around the corner.

-Glan-yr-Ynys

-saw the climax of the battle.

-It was the home of William Thomas,

-chairman of the defence committee.

-His family still live there.

-How strong

-do you feel about this?

-I'll be losing somewhere

-in the region of 80 acres...

-..with other farmers as well.

-They'll be losing

-a great many acres.

-It is after all our business.

-Unless we can farm,

-we cannot make a living.

-We're entitled to a living.

-Your father was Dewi...

-..and your grandfather was

-William Thomas, one of the leaders.

-This was the site of

-a major incident of the campaign.

-Can you show me the gate

-where it all happened?

-It's at the top of the lane.

-It's the gate on the lane

-that leads directly to the farm.

-The gate was already locked.

-Did it have a lock and chain?

-Did it have a lock and chain?

-

-Yes, it did.

-Every gate was locked.

-Something protected every gate.

-They had been blocked

-with old machines...

-..and tractors

-that were no longer in use.

-Were they moved especially

-to stop the Swansea officials?

-They had been there a while.

-Your father was standing here

-and they came up this road.

-There were lorries

-and a lot of people.

-What were they planning to do?

-They wanted to inspect the land.

-They needed a survey to see if the

-land was suitable for a reservoir.

-The defence committee decided they

-would not comply with their demands.

-Mr Richard Lillicrap

-arrived with the warrant...

-..but my father refused.

-My father asked, "Do you mind

-if I have time to read the warrant?"

-It meant the villagers

-had some time to get here.

-They were ready to be arrested on

-that morning and be taken to prison.

-They had chosen the people

-who would be arrested.

-It all got a bit heated...

-..and that's when Lillicrap decided

-that it was best for him to leave.

-By this time...

-..tempers were beginning to run high

-in various places...

-..and I was getting concerned

-about the safety of my own workmen.

-They allowed some of the Swansea

-officials into the large field.

-They could walk down the field

-but it was a token gesture.

-After the disturbance, the Swansea

-officials decided to leave.

-Richard Lillicrap said, "We're

-leaving now, but we will be back"...

-..but they never came back.

-The villagers were very worried

-for about 18 months...

-..and wondered

-if it would happen again.

-Once again, they read an article

-in the Western Mail...

-..about the corporation's plans to

-develop Llyn Brianne at Rhandirmwyn.

-The defence committee had suggested

-this site at the very start.

-We feel that there are alternatives.

-What sort of alternatives?

-Where there is no need

-to take good agricultural land....

-..and there won't be any need

-to cause any disruption...

-..to homes and families.

-They said this site

-was unsuitable...

-..but had found a better location.

-They were excellent leaders.

-William Thomas had ties with the

-countryside council in Carmarthen.

-Do you remember your grandfather?

-Do you remember your grandfather?

-

-Yes, I remember him well.

-Everyone smiles

-when talking about him.

-David's the eldest son and he was

-very close to our grandfather.

-He was quite a character.

-I would love it

-if all the Welsh...

-..both in Wales and those spread

-across the world would join us.

-I appeal to them

-for their support in this battle.

-He liked the odd whisky

-and enjoyed his cigars.

-Yes, Wills Whiffs.

-They celebrated with a service

-of thanksgiving in the village...

-..and a party.

-If they hadn't put up such a fight

-and won their battle...

-..we wouldn't be

-standing here today.

-Glan-yr-Ynys Farm would not exist.

-These are some

-of the original placards...

-..that were scattered

-around the village.

-"Support the protectors

-of Llangyndeyrn."

-It's quite emotional.

-We've kept these from the 1960s.

-What do these signs mean to you?

-They speak for themselves.

-My father kept them

-and we've still got them.

-It was an important event

-at the time.

-These are the only signs

-that remain.

-They've been in our shed

-for 50 years.

-The handwriting is different

-on each of them.

-They're our past.

-The Gwendraeth Fach Valley

-would've looked like this.

-Under water.

-It's so quiet,

-apart from a few birds.

-I left Llangyndeyrn and came here,

-to North-East Carmarthenshire.

-It's a stark contrast.

-The landscape

-is completely different.

-The soil is a different colour,

-it's stony and wild.

-The farmers didn't have

-any expertise in engineering.

-The defence committee

-were not technically adept...

-..and yet,

-they looked into this scheme.

-It shows initiative

-and intelligence.

-It's amazing.

-They didn't simply oppose the scheme

-in their own valley...

-..but offered a better alternative.

-And they were right.

-They used facts to fight facts.

-It fills me with confidence...

-..and shows what Welsh communities

-can achieve.

-What about the other valley

-that was flooded, namely Tryweryn?

-An old friend planted a bomb there

-50 years ago.

-How does he view Llangyndeyrn

-and Tryweryn today?

-Hello, how are you?

-Who do we have here?

-This is Roy. Come and see Roy.

-This is where Roy has his food.

-This is where Roy has his food.

-

-Hello, Roy.

-Did you know about

-the events in Llangyndeyrn?

-Yes, I knew all about it.

-I was 23 and had far too many things

-on my plate at the time...

-..but followed the story

-of Llangyndeyrn.

-Why do we remember Tryweryn

-but have forgotten Llangyndeyrn?

-Tryweryn was more dramatic but

-I don't know why people remember it.

-Are the Welsh too eager

-to brush things under the carpet...

-..if it doesn't meet with the

-approval of the Welsh movements?

-This event didn't involve

-a major group.

-It was a community

-acting for their own good.

-And wow... it's an incredible story.

-I'm glad Cymdeithas Yr Iaith

-didn't get involved.

-The people of Llangyndeyrn

-made that stand.

-An external group would have

-changed the nature of the battle.

-It's a shame we didn't use

-the same tactics in Tryweryn...

-..as they did in Llangyndeyrn.

-It was a visual protest.

-This was not the case for us.

-These were normal people

-who were willing to take a risk.

-It was still dramatic.

-I remember the farmers

-standing side by side...

-..and clinging to that gate.

-This is our heritage.

-This story should inspire us.

-Their stance

-was more important than Tryweryn.

-They didn't operate

-as individuals.

-They operated as a community.

-They supported one another

-and used non-violent protests.

-The battle of Llangyndeyrn

-was more important than Tryweryn.

-It was one of the most

-important events of the century...

-..in terms of Welsh nationalism.

-We should paint 'Cofiwch

-Llangyndeyrn' on the roadside.

-Yes, it is what they deserve.

-After spending time in this valley

-and learning about its history...

-..I've grown to love it.

-I love the people and all they did.

-I can't believe what they did.

-When I was a child

-living three miles away...

-..I wish my parents had taken me

-to the public meetings...

-..to hear W M Rees, William Thomas,

-Arwyn Llandre and Huw Pant-teg.

-I hope everyone hears this story

-from now on...

-..and remembers Llangyndeyrn...

-..and the important messages

-that are found within this story.

-If we stand up

-for what we believe...

-..we can overcome

-all sorts of powers...

-..that appear to be

-totally invincible.

-Anything is possible.

-This is such an inspirational story.

-It's so inspirational.

-S4C Subtitles by Tinopolis

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