0:00:00 > 0:00:00- Subtitles
0:00:00 > 0:00:02- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:00:03 > 0:00:06- Why did your parents come to Canada?
0:00:07 > 0:00:11- Well, things in Patagonia - looked quite grim.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14- Voices from the past.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19- Welsh speakers who - left Patagonia in South America...
0:00:19 > 0:00:22- ..to live in western Canada in 1974.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28- What do you remember - about school in Patagonia?
0:00:28 > 0:00:31- Everybody looked at - the Argentine flag and said...
0:00:32 > 0:00:34- SPEAKS SPANISH
0:00:35 > 0:00:39- But perhaps they were - no longer Welsh-speaking Welsh....
0:00:39 > 0:00:42- ..but Argentineans - of Welsh descent...
0:00:42 > 0:00:44- ..because - they left Patagonia in 1902...
0:00:45 > 0:00:48- ..and emigrated to Canada.
0:00:48 > 0:00:53- For my father, he did not want to - stay under the Argentine government.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58- The Welsh-speaking Welsh - who had never lived in Wales.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13- In 1974, I had the opportunity...
0:01:13 > 0:01:17- ..to travel all over Canada...
0:01:17 > 0:01:19- ..and I did 8,000 miles in total...
0:01:20 > 0:01:23- ..and visited the Welsh community - who lived in Canada.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28- It was Glenys James' task to gather - information about the Welsh...
0:01:28 > 0:01:31- ..who lived in Canada - by recording interviews...
0:01:31 > 0:01:36- ..with as many of them as possible - for the Museum of Man in Quebec...
0:01:36 > 0:01:40- ..that was collating data - on all the different nations...
0:01:40 > 0:01:42- ..who had migrated to Canada.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44- I arrived in Saskatchewan...
0:01:45 > 0:01:49- ..where the largest - Welsh community had settled.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51- They had all come from Argentina...
0:01:52 > 0:01:55- ..in 1902.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57- Now then, Mrs Humphreys...
0:01:57 > 0:01:59- ..you were born in Patagonia.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02- Yes, in Llannerch Ddu.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04- In which year?
0:02:04 > 0:02:06- In which year?- - 1883.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10- I think my father, for one thing, - didn't like the irrigating.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12- He didn't have enough water.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18- Mrs Humphreys was a young woman - when she left Patagonia in 1902.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23- She lived in Chubut Province, at - the extreme end of the water table.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28- Often, there was no water left - in the ditches for their crops.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32- Her father - saw no harvest for three years.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37- The Argentine government - was keen for the settlers...
0:02:37 > 0:02:40- ..to become - part of their new country.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43- This meant - the end of Welsh-medium education...
0:02:44 > 0:02:49- ..something that had thrived since - the colony was founded in 1865.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55- Each class would stand in a line...
0:02:56 > 0:02:58- ..and everyone took off their cap...
0:02:58 > 0:03:02- ..looked at - the Argentine flag and said...
0:03:02 > 0:03:04- SPEAKS SPANISH
0:03:10 > 0:03:14- The boys, - when they came of age at 18...
0:03:15 > 0:03:19- ..they enrolled them into the army, - and Father didn't want that.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23- He said, "I wouldn't mind if it was - just the British or the Americans...
0:03:24 > 0:03:26- "..but not for the Spanish army."
0:03:26 > 0:03:31- Margaret Ann Lewis' parents were - part of the largest contingent...
0:03:31 > 0:03:33- ..to leave Wales for Patagonia.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36- More than 400 - sailed on the Vesta in 1886.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40- But the Promised Land - was full of disappointment.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42- It was an empty promise, in truth.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46- Father was one of the first ones - going into the valley...
0:03:46 > 0:03:49- ..and he was promised - a piece of land that he never got.
0:03:51 > 0:03:56- The pilgrims who went to Patagonia - saw themselves as a biblical tribe.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01- A tribe of people - scraping a living in the wilderness.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06- In 1899, tragedy struck, - like something out of the Bible...
0:04:06 > 0:04:08- ..as the Chubut River flooded...
0:04:09 > 0:04:12- ..forcing the Welsh - to flee to the hills.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- Many homes disappeared underwater...
0:04:15 > 0:04:21- ..and it was years before they - regained fertile soil to grow crops.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25- This, above all else, - gave rise to a number of them...
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- ..leaving South America - for the far north.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34- The biggest thing for my father...
0:04:35 > 0:04:39- ..he didn't want to stay - under the Argentine government.
0:04:39 > 0:04:44- He didn't like them. He hadn't - taken Argentine citizenship.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47- He remained British throughout.
0:04:48 > 0:04:53- There was sadness and unrest - in the colony by 1900.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57- Applications were made - to the Westminster government...
0:04:57 > 0:04:59- ..requesting it to intervene.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02- The British government - was ready to listen.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07- They wanted the settlers - to return to the Empire...
0:05:07 > 0:05:10- ..of which Canada was a part.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13- Canada had acres - of unpopulated territories...
0:05:13 > 0:05:17- ..and the Patagonians - wanted fertile soil to farm.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20- The British government - was happy to help...
0:05:20 > 0:05:23- ..offering them - affordable land in Canada...
0:05:23 > 0:05:26- ..at a time - when so many families were unhappy.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31- There's no wonder that 234 of them - agreed to move to Canada.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37- Those who wished to leave South - America were offered a ticket...
0:05:37 > 0:05:41- ..to sail all the way to Liverpool - and then onwards to Quebec...
0:05:42 > 0:05:45- ..for the price - of five pounds per family.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47- It was a bargain for a new life.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52- Among the passengers were - John Coslett Thomas and his family.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56- The Welsh were so disheartened...
0:05:57 > 0:06:00- ..that so many of us - were leaving together.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03- They accompanied us - to Puerto Madryn...
0:06:03 > 0:06:05- ..as many adults as passengers.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08- And to Trelew before that, - many more of all ages.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12- There was much sobbing - as we bid farewell in both places.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15- May 14, 1902.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21- How did you come, as a family?
0:06:21 > 0:06:25- More than 200 of us came together.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29- 234 families came.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33- We were given cheap travel...
0:06:33 > 0:06:37- ..and didn't have to - go through customs at all.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41- All you had to do was label - your belongings, "settlers effects".
0:06:41 > 0:06:44- You didn't - have to open a box or anything.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49- We boarded the ship - the night before...
0:06:49 > 0:06:53- ..and on the morning of the 13th - it was my 18th birthday.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56- We were leaving Liverpool - on my birthday.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05- I remember a five-year-old child - being buried at sea...
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- ..between Liverpool and Canada.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11- I remember the ship's captain - singing in Welsh.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15- They sung - Yn y Dyfroedd Mawr a'r Tonnau.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18- Hearing these voices is captivating.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21- Eyewitnesses to a harsh history...
0:07:21 > 0:07:24- ..including a sad story - of a child dying at sea.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27- These passengers - were part of a colony...
0:07:28 > 0:07:30- ..and now - they were going to create a new one.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33- Filled with both fear and hope...
0:07:33 > 0:07:36- ..they turned their sights - to a new horizon.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39- The future.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43- This is what the president - of Winnipeg's Welsh Society...
0:07:43 > 0:07:47- ..had to say on 25 June 1902.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50- "More than - 200 of Patagonia's Welsh settlers...
0:07:51 > 0:07:53- "..arrived in the city.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56- "They looked tired - after their journey.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00- "During the long voyage, three - children died and four were born.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04- "The men looked good - but the women looked exhausted.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08- "They all looked like brave souls, - especially the women."
0:08:17 > 0:08:21- And then you boarded the train - to Saltcoats.
0:08:21 > 0:08:27- And onwards from Saltcoats, - we travelled 12 miles.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29- We lived in tents...
0:08:30 > 0:08:33- ..for some, oh, five weeks.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40- Enough time for people to find farms - and modes of transport.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44- Some had oxen, some had horses - and wagons to take them around.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50- Each one - went to his own smallholding.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54- We must've been there - six weeks or more.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00- Nain and Taid Evans - came out in 1902...
0:09:01 > 0:09:04- ..to Saltcoats, Saskatchewan.
0:09:04 > 0:09:09- They lived in tents for - the first summer when they arrived.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14- The first winter, - they built their homes from logs.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17- Each of the houses - was made out of logs.
0:09:18 > 0:09:23- That's how those homesteaders lived - in the early years.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28- During winter they had to - clear the snow to get out...
0:09:28 > 0:09:31- ..because it was - higher than the front door.
0:09:31 > 0:09:36- They stood on top of a chair - to get out to feed the animals.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40- They had an awful time - the first winter they were there.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43- The weather was very different.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45- I'm sure it was.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47- We hadn't seen snow.
0:09:47 > 0:09:48- You'd never seen snow?
0:09:48 > 0:09:50- You'd never seen snow?- - Well, just a bit.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53- You saw lots - when you arrived in Canada.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55- Yes, we saw lots.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- People had a hard time - when they first come out to Canada.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05- They weren't prepared - for the severe winters.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08- We thought - we were bringing warm coats out...
0:10:08 > 0:10:12- ..from Patagonia, - but they were summer coats...
0:10:12 > 0:10:15- ..compared to - the ones they used in Canada.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19- Four colonies - had been earmarked for the Welsh.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22- Each family - was given 160 acres of land.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24- It wasn't very fertile land...
0:10:24 > 0:10:28- ..and many areas - were too wet to farm.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31- These people knew - how to deal with life's trials...
0:10:31 > 0:10:35- ..having lived in Patagonia, - where the wind was brutal...
0:10:36 > 0:10:38- ..and the sun scorched the land.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41- They needed - every ounce of expertise...
0:10:41 > 0:10:44- ..to tame - the unfamiliar landscape...
0:10:44 > 0:10:46- ..to create new homes in Canada.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49- The early period was very hard.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52- In January 1903, - six months after they arrived...
0:10:53 > 0:10:56- ..a list was compiled - of those who were most in need.
0:10:58 > 0:10:58- .
0:11:01 > 0:11:01- Subtitles
0:11:01 > 0:11:03- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:11:05 > 0:11:08- In 1902, 234 adults and children...
0:11:09 > 0:11:12- ..left Patagonia for Saskatchewan...
0:11:12 > 0:11:14- ..in Canada...
0:11:15 > 0:11:17- ..to create - a better life for themselves.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20- The Welsh helped each other.
0:11:20 > 0:11:25- If someone - was going to buy a cow or a steer...
0:11:25 > 0:11:28- ..people would go together.
0:11:28 > 0:11:34- They were allowed 160 acres, but - in order to fully acquire them...
0:11:34 > 0:11:38- ..30 acres had to be farmed - within three years.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42- They had to live there for - no less than six months of the year.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45- If they - didn't plough their farmland...
0:11:46 > 0:11:48- ..they'd - lose their right to the land.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51- John Coslett Thomas again.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54- A good crop again in the third year.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57- Now farming on too big a scale...
0:11:57 > 0:12:00- ..to continue - with only one set of machinery.
0:12:03 > 0:12:09- After taking ownership of his land, - John opened a store in Saltcoats.
0:12:09 > 0:12:14- The community was expanding - and trading opportunities arose.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19- The country was opening up as Welsh - communities settled in the west.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23- Towns like Llywelyn, - Bangor Glyndwr and St David.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26- But these weren't unpopulated areas.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31- People had settled here long before - the Welsh or the white man.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34- You were the first - to come to Bangor?
0:12:34 > 0:12:40- Yes, that's right. - My father first came here in 1908.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- My father named it Bangor...
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- ..because - he was from Bangor, North Wales.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51- Mr Lewis was a carpenter, - and it was he who built...
0:12:51 > 0:12:55- ..Bangor, Attwater and Llywelyn.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59- Bangor - was first established in 1908.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03- Before that, we went to Saltcoats - to buy our goods...
0:13:03 > 0:13:05- ..which was 18 miles away.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09- Thomas Hughes came here in 1906.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15- In 1907, he moved - across the road to Barnes Hall.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21- He built a house there - and kept a store, a butcher's shop.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26- He travelled around...
0:13:26 > 0:13:28- ..with a buggy.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31- He sold meat, some groceries...
0:13:32 > 0:13:35- ..candy and pop.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39- A lot of the meat - looked a little old...
0:13:39 > 0:13:41- ..by the time it came back...
0:13:42 > 0:13:45- ..after being - out in the sun all day.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50- But there was more to life - than work, farming and building.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53- The Welsh had transferred - their customs from Wales...
0:13:54 > 0:13:57- ..to South America, and then Canada.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59- You went to the Welsh chapel?
0:13:59 > 0:14:03- Well, not right away, - I don't think.
0:14:03 > 0:14:08- In Patagonia, of course, - we went to chapel three times a day.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11- Morning, noon and evening.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17- But in this country, we didn't - have a chapel for a long while.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23- Sunday school - was conducted in Welsh...
0:14:24 > 0:14:26- ..apart from one English class.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30- The men - were on one side of the chapel...
0:14:30 > 0:14:32- ..and the women in the middle.
0:14:32 > 0:14:38- The English class was held - on the other side of the chapel.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41- People found this odd.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46- All the men were on one side - of the chapel and the women...
0:14:47 > 0:14:50- ..were sitting in another section.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53- We liked the arrangement...
0:14:53 > 0:14:56- ..because we could sing better.
0:14:56 > 0:15:02- We had support - in the tenor and bass sections.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07- But it soon became apparent...
0:15:07 > 0:15:10- ..that there - wouldn't be a colony in Canada...
0:15:10 > 0:15:13- ..like the one - they left in Patagonia.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16- The Welsh language - was sure to drown...
0:15:16 > 0:15:19- ..in an English-speaking country.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23- Yet everyone - knew the importance of an education.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27- Within two years they'd - built a school for the children.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30- William Davies - recalls the first morning...
0:15:30 > 0:15:33- ..and the linguistic problems.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37- There were 30 - starting school that morning...
0:15:37 > 0:15:41- ..ranging in age - from six to 15, 16.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46- You could count on one hand - how many of them understood English.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49- The rest of us knew no English.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51- Most of us spoke Spanish.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54- We went to school.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56- Welsh to start with...
0:15:56 > 0:15:59- ..and then Spanish.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03- When we came to Canada, - we had to learn English.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06- So we had - some kind of three languages...
0:16:07 > 0:16:09- ..and not one proper language.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15- I remember - the eisteddfodau at school...
0:16:15 > 0:16:17- ..at Magic School...
0:16:18 > 0:16:20- ..when I was a child.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24- Competition. And recitations.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26- Solos. Competition.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30- Everything was competitions, - most in Welsh.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35- Was it just the children - who competed, or did the adults too?
0:16:35 > 0:16:38- No, some adults too - but mostly children.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42- The Welsh create an eisteddfod - and compete wherever they go.
0:16:43 > 0:16:44- Who'd have thought!
0:16:45 > 0:16:48- As Glenys James - interviewed them in Canada...
0:16:48 > 0:16:51- ..memories of Patagonia - were recalled.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53- Nine years before that...
0:16:53 > 0:16:56- ..many interviewees - visited Patagonia...
0:16:56 > 0:17:00- ..as part of - the centenary celebrations.
0:17:00 > 0:17:05- For William Davies, - it was an impoverished sight.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09- It's humble there. I wouldn't - want to live there any more.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11- You're happy that you left?
0:17:11 > 0:17:16- Yes, very happy. It's much better - for us here in many ways.
0:17:19 > 0:17:24- Naturally, this triggered memories - of the colony for William Davies...
0:17:24 > 0:17:28- ..who'd heard so much - about his father's early life.
0:17:30 > 0:17:35- My father went there as a boy - of five and a half years.
0:17:35 > 0:17:40- My grandmother died - a few weeks after landing there.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44- She's buried - somewhere on the beach near Madryn.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46- Nobody knows where.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51- My grandfather died - about two years later.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54- Nobody knows what they suffered.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56- Your father?
0:17:56 > 0:17:58- Yes, and the first settlers.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03- I remember him saying, "No-one knows - how much they suffered."
0:18:03 > 0:18:07- At the time of the Great Depression - of the '30s, he'd say...
0:18:07 > 0:18:12- .."Don't talk to me about hard - times. You know nothing about it.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14- "You don't know - what hard times are."
0:18:15 > 0:18:19- Oral tradition - can bring the past to life.
0:18:19 > 0:18:24- It's a means of passing on the story - from one generation to the other.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26- We can listen to these voices now...
0:18:27 > 0:18:31- ..and swear that we're - hearing our forefathers speaking.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34- These voices - belong to brave souls...
0:18:34 > 0:18:38- ..who ventured to Canada, - not knowing what awaited them...
0:18:38 > 0:18:41- ..to establish a new Welsh colony.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45- They, of course, were the children - of those who had also ventured...
0:18:46 > 0:18:49- ..like the parents - of Margaret Lewis.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52- They were - just married a day or so before...
0:18:52 > 0:18:56- ..and they'd heard of these - going to Patagonia.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00- They said, "We'll sell out and go - with them to this new country...
0:19:00 > 0:19:02- "..and make a start"
0:19:02 > 0:19:06- So they got down there - and there was nothing in the port.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11- Nothing there at all, - only a few corrugated zinc houses.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15- Where were you born?
0:19:15 > 0:19:17- In South America.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20- What about Welsh? - Did you speak Welsh at home?
0:19:21 > 0:19:22- Yes, we spoke Welsh at home.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26- We went to Bangor...
0:19:26 > 0:19:30- ..and started mixing - with the English.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33- We didn't - speak much Welsh after that.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43- 72 years had passed...
0:19:44 > 0:19:47- ..since these Patagonians - left Puerto Madryn...
0:19:48 > 0:19:50- ..and settled in Saskatchewan.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53- Glenys James wanted to know...
0:19:53 > 0:19:57- ..what condition the Welsh was in - in western Canada.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59- How many children did you have?
0:20:00 > 0:20:02- Nine.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05- Did you teach them Welsh?
0:20:05 > 0:20:09- Oh, yes, they all spoke Welsh. - They still understand it.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13- They've moved around - and married English people...
0:20:13 > 0:20:16- ..so they don't practise it now.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20- Do they speak Welsh at all - when they come home?
0:20:20 > 0:20:22- Very little.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29- I asked one woman and she said, - "I always speak Welsh...
0:20:29 > 0:20:33- "..when I phone - Mrs Humphreys or Mrs Morris."
0:20:33 > 0:20:36- They contacted each other in Welsh.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41- If they couldn't remember - the Welsh word for something...
0:20:41 > 0:20:44- ..they turned to Spanish.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48- Do you think the Welsh are different - from the other founders in the area?
0:20:50 > 0:20:54- Yes. The other founders retain - their language, but not the Welsh.
0:20:55 > 0:20:59- How do you think your family - managed to maintain the language?
0:21:01 > 0:21:05- We spoke it at home and - chapel services were in Welsh too.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08- The story of the Welsh language - in this colony...
0:21:09 > 0:21:13- ..is sad, considerably sadder - than the colony in Patagonia...
0:21:13 > 0:21:15- ..for many reasons.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18- The number of Welsh speakers - is small, too small...
0:21:18 > 0:21:21- ..and the presence of English - is too strong.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25- Welsh society and culture - can't be sustained...
0:21:25 > 0:21:29- ..without a good nucleus - of Welsh speakers.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35- Because he married - a girl from Patagonia, Megan...
0:21:35 > 0:21:39- ..John Thomas documented - the Canadian colony's history...
0:21:39 > 0:21:41- ..a continent away from the other.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47- After the first war, - the colony went down.
0:21:47 > 0:21:52- The men went away - and the colony weakened.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54- As a result...
0:21:54 > 0:21:59- ..the eisteddfod - that used to be held in Bangor...
0:21:59 > 0:22:02- ..and the cymanfa ganu - came to an end.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05- We used to sing - at people's gravesides.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09- We'd sing the hymn - O Fryniau Caersalem Ceir Gweled.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13- In the end, - only one or two would sing the hymn.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16- Nobody else knew the words.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20- We had to give up this ritual.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23- When did this happen?
0:22:23 > 0:22:26- Around 1945, 1946.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29- After the war?
0:22:29 > 0:22:31- After the war?- - Yes, after the war.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33- We tried our best to keep it up...
0:22:34 > 0:22:37- ..but there weren't enough voices - to maintain it.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42- Do you still feel - that you are Welsh?
0:22:43 > 0:22:46- Very much so. That's one thing - that's in my blood.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53- Emigrating to a world - that's hopefully better.
0:22:53 > 0:22:58- For the immigrants, a combination - of experience and poverty.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02- Concerns about their families - and nervous hope for the future.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06- And the brave decision - to venture there in the first place.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11- But it's impossible to settle - in a new country without changing.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15- Changing identify - and, through that, changing oneself.
0:23:15 > 0:23:20- These people aren't saying goodbye - to Wales but rather their Welshness.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24- That's the price they must pay - for the right to choose a future.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27- I was in a Welsh colony - all my life, you see.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55- S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.
0:23:56 > 0:23:56- .