Pennod 5 Darn Bach o Hanes

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-This week, Rhodri Morgan follows

-a meteorite's path to Anglesey.

-Gwennan Schiavone reveals a link

-between Nazism and Wales.

-And a sad story associated

-with a brick wall near Caernarfon.

-I'm in Tenby, one of Britain's

-loveliest Georgian seaside towns.

-Tourism has been responsible

-for its recent prosperity.

-But it was

-Tenby's geographical features...

-..that attracted the Normans

-during the 11th century.

-Tenby has a natural,

-sheltered harbour.

-It was in a strategic position...

-..to defend the realm from attacks

-from France or Ireland.

-It's also perched on a rock,

-which made it easy to defend.

-Nevertheless, the Welsh had a go!

-They caused a lot of damage

-in 1187...

-..and laid waste to the town

-under Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in 1260.

-The first Earl of Pembroke,

-William de Valence, responded...

-..by building huge town walls.

-If the Welsh came knocking again,

-they'd have their work cut out.

-Over the following centuries,

-Tenby became a busy trading post.

-Coal and textiles were exported...

-..and the ships returned with goods

-such as salt, wine, oil and vinegar.

-Here's an interesting fact.

-The first orange to come to Wales

-arrived in Tenby...

-..off a Portuguese ship in 1566.

-Around the same time...

-..a prosperous Tudor merchant

-and his family lived here.

-It's a museum now, but its

-Flemish architectural touches...

-..indicate how prosperous

-and worldly-wise the owner was.

-Apart from St Mary's Church...

-..it's Tenby's only surviving

-medieval building.

-However, beneath the present

-Georgian landscape...

-..they say there's a network

-of medieval tunnels.

-Hello. Welcome to Tenby.

-Local historian John Beynon joins me

-to reveal Tenby's hidden history.

-We might be opposite the chemist's,

-but we're not here to buy medicine.

-Why have you brought me here, John?

-During the Middle Ages...

-..most of the houses around here

-would have been owned by merchants.

-The one over the road

-was the home of Thomas White.

-He was very rich and owned ships

-that sailed around Europe.

-I've been told

-there are tunnels beneath us.

-Yes, a tunnel goes from here,

-where White had another house...

-..under the chemist's

-and down to the sea.

-The purpose was to allow people

-swift access to the harbour...

-..to the awaiting ships.

-So it was purely practical,

-and nothing to do with smugglers.

-I don't think so.

-I've never heard of smugglers here.

-Fair play to John

-for defending his town's honour.

-He has used his local contacts

-to gain access to the storeroom.

-Behind the tablets and shampoos...

-..there's a door that leads to the

-old world of the Tudor merchants.

-Are there ghosts here, John?

-Are there ghosts here, John?

-

-I don't know!

-Here's the chamber.

-It's quite large, isn't it?

-It is.

-What was stored here? Wine?

-What was stored here? Wine?

-

-Yes.

-Perhaps coal was stored here too.

-When did they build the tunnels?

-It's believed that they were built

-during the 15th century.

-Is there a large network

-under the town?

-There are many tunnels

-under the present houses.

-I've heard a story

-about a link with Henry Tudor.

-Henry Tudor and his uncle,

-Jasper Tudor...

-..were hidden here

-by Thomas White and his son...

-..before fleeing to France,

-or so the story goes.

-It's not a way to attract tourists?

-Maybe. I don't know!

-As dusk gathered,

-I wanted to see...

-..where this slightly dubious

-Tudor tale would lead me.

-It seems that it's possible

-to rejoin the tunnel...

-..from Hafod y Mor,

-which is above the harbour.

-Hi.

-Hi.

-

-Hello.

-I'm met there by Heledd ap Gwynfor.

-Unexpectedly, Heledd has not one

-but two tunnels to show me.

-Here we are.

-Here we are.

-

-Wahey!

-It's like a cave.

-These look like welding rods.

-Was this tunnel once linked

-to the tunnel under Boots?

-So they say. It's quite possible.

-It's been blocked for years now.

-Henry Tudor could have escaped

-from where Boots is now...

-..under the town,

-and could have come this way.

-But there's another tunnel

-you need to see...

-..that leads down to the harbour.

-I can show you the way now.

-I can show you the way now.

-

-Really?

-Shall we go?

-Shall we go?

-

-Great.

-We're in the garden

-next door to Hafod y Mor.

-This is the end

-of your journey, Dewi.

-That's the direction

-you need to take.

-OK! Is it alright to go down there?

-Yes.

-Aren't you coming with me?

-Aren't you coming with me?

-

-No, I'll let you go.

-Nice to see you.

-Nice to see you.

-

-Thanks, Heledd. Bye.

-Good luck!

-Whatever came down this way,

-coal, textiles or a future king...

-..I just hope there'll be

-a few harbour lights to greet me.

-The National Library Of Wales

-was criticized recently...

-..for accepting papers

-from a politically dubious source.

-The papers tell the story

-of Bezen Perrot...

-..a Breton nationalist group...

-..that collaborated with the Nazis

-during World War II.

-After the war, members of the group

-had to flee, for obvious reasons.

-Among them was Louis Feutren.

-He travelled through Wales

-to find refuge in Ireland.

-He eventually reached Ireland,

-but his path has led back to Wales.

-Louis Feutren died in 2010.

-In his will,

-he bequeathed his personal papers...

-..and a gift of 300,000

-to the Library.

-The Library's decision

-to accept the bequest...

-..caused a great hoo-ha

-in the press.

-Down we go to the Library's vaults.

-Gwyn Griffiths is an expert

-on recent Breton history.

-He has conducted a lot of research

-into the Bezen Perrot group.

-Here we are.

-Despite the opposition

-to the Library's decision...

-..as historians, we're grateful

-to be allowed access to the papers.

-This is the Feutren Collection.

-What was the group's main aim?

-Bretons harboured a lot of hatred

-towards the French state.

-The language wasn't taught

-in schools.

-We can safely say that some hated

-the French more than the Germans.

-The French treated

-the Breton language with contempt.

-How fascist and extreme were they?

-The leader was Celestin Laine.

-Feutren was his lieutenant,

-he was close to him.

-He held anti-Semitic beliefs.

-He was one of those

-who believed in a master race.

-That Celtic, Germanic

-and Nordic peoples were superior.

-The history is very complex.

-Yes.

-This archive will no doubt

-contribute to the historical record.

-I hope it will shed some light

-on the story.

-Let's see what's in the collection.

-Here we are.

-That's why we're here.

-As I look at these documents...

-..I hope your Breton

-is better than mine.

-This is a letter

-from Marc'harid Gourlaouen.

-She organized

-correspondence courses.

-That's "skol dre lizher" in Breton

-- school through letters.

-That leads me to think

-that Feutren didn't speak Breton.

-He contacted her

-because he was learning Breton.

-These letters were received

-by Feutren in Ireland.

-He travelled through Wales

-to go to Ireland, didn't he?

-Yes, that's right.

-He says a little about his travels

-in this document.

-He went to southern Germany.

-He worked his way

-from there to Paris...

-..then on to Wales.

-He does mention Wales.

-In 1946, he went to Swansea

-and stayed with a Dr Jones.

-He then spent some time in Bangor.

-It's clear that Welsh people

-took care of these fleeing Bretons.

-Indeed, they got a better reception

-in Wales than in Ireland.

-That's an important factor

-behind his decision...

-..to make this bequeath

-to the National Library.

-The Bretons thought of the Library

-as a Mecca of Celtic culture.

-This is only one box

-in a much larger collection.

-Who knows what it contains?

-As a historian interested

-in this field, how do you feel?

-It's very exciting.

-It's a piece of history...

-..about how Welsh people interacted

-with the fleeing Bretons.

-We've hardly scratched the surface.

-A new field of study is opening...

-..about all that happened

-between the Welsh and the Bretons.

-About the way they interacted.

-It's very exciting.

-It's time I put on these gloves.

-If you'd like to learn more

-about the subject...

-..there are a few useful links

-on our Facebook page now.

-This place name

-always puts a smile on my face.

-But why Plwmp?

-Long ago, there was only

-a farm here, Maes-y-crugiau.

-There was a water pump outside.

-Passers-by quenched their thirst

-and watered their animals.

-The name Pwmp stuck.

-Somehow, over the years,

-an L was added to the name.

-It stuck - people plumped for Plwmp!

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-Beddgelert is a glorious village

-in the heart of Snowdonia.

-Tourists throng here in summer.

-Many come to pay tribute

-to Wales's most famous dog.

-But it's quiet in autumn and winter.

-Sixty years ago,

-on 21 September 1948...

-..at 1.47am...

-..the village was roused

-from its autumnal slumber...

-..when an extraterrestrial landed.

-It was a meteorite.

-A cosmic rock that must have seen

-marvels on its space journey.

-A journey that ended in the roof

-of the Prince Llewelyn Hotel.

-Harry Hughes was one of the first

-to arrive to assess the damage.

-His son still lives in the village

-and remembers the event.

-John, the rock landed there,

-not the main building?

-Yes, it went through the roof

-of the old bar.

-Did it cause much damage?

-Did it cause much damage?

-

-It left quite a hole in the slates.

-I'd never seen or heard

-of anything like it.

-People must have been curious.

-People must have been curious.

-

-There was a big fuss in the press.

-How was your father involved?

-He was a builder and did

-maintenance work in local hotels.

-They asked him to repair the roof,

-to keep the rain out.

-He handled the stone for a while.

-The next day,

-his hands had swelled up.

-An expert came here

-with a Geiger counter.

-I remember the machine in our home.

-Was he alright?

-Was he alright?

-

-Not for a few days.

-His hands stayed swollen.

-This is a replica of the stone

-that went through the roof.

-It's hard to imagine.

-It's hard to imagine.

-

-It isn't big.

-It must have been travelling

-to cause so much damage!

-It was heavy too,

-about three pounds.

-What became of the stone?

-It went to Durham University

-to be tested.

-Dare I say that it's a better story

-than Gelert's story?

-I agree. There's more truth in it!

-Since 1847,

-Cambridge University Press...

-..has published a detailed catalogue

-of every meteorite to fall on Earth.

-While 22 have fallen in England,

-only two have fallen in Wales.

-Two officially, that is.

-The other meteorite

-fell in 1931 on Pontllyfni...

-..only about ten miles

-from Beddgelert.

-That's quite unusual in itself.

-But, more unusual still...

-..it seems that a third meteorite

-fell in this part of the world...

-..about two years before, in 1929.

-This was an unofficial meteorite.

-The story

-of the alleged third meteorite...

-..takes me to Jack Roberts's home

-in Brynsiencyn, Anglesey.

-Jack, you have quite a collection.

-This one shows signs

-of human activity.

-Is it a dagger head, perhaps?

-Is it a dagger head, perhaps?

-

-Yes.

-This was found on your land.

-It's an axe head.

-Yes.

-But the star of the show

-is from space.

-How did you come by this?

-On a farm, while preparing

-a field to grow grain...

-..you walk the land

-to gather large stones.

-Anything this size, you remove.

-I bent to pick this up

-and found it was very heavy.

-It's extremely heavy.

-It's extremely heavy.

-

-I'll try.

-Wow! It's heavier than it looks.

-And it looks heavy!

-It's always cold.

-You got proof that this

-is a meteorite from space...

-..through a local connection.

-Mr Tecwyn Roberts, who grew up

-in Llanddaniel, worked for NASA.

-He came to the school

-to talk to the children.

-My daughter told him about the rock.

-He asked to chip a bit off it.

-More than a chip, if you ask me!

-He had contacts

-who could carbon date it.

-They said it had come down in 1929.

-It then lay in the field

-until the 1960s when I found it.

-As well as getting proof,

-thanks to Tecwyn Roberts...

-..that this is

-in fact a meteorite...

-..other scientists

-have also shown an interest in it.

-Yes. We run a bed and breakfast.

-Six Japanese people

-come here every other year...

-..along with a professor

-from the south of England.

-He has made me an offer for it.

-But one of the Japanese is keener

-to get it than the Englishman.

-I'm playing them against each other!

-Thank you very much, Jack.

-Are you still open to offers?

-Goodness me, yes.

-A poor farmer

-would never refuse an offer!

-I'm Aled Jones and I farm Hendy,

-a dairy farm near Caernarfon.

-I've lived here for over 50 years.

-In one of the fields,

-there's a very interesting wall.

-I've lived here for 50 years

-but knew very little about it.

-Then, ten years ago, I met someone

-who came to camp on the farm.

-He told me that his grandfather

-came here during World War I...

-..on exercises

-with the Accrington Pals.

-The British Army had the idea...

-..of forming regiments

-from various towns.

-They were called Pals

-because people would find it hard...

-..to refuse a request

-to join their own town's regiment.

-On 23 February 1915, the Accrington

-Pals came to Caernarfon.

-Three trains carrying 1,200 men

-arrived at Caernarfon Station.

-Lodgings had been arranged for them

-in local houses and hotels.

-It caused a great stir locally,

-as you can imagine.

-They got up very early.

-They were drilled on Castle Square.

-They would then return

-to their lodgings for breakfast.

-They then crossed the bridge

-over the Seiont and came here.

-They dug trenches and practised

-with guns and bayonets.

-They also practised shooting.

-GUNSHOTS

-There are bullet marks

-all over the wall.

-Imagine how much shooting

-took place here.

-Some of them had never used guns,

-let alone shot a person.

-GUNSHOTS

-On 15 May, the Accrington Pals

-received a call to leave Caernarfon.

-Almost a year later, they took part

-in the terrible battle on the Somme.

-Tragically and shockingly,

-most were killed within 20 minutes.

-They climbed out of the trenches

-and walked into German gunfire...

-..which just mowed them down.

-They had to walk slowly, not run.

-Unbelievably,

-those were their orders.

-It was a bloodbath.

-Very few of them

-came home alive.

-Following that great tragedy...

-..the British Army

-stopped forming town regiments...

-..because Accrington had lost

-so many men in one battle.

-Last week, I asked you

-to identify this artefact ...

-..from the stores at St Fagans

-National History Museum.

-It's a wig curler.

-In the 18th century, it was

-fashionable for women and men...

-..to wear elaborate wigs,

-many made of horsehair.

-The tool was heated, then used

-to style curls on the wig.

-I'm glad that fashion ended!

-This week's artefact

-is a harmless-looking stick.

-But appearances can be deceptive,

-because this stick has a trick!

-Send your suggestions via Facebook.

-I'll reveal the answer next week.

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