The Cardiff Book of Days (24 page)

2005:
In a result described by the
Sydney Morning Herald
as ‘the greatest shock in Australian sporting history', Bangladesh beat Australia by five wickets at Sophia Gardens in a NatWest limited overs match.

1790:
The Hon. John Stuart, eldest son of the fourth Earl of Bute (of Cardiff Castle), was elected as the Member of Parliament for Cardiff, succeeding Sir Herbert Mackworth who had been MP since 1766. Stuart was the first in a long line of members of his family to serve as the Member for the borough. Married in 1792 to the sole heiress of the Earl of Dumfries, he seemed to have a golden future in front of him but he died in Essex in January 1794 following a fall from his horse. (W.R. Williams, ‘Members of Parliament for Cardiff')

1843:
The 4
^th
Light Dragoon Guards were sent from Cardiff to Carmarthen to put down the ‘Rebecca Riots'. In what turned out to be the last cavalry charge in Britain, they galloped into the town, scattering the protestors. As Stephen Jones wrote in
Brunel in South Wales
, ‘it was a scene reminiscent of what happened in 1819 at St Peter's Fields in Manchester but thankfully without the scale of violence that occurred at Peterloo.'

1874:
The opening of Roath Park was celebrated by a procession of horse-drawn floats. The
Cardiff Times
described how ‘the day's festivities began with a luncheon at the Town Hall to which some 300 people had been invited. At the appointed time the various trade organisations, friendly societies and local bodies, equipped with bands and banners and in many cases wearing the uniform of their Order or bearing artistic models of their crafts, assembled at Cardiff Arms Park. The Boilermakers and Shipbuilders Union decorated their floats with gigantic specimens of their skill and workmanship. Most of the men wore buttonholes or rosettes and seemed to enjoy themselves to the utmost. The Cardiff Hibernians presented a highly creditable turn-out, their silk hats, white trousers and regalia evoked no end of favourable comment from the thousands who lined the route. The procession through the town extended from St Mary Street to the park in one unbroken line.'

1836:
The Act of Parliament authorizing the construction of the Taff Vale Railway received Royal Assent. The railway was being promoted by Merthyr ironmasters unhappy about the Glamorganshire Canal's monopoly. Isambard Kingdom Brunel was commissioned to survey a possible route. (John Richards,
Cardiff: A Maritime History
, The History Press, 2005)

1889:
Glamorgan County Cricket Club's long-awaited first match ended in a resounding defeat by Warwickshire at the Arms Park. Glamorgan were unable to field three key players due to injuries sustained in the week prior to the game. (Andrew Hignell,
From Sophia to Swalec: A History of Cricket in Cardiff
, The History Press, 2008)

1906:
The statue of ship-owner John Cory was unveiled in Cathays Park, a decade after the town's Temperance Hall had been donated in memory of his father. Both men were staunch campaigners for the teetotal cause – and would be scandalised by typical Friday and Saturday night goings-on in twenty-first century Cardiff. (Stewart Williams,
Cardiff Yesterday
)

1936:
Twenty-year-old Ianto Jones from Tonypandy admitted murdering shopkeeper Stephen Jones in Roath (
see
June 7th). The gruesome nature of the crime put great pressure on the police to find the perpetrator. DI Lewis, the detective in charge of the case, was delighted and prepared to escort Jones from Brixton Prison, where he was being held on an unrelated burglary charge. As they entered South Wales, Jones managed to distract his guards and fling himself from the moving train. He was badly injured and was recaptured near Caerwent. He need not have bothered – evidence came to light which showed that he was not even in Wales on the day of the murder and the case against him collapsed, causing severe damage to the reputation of the Cardiff Police. ‘It had been,' commented Mark Isaacs in
Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in Cardiff
, ‘a pointless and futile gesture by a simple and uneducated petty thief, by which he gained the moment of notoriety for which he craved.'

1879:
Percy Bush, one of the all-round sportsmen of the ‘golden age' before the First World War, was born in Cardiff. He played rugby for Wales eight times, including the famous victory over New Zealand in 1905 and was regarded as one of the most talented Welsh players of his generation. He played for Cardiff in 171 matches between 1899 and 1913, captaining the club for three seasons. Before his internationals for Wales he played in four matches for the combined British Isles team that toured Australia and New Zealand in 1904, being dubbed ‘Will o' the Wisp' by the Australian press for his devastating play at fly-half. He also played cricket for Glamorgan before they were admitted to the County Championship. Unlike many of his contemporise who were doomed to perish in war, he had a long life, dying at the age of 75. (T.D. Breverton,
The Welsh Almanac
, Glyndwr Publications, 2002 / Wikipedia)

June 24th is St John the Baptist's Day, the date of one of the two fairs traditionally held in Cardiff from medieval times, the other being the Feast of the Nativity of St Mary on September 8th. These dates reflect the close connection between these fairs and the Patronal Festivals of the two ancient churches in the centre of the town. During the period of the fairs Cardiff came directly under the jurisdiction of the Lord of the Manor who, with the Bailiffs would be responsible for the maintenance of law and order – no easy task as the town would be full of strangers and much ale was consumed in the taverns. For Cardiff's merchants and tradesmen, a successful fair was vital to their commercial survival. The Royal Charters establishing them laid down that no other fairs were allowed at these times anywhere in Glamorgan. (William Rees,
Cardiff: A History of the City
, Cardiff Corporation, 1969)

1912:
King George V and Queen Mary made a Royal Visit to Cardiff. Thousands of people went down to the docks in the hope of catching a glimpse of them. Troops were lined up as a Guard of Honour and a horse-drawn carriage was waiting to convey them to the city centre. Among the buildings decorated for the occasion were the Board of Trade offices in Bute Place and the New Theatre. The King and Queen also went to Llandaff Cathedral where they were welcomed by the Bishop, the Rt Revd J.P. Hughes. The last Royal occasion in Cardiff had been in 1907 when George's predecessor King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra had visited. A Triumphal Arch had been erected in Kingsway, just one of many ornate decorative features that one paper described as ‘being of an extent and character seldom equalled'. (Stewart Williams,
Cardiff Yesterday
/ Brian Lee,
The Cardiff Story
)

1940:
The first German bombers appeared in the skies over Cardiff. Following the fall of France, the city was now within easy flying distance for the Luftwaffe. (J.H. Morgan, ‘Cardiff at War' in Stewart Williams (ed.)
The Cardiff Book, Vol.3
, 1974)

1930:
Cardiff Speedway riders turned out in their biking leathers to form a Guard of Honour at the wedding of Jack ‘Lightning' Luke to Josephine Hampson at Llandaff Cathedral. Josephine's brother was another speedway star, ‘Hurricane Hampson'. Jack Luke, one of the favourites with the Cardiff crowd, later rode for Crystal Palace. (Stewart Williams,
Cardiff Yesterday
)

1999:
Twenty-seven thousand spectators witnessed the first ever rugby match at the Millennium Stadium – which was at that time only partially complete. Captained by Rob Howley (who with fifty-nine international appearances became Wales' most-capped scrum-half), Wales beat the Springboks 29-19. This was a remarkable turnaround from their record defeat almost exactly a year before in South Africa! By October the stadium was more or less finished, just in time for the launch of the Rugby World Cup. With Wembley Stadium being rebuilt, it was also to stage several FA Cup finals. (Robert Cole & Stuart Farmer,
The Wales Rugby Miscellany
, Sports Vision Publishing, 2008)

1890:
St Mary's Street was fully decorated for a visit by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII). (Stewart Williams,
Cardiff Yesterday
)