June 15, 2010

Comment of the Churchill Centre: This article starts quoting the long-ago-exploded myth that Churchill sent the army against striking miners at Tonypandy in 1910, but goes on to vindicate him of the charge, and is quite accurate with the actual facts. You will also find comments regarding Tonypandy here in Finest Hour 35.


LLANMAES, 12 June 2010 (BBC) – A decision to name part of a military base in the Vale of Glamorgan after Winston Churchill has been criticised by a community council.

Llanmaes council say it is wrong to name the St Athan site in honour of the wartime prime minister because he sent troops to intervene in a south Wales miners’ dispute in 1910.

 

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The strike led to violent outbreaks known as the Tonypandy riots.

 

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) plans to name St Athan’s West Camp Churchill Lines.

 

The West Camp will be a separate base for the 1st Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, outside the area occupied by the huge Defence Technical College development planned for the rest of the site.

The MoD has proposed the name change to make sure the two areas keep a separate identity.

 

However, Jackie Griffin, clerk of the council, said: “Llanmaes Community Council was unable to support such an inappropriate name change to an establishment in Wales given the fact that Churchill, while home secretary, sent the Army to suppress an industrial dispute between the South Wales miners and the mine owners.

 

Although this took place a century ago, there is still a strong feeling of animosity towards Winston Churchill.

 

“I am informed that despite this council’s opposition, the name change will go ahead, although it will be carried out as a ‘low key’ exercise.”

 

Read the entire artticle here at BBC.com

 

©BBC

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