Irish Left Archive

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Wales Defiled!

On July 1 as we go to press a representative of the English Crown, the most vicious institution of murder the world has ever known, was installed as "prince" of Wales.

Surrounded by the largest force of police and troops ever mounted in peacetime the English “royals” imposed themselves on the people of Wales. The “royal” occasion did not pass without protest however: bombs exploded in Cardiff, the Welsh Capital, and in Abergele, forty miles from Caernarvon, two men were killed while placing explosives in a government office.

At the same time the marathon trial of members of the Free Wales Army was coming to an end and the verdicts were due to be announced on July 1. Referring to the trial, our Welsh correspondent writes:

Now as the Free Wales Army trial drags to its seemingly interminable close the moment of decision — the “crunch” — arrives. Not only for those patriots in the dock at Swansea. The hour of decision has arrived for the whole movement towards devolution of Government away from the Whitehall tyrannies of the Harold Wilson regime. Sadly, most sadly, one or two signs of the cracking of resolve are to be seen amongst those who took upon themselves the heavy responsibility of putting themselves forward as martyrs in the cause of the struggle to save the lifeblood of the Welsh nation.

The inspiration for the Welsh militant movement sprang — as it was bound to do — from the great examples of the Irish patriots of the time of Ireland’s agony.

But from the example of the martyrs for Irish independence those who are now in doubt — and who can blame them after the ordeal they have undergone in English prisons over the past months? — they, these new martyrs in the cause of Wales, must draw fresh strength.

They must stand firm. One sign of weakness, one indication that one or two may be tempted, fatally, to “crawl out from under” the weight of their responsibility — a responsibility to the generations of new Welshmen and women in the years to come — and the very existence of Wales, as a Nation again, will be equally fatally threatened.

Stand firm, the new martyrs of Wales.

Remember the examples of Pearse, of Connolly, of Ap Griffith, the Welshman him self who inspired in those days of the other struggles for the freedom of Ireland. Stand firm. For the dignity of the Welsh nation.

Only stand fearless before the threats of the London Government hirelings, the Quisling traitors of Wales, who are even now drawing their wages in Saxon gold as drovers of the Welsh cattle out of Wales and to the "Sais“ New Towns, only stand firm now all can be won.

Only stand firm now and as Ireland survived its testing hour, so can Wales today.

A heavy responsibility rests on the shoulders of the men on trial. They must prove themselves worthy of it.

Any sign of weakness, any sign of fear, and the whole movement towards the rennaissance [sic] of the Welsh spirit will be put back a hundred years.

The men on trial at the Inquisition of Swansea have the ability to write themselves into a golden page of Welsh history. Stand firm Welshmen. The heart and soul of a new Wales is with you. The new martyrs of Wales have already been likened to “the tip of the spear” — this one action, this one public martyrdom, and the modern “Siege of The Post Office" in open court can win Wales its freedom after 500 years of insidious and open oppression.

Stand firm and all can be won.

Stand firm for Wales!