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TYLERI TALES: THE BLAINA RIOTS: Part 4 -
4. THE BLAINA RIOTS
As soon as the decision had been made to hold the demonstration, a March Committee
was formed to coordinate the preparations. The other local NUWM branches, such as
the one at Abertillery, were circulated and asked to raise support for the demonstration
in their own areas. The newsletters published by the local branches came to be used
to good effect in the run-
A major setback occurred on Sunday, 17th March when Phil Abraham was visited at his home at around 6.00pm by Sergeant Clark of Nantyglo. Abraham was told that Inspector Eugene Davies of Blaina wanted to meet with the March Committee as soon as possible to discuss their plans. At the same time a similar message was being conveyed to Frank Landon in Blaina. The next day Davies came to the committee rooms and told those present that the march was not to go ahead. He demanded that the committee members sign a statement he had written in his notebook to the effect that they agreed to abide by his order and would call off the demonstration. They of course refused.
Although this was a setback to the organizers in that they would now be risking confrontation with the police should the march go ahead, it did add another important angle to their campaign. Originally the march had been intended simply as a protest at the PAC's operation of the Means Test. It now also served as a demonstration that the working class would not allow the rights of assembly and free speech to be taken from them without a struggle.
An intensive campaign was carried out against the ban. Letters were sent to all Monmouthshire County Councillors, asking them to intervene, and all local working class organizations were circulated. The march organizers appealed to George Daggar to try and win the support of the Home Secretary for a delegation to be allowed to see the Public Assistance Committee. Daggar reported back that the Home Secretary had, not surprisingly, refused to intervene, claiming that it was a "County Council matter". Wal Hannington came to Monmouthshire on 18th March, the day after the ban was placed on the demonstration. He held several meetings in the towns of the Western valley, one of which was held in the gymnasium at Abertillery Workmen's Institute on 20th March, the day before the protest.
At another packed meeting held at Unity Hall in Nantyglo on Tuesday, 19th March, a deputation was sent to visit the homes of local Labour councillors. A group of them were brought to the meeting and pledged their support for the call to allow the marchers to see the PAC. Their subsequent absence on the march did not go unnoticed by those that took part. On 20th March the organizers had received a boost when a deputation which had been allowed an interview with the Abertillery PAC had been granted concessions similar to those asked of the Blaina committee.
Thus by the morning of the march, the unemployed had reconciled themselves to accepting that they would meet with police resistance in their attempt to present their case to the PAC at Blaina. Once again, however, the police intervened to turn the situation on its head. The March Committee were meeting at the Blaina NUWM rooms to finalise details of the protest when they were again visited at about 11.00am by Inspector Davies. After a discussion, Davies agreed to a compromise that would allow the march to go ahead. It would be allowed to proceed to Central Park in Blaina where a delegation of twelve people could be escorted by the police to the PAC offices. He would not give an assurance, however, that they would actually be allowed an interview as this was beyond his power, he said.
It seemed that the March Committee had scored a victory since a confrontation with the police now seemed unlikely. But in an extraordinary change of heart, Inspector Davies together with Superintendent Roynon Baker of Abertillery returned to Unity Hall at 4.30pm to inform those present that the ban had been reimposed. At around 4.40pm Abraham was visited at his home by Sergeant Clark, and Frank Landon's house at Blaina was visited by PC Moore where similar messages were conveyed to the march leaders. Davies told the startled Committee members at Unity Hall that the march was being prevented because demonstrators would be coming to Blaina from Abertillery and Brynmawr.
It was suggested to the inspector that he must have known of this beforehand as it
had been announced at several public meetings, but Davies denied any previous knowledge
of these plans. It was also pointed out that police officers were being drafted in
from all over the county -
It is difficult to ascertain the true cause of this U-
Irrespective of police objections, by this time it would have been impossible to call off the protest. The Abertillery contingent, as will be shown, were already making their way to Blaina. The meeting at the Blaina PAC offices was due to take place at 6.00pm. And, as highlighted earlier, by this time it was felt that the right of free assembly was being challenged. Consequently there was no possibility of the marchers backing down. The march was on. However, in an attempt to ensure a peaceful demonstration, a deputation was sent to the Labour chairman of the Blaina and Nantyglo UDC, Emlyn Silk JP, to ask him to associate himself with the protest. He refused.
Meanwhile, in Abertillery thousands of people had gathered at Unity Hall in Queen Street. The hall, which served as the town’s NUWM headquarters, was owned by a Mr Simon, a local furniture dealer. From Queen Street the march proceeded to Trinity Corner on the Foundry Bridge, which was a popular local speaking platform, and where many more people joined the demonstration. The road to Blaina took the marchers over the Foundry Bridge and along Gladstone Street. "There were thousands of us," said Mrs. Webber of Alma Street, Abertillery, "Women with their babies in shawls, old men, young men, all sorts. Marching and singing to the protest meeting in Banna Park, Blaina". [2]
But at the top of Gladstone Street the demonstrators came across two lines of police standing about 30 yards apart and spread the full length of the road. They were stopped by the first line of police and told that they could not proceed as the march had been banned. Harold Lloyd and Councillor Jack Jones got into a nearby garden and addressed the crowd. Jones told the marchers that they were not being allowed to continue, recalls Herbert Morgan, and advised them to disperse and "all take a walk to Blaina". [3] This they did.
The crowd broke up into groups of two or three and carried on their way, although they were prevented from travelling along the main throughway, Rose Heyworth Road. Instead they went along the Old Blaina Road to the west of the valley or alternatively walked along the mountainside to the east. But as Herbert Morgan recalls, “I don't think anyone turned back". [4] Most of the marchers got back onto the main road at the top of Bournville and continued on their way.
When all the marchers had assembled outside the chapel, and all the speeches had
been completed, the demonstration formed itself into an orderly column. 4 -
The Brynmawr and Nantyglo group had set off slightly earlier and thus arrived at the agreed meeting place first. In fact they did not quite reach the PAC offices which were opposite the Blaina Inn as they were stopped approximately 50 yards from that point by a group of policemen. Superintendent Baker, who had taken control of the situation, informed the leaders that the Abertillery marchers had been prevented from leaving their town and that they too would be stopped from advancing any further. Baker also revealed that the Public Assistance Committee had met secretly the day before. Since the issue was now one of the right of assembly as much as a desire to confront the PAC, this did not drastically change the situation. A short discussion followed between the police and the unemployed leaders which failed to resolve this impasse.
The South Wales Gazette described the moment:
"As the traffic crawled by the ranks of the demonstrators, the men burst forth into singing 'The Red Flag'. While the leaders spoke together there were some tense moments. Women, girls and young children looked on the scene from the surrounding coaltips. When a child cried it would be hushed by its mother with the words, "It's alright, your daddy isn't going to be hurt". The red banners had to be lowered when a horse shied. The horse was quietened and, with the red banners out of sight, plodded on". [6]
However, when Baker ordered the police to draw their batons the demonstrators retreated along the road for around 70 yards until they reached Bethel Chapel. Obviously disappointed, the demonstrators stood around for a little while discussing their next move. But their discussions were cut short by sounds coming from just down the valley. Although the main body of protesters could not see the Blaina Inn from their position, a number of people had broken away and were able to see the cause of the commotion.
The noise had been created by the arrival of the Blaina and Abertillery marchers.
They had proceeded unhindered until they had reached the junction of Surgery Road,
which was just yards from the PAC offices. The Nantyglo protesters were only around
150-
A few words were exchanged between Inspector Baker, who had returned from meeting with the Nantyglo protesters, and the Blaina and Abertillery leaders. Baker told them to turn back and made to address the crowd. He was advised by William Madden that it would be better if they were told by one of the march leaders, and Baker said "Look sharp about it then". Madden asked him to not to be in such a hurry but Baker told him, "We are serious". "And so are we." Madden replied. [8]
Precisely what happened next is a story which varies according to the source. The police would later claim that the crowd was unruly and had been out of the control of the leaders, who had anyway refused to turn back. They would claim to have been pelted with stones, which the protesters had been carrying, and beaten with sticks before they had been forced to charge upon the demonstration.
The marchers would counter these accusations by claiming to have been orderly, unarmed and in the course of discussions with the police when the baton charge was launched. The evidence given in court by both the police and the unemployed protesters will be examined in detail in the next chapter.
For the marchers, Herbert Morgan and Clarence Lloyd are in no doubt of what happened, and their story is corroborated by John Silk and Jack Hughes of Blaina, who as young children witnessed the events from the mountainside above the road. Morgan, who was standing approximately six rows behind the leaders, heard the discussions taking place between the police and the demonstrators, but says these talks were curtailed when a police whistle blew from amidst the ranks of police. Morgan insists that this must have been a prearranged signal to attack the crowd, since this is what happened immediately after it had sounded. There was no reading of the Riot Act, he claims.
For a few moments the marchers were in total confusion. They had obviously been expecting to confront the police at some point. Indeed the Abertillery protesters had already done so. But the violence being used was unexpected. One of the first casualties of the baton charge was Clarence Lloyd, who was knocked to the ground and kicked, and subsequently spent a period in Nantyglo Hospital with concussion.
Very quickly the fight was joined by the Nantyglo and Brynmawr unemployed who rushed past the police lines to assist their fellow protesters. "The police were like madmen," said Phil Abraham, "Hitting indiscriminately and using filthy language." [9]
Many of the marchers had by now made their way to the nearby tips or into gardens and rained down stones upon the police. Herbert Morgan remembers climbing into a garden with Bert Vranch (who later fought in Spain with the International Brigade) and pelting the police who were chasing the fleeing demonstrators. For a short while this barrage of stones forced the police to take shelter, but they soon regained their composure and made a second incursion into the crowd.
This time those that were still able to ran along the roads and up the mountainside to escape. The fight had lasted for just a few minutes although it must have seemed much longer for those trapped in the midst of the violence. As the 'Daily Worker' reported the next day, "Women and children were injured and many of them were discovered stretched on the road". The 'South Wales Gazette' of the same day reported that, "So many people surged into one surgery for attention that the doors were closed". Estimates put the total number of injured at around 200.
REFERENCES
CHAPTER FOUR
1. H. Francis and D. Smith, ‘The Fed’ (1980), p.263
2. ‘Rebecca’, 30th July 1982
3. Interview with Herbert Morgan of Abertillery, 14th February 1986
4. Ibid
5. Ibid
6. B. M. Evans, ‘Blaina Rugby Football Club’ (1976), p.54
7. ‘Rebecca’, 30th July 1982
8. B. Thomas, ‘The Blaina Riots’ (tape)
9. Ibid
10. Transcript of an interview with Phil Abraham and George Brown of Nantyglo conducted by Dai Smith. M. Jones and A. Morgan, p.37
The Abertillery contingent was thus very large but quite fragmented as it completed
the journey to Blaina. As the first marchers reached the Blaina demonstrators, who
were gathered at the Salem Chapel (left) in the centre of town, the deputation which
had unsuccessfully visited Councillor Silk was just returning. A number of speakers
addressed the ever-
The crowd was in good spirits at this point despite the problems which the Abertillery section had encountered in reaching Blaina. Herbert Morgan remembers being particularly amused by a question raised by one old man. "He used to live in Tillery Street. He was a haulier in the pit. He only had one arm. His name was Denning. It amused me when I heard him say quite loudly, "Where's the fighting contingent?".[5]
After the battle the workers were advised to stay together in large groups to reduce the chance of police recrimination, and the streets remained crowded with angry men and women. Photographs released much later by the police in Blaina to the Abraham family show that the 'leaders' of the march had been identified at previous demonstrations, and these men were now sought out by the police who had received reinforcements.
But the population of Blaina and Nantyglo rallied around to protect these people. Scouts were posted to forewarn them of any police presence, and doors were left open to provide instant access to those the police were hunting.
As a crowd of men stood talking on Garn Cross in Nantyglo later in the evening, they were approached by a group of policemen. Phil Abraham, who was amongst the group, stood before the men who were now carrying flat irons, bicycle chains and iron bars, and he warned the police, "If it's a fight you want we are now armed".[10]
Back row, left to right; L. Hill, G. Sheargold, G. Reed, H. Thomas, F. Landon, W. Madden.
Middle row, left to right; G. Brown, P. Abraham, J. Jones, J. Doyle, H. Lloyd, C. Lloyd.
Front row, left to right; B. Jenkins, B. John, G. Penry, G. Luffman, S. Corp.
Not shown -
The police retreated. Abraham had been informed that his house was surrounded by police and so decided to sleep at a friend's home in Brynmawr. Harold Lloyd, brother of Clarence, and Harold Thomas, both of Abertillery, fled to the Black Mountains to avoid arrest. Herbert Morgan and Bert Vranch, who had spent the evening on the mountainside overlooking Blaina, made their way cautiously back to Abertillery.
Thus ended the evening of Thursday, 21st March 1935. It had been a day of bitter experience for the unemployed people of the Western valley. They had failed in their attempt to present their argument to the PAC, and many were now nursing the wounds they had sustained in their attempt to uphold the right of assembly. But the story had not yet ended. It would not do so until a full nine months later when the authorities had finally decided that those who participated in the 'Blaina Riots' had been sufficiently punished for their actions. This remaining period is the subject of the next chapter.
Salem Chapel, Blaina 1935