CILMERI COMMEMORATION 2009: A Patriots Last Salute To Old Comrades - Fellow Freedom Fighters of the Great Patriotic Resurgence 1966 - 69.

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The main reason for being at Cilmeri Cenotaph this year of 2009, because it was 40th Anniversary of Rali Cilmeri of 1969, important because it was to this Rali Cilmeri that the imprisoned PF/FWA Anti - Investiture Activists - Adfywiad Gwladgarol attended upon their release. Not I however, I had gone into my two year 'Irish Exile' in Dublin, not returning untill 1972 with the idea that led to Cofiwn and tradition of wearing an ivy leaf annually on and about 11th December.

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Further, I attended this Cilmeri Commemoration because this year Old PF/FWA Comrade Glyn Rowland passed away, the sixth of the 'Swansea Nine' to do so. It was thus left to me as to all extent and purpose the 'Last Man Standing' so to speak to make a patriotic tribute at the Cilmeri Cenotaph. Unfortunatly and rather sadly, Vernon Griffiths and David Burns little concern themselves with much of this radical nationalism today, and have not contributed as the other six have to common patriotic causes in which I have been involved since 1969.

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Sadly, they are not in my same area of concern any more but otherwise as regards 'the six', I am honour bound to respectfully mark the passing years and their contribution to our great 'Sixties Struggle' and a number of causes since, not least Glyn Rowlands. For Glyn with Toni and myself were Patriotic Front members and officers also leading Anti - Investiture Campaign conspirator organisers. In passing the Patriotic Tribute Installation I set up at the Cilmeri Cennotaph also honoured other patriots who have passed away since 1969 up to our present times, not least long time Friend Pedr Lewis who also passed away this year.

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Photo below shows the Patriotic Tribute Installation set up at the Cilmeri Cenotaph, note the framed Patriots Roll Call and small Ivy Green crosses in memory of Patriots who have passed away. Hopefully this Patriotic Tribute will become a fixed feature of the annual Cilmeri Commemoration. Patriots I hope will be mindful of fact that they must be responsible for placing of such tributes with respect of Patriots they were comrades of over the passing years. In this respect special efforts must be made for Cilmeri Commemorations 2011 and 2014, see Adfywiad Cilmeri blog for further details.
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As my Old Comrades Patriotic Tribute took place at 12 noon prior to the main Cilmeri event, very few patriots had arrived to attend in great numbers, my thanks to those who did make the effort to attend.

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Nevertheless, I made my tribute to Old Comrades; Vivian Davies, Dai Bonar Thomas, Julian Cayo Evans, Denis Coslett, Anthony Lewis and Glyn Rowlands also other patriots, too many to mention here. In my hand (see foto) was a framed Glyn Rowlands foto tribute I had made to present to the family of Glyn Rowlands. However, they were delayed and did not arrive in time for me to present as I had to leave earlier, so I requested Adam Philips of Balchder Cymru to present at their tribute to Glyn during the regular event.
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I followed the tribute up by pointing out that all the 'Swansea Nine' were workers and farmers, they served their country to the best of their ability with great patriotic conviction, commitment and courage and. they did not deserve the scorn that so called and cowardly intellectuals, writers and media lickspittals pour on them with Poison Pens dripping in British 'Saxon Gold' Ink. To name but a few of such hacks; Ned Thomas, Clive Betts, Trevor Fishlock and this year joined by John Humphries with his book Freedom Fighters, Wales's' Forgotten War. In which he went out of his way to make an awful character assassination of FWA Commandants Cayo and Coslett in particular, plus manage to ignore totally the Patriotic Front and it's role in the Anti - Investiture Campaign which were the real reason why the three aforementioned PF people were arrested and imprisoned up to Investiture and three of us until the Autumn and following year.

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In this area, the Humphries book is a total let down as are Owen Williams and John Jenkins, if they collaborated in this book, possibly haveing seen the drafts, or otherwise knew what was being written but said nothing to Humphries. I suggest, they answer the above and publicly repudiate Humphries regards what he has said about Cayo & Coslett in particular, as for what he has said about the FWA and what he has not said about the Patriotic Front I shall answer in due course and put the record straight with a more fuller version of our great 'Sixties' Patriotic Resurgence. Humphries book has prompted me to write my own book on this 'Sixties Struggle', it will be called Adfywiad Gwladgarol 1966 - 1969, a kind of Foot Soldiers Story! or rather PF Activists 'Street Fighter' with prologue 1960 - 66 re how I became a Welsh Nationalist and an epilogue 1969 - 1972 covering my period in an Irish Exile following my release from prison in 1969. Do not expect to see this book before 2015, if at all? many reasons why such project may not be completed but I treat the intention seriously as far as possible.

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Other matters I mentioned in passing were, briefly as follows:
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I have been wearing an FWA Uniform occasionally this year to show solidarity with Old Comrades who have passed away and cannot speak in their own defence from attacks by media lickspittals and so called ''Welsh Intellectuals''. Even though I had an hand in designing the FWA Uniform, I never wore one in the ''Sixties Struggle'' largely due to fact that first and foremost the Patriotic Front came first and we split from FWA because the Commandants in Chief would or could not put their house in order. However, if they had, I would have rejoined and I dare say took to wearing the FWA Uniform as and when required to do so?

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Hence fourth, I shall put away this FWA Uniform and wear no more, I hope however I have made the patriotic point that I set out to make. That is, I at least will not turn my back on old comrades, no matter what mistakes they have made or weaknesses in areas of policy or strategy, they were patriots and as such served their country and our struggle well and paid for it with imprisonment plus! They truely deserve to be remembered with Patriotic pride and respect for their sacrifices and, not condemned to a published history which reflects so shamefully on their memory and, be most hurtful to their familes. Suffice to say 'Where were you in the war Mr Humphries?'

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I made tribute to Glyn Rowlands and Pedr Lewis both of whom died this year, I had intended to present Teulu Rowlands with a framed foto tribute in memory of Glyn. However, they were delayed and I had to leave but requested Adam Phillips to present to they, later in the afternoon at the main Commemoration. At which Dylan Wyn Owen would have been reading is excellent poem in tribute to Glyn, a piper was also going to be present also to play a lament.

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At this point I made one and all what I thought about the rubbish written by Roy 'Jac' Jones of Abergynolwyn in Cambria Magazine. In which he had the nerve or maybe honesty to put in print the fact that he and a few other, now for most part ''Good Ole Boys'' run off to Ireland on 1st July 1969 to watch the Investiture, guess where? of course in a pub and not in and around Caernarfon as a number of Patriots engaged in Anti - Investiture Action. That aside ''Runner Roy'' goes on to bullshit that there will not be another Investiture and I bet he and a few others are praying there is not, but there will be, trust me!
Why! because the English Crown and Government know they can pull it off, because Welsh Patriots have become too docile and listen to, too much crap coming out of the mouths of ''Good Ole Boys'' and 'Cambrianistas'.

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.Whilst I certainly advance the history of our Adfywiad Gwladgarol 1966 - 1969 and, memory of Adfywiadwyr, not least our Freedom Fighters. I remind that yes remember but do not try to resurrect and relive a past struggle, especially a militant struggle. Those days of 'Armed Struggle' are over and done with, in the ''Sixties'' I advocated such but would certainly not do so today or in the future. The past is another country and, my past need not be your future. Times have changed and with it not least the emense power of the state, it's own potential violant Police para - military armed response to civilian unrest plus not least the vast influences of the British Security Services that without doubt are all over, in, out and around Welsh Nationalism with Agents and Informers without doubt attempting to identify those patriots who are most likly to oppose another Investiture. So, if anyone out there wants to lead and organise a future anti - Investiture campaign, then start to think! and act clever. Not least take note of the fence sitters, as they are the potential future 'sell outs' and 'turn coats'. YES POTENTIAL PAID INFORMERS TOO!

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So forget any thoughts of military struggle or Meibion Glyndwr style 'Arson War'. Not least I must say, that I never again would advocate that largely Working class young people sacrifice their lives for 'Crachach and Country', as that would be the truth of it, remember a Welsh Freedom Fighter gets no thanks only condemnation and ridicule. So, yes continue a radical militant Patriotic Struggle but not in the 'old way' with talk of Guns & Bombs, that is FIN! Just look around you to the violance in the World today and the suffering largely brought upon the innocent, there really is no way we would want ever to visit such suffering upon our fellow country men, women and children. This does not make of me a pacifist, nor am I at last surrendering as my fellow imprisoned patriots did on 1st July 1969. It's a truth that all Wars cause the innocent to greatly suffer and essentially I no longer can consider any reason to fight and die for Wales or any Welsh Cause, you got to be joking! Patriots die whilst the Taffia and Y Crachach fill their pockets and live a good life, forget it! Live for Wales, put away the toys and jump out of the box, do not be predictable, far more important at moment is to take full advantage of the new Welsh Heritage Strategy and Cadw's five year EU Heritage Tourism Project. Get stuck into this, help yourself to help Wales and make a Cofiwn dream come true.
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I concluded by saying that Independence meant nothing if our Sovereignty continued to be claimed by the English Crown and through the symbolic act of the Investitures of an Englishman as Prince of Wales. How many Patriots really understand what is going on in such ceremony? it really does sell out our Sovereignty to a representative of the English Crown, why else do you think they have taken away Y Groes Naid and Baner Llywelyn III and stuck an English Crown on it! You really got to stop the road your all going down with this 'Tartan Taffery', Leek eating, Daffodil wearing and Anglican Baner Dewi waving you identify with so much these days. Get back to some real Patriotic basics of, for starters getting to really know your history and then come to terms with what is really important - YES! our National Sovereignty and why you must make a stand for that at the Gate of Caernarfon Castle annually on or about 1st July.

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.However, I went on to say that I am now passing on the protest not petition campaign against another Investiture of an Englishman as Prince of Wales. My personal 'uno numero' patriotic struggle, is hence to 'go left' and in particular that not only means time for some historical revisionism. Such being around some sound new radical nationalist thinking on the fourth coming anniversary of the Tonypandy Riots 1910 against background of the Cambrian Lock Out 1910 - 1911. Facing home truths in an history of Welsh Capitalists calling upon the English Government to send into the Southern Coal field, English Police and English Soldiers to crush Welsh Workers. Also see Llanelli Riots 1911, same year as the Caernarfon Investiture, it appears we do allow ourselves to be distracted away from events in Llanelli that year to what was occuring in Caernarfon.

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.Other than this, I ended by a call for Patriots to engage themselves in a LAND & LIBERTY Campaign, for further info on this, see my WELSH PATRIOT blog.

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Foto below: My Last Salute at Rali Cilmeri.

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Gorchfygwn!

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Gethin 'Iestyn' Gruffydd.

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NB:

This post is based on my speech at Cilmeri Cenotaph, of course in writting it up, I have enlarged on my thoughts since, as one does.

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