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As this blog is for the most part concerned with Medieval History, you would be forgiven for thinking that this post might have been about Welsh Mercenaries as Owain Llawgoch and Gruffydd who led Welsh Mercenaries to Flanders, but no! Wales does not have so many military adventurers as do the Irish and Scots, following the medieval ''Golden Age'' of Welsh Mercenaries. Although there quite a few who pop up in the 16th Century, ones that will be a big suprise to most of you. However, I am still researching these Welsh ''Wild Geese'' so best left until I can tell you much more, so remember become a regular viewer of I'R Gad blog for the unknown as well as the generally known.
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The 18th Century produces one of our greatest Military Adventures, the Welsh Jacobite Hugh Lloyd, see link > Henry Lloyd (soldier) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Henry Humphrey Evans Lloyd (c.1718 – 19 June 1783) was a Welsh army officer and ... With the rank of captain, Lloyd then accompanied the 1745–46 Jacobite ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Lloyd_(soldier) - 32k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this. Then lets not forget the failed Welsh Military Jacobite Adventurer but by no means coward who died most coragously for his beliefs on the executionors Gallows, poor David Morgan long forgotten by his country men. Not quiet, I have visited site of his execution 29 July 1746 (Tartan Taffs note, why not adopt this day and sponsor annual commemoration) close to Kennington common and have placed flowers there in his memory.
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For more on David Morgan, the best information is in NLW National Dictionary of Biography via the web. Of course in this Welsh Jacobite connection there are a number of Welsh Maritime Adventurers such as the famouse Pirate Howell Davies. This whole Welsh Jacobite period and people involved begs to be really comprehensivelly research and a book written up and published, as at moment one must really dig around for fuller information on the subject. Myself am more of a Jacobin, at at present am helping someone with research in that direction, but would be quite happy to help out anyone who wants to dig deeper into the detail of Welsh Jacobitism. Indeed, I think I would actually prefer doing living history re-enctment in period of Welsh 'Jacobites & Jacobins' than the medieval, yes! heresy I know but a change is as good as a rest.
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A great period for Military Adventures is the 19th Century, not least in South America 1800 - 1830, not least post 1815. Following on the Napoleonic wars, many vets were recruited in a British Legion that went out to fight in the wars of Latin American Liberation, most famouse of this time is of course Garibaldi but there was also, of Irish descent Barnado o' Higgens and the famouse Scotsman Sailor Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald. I am at present breaking ground on a Welshman who served in the Brazilian Navy in the 1830's. In later wars, as example the Amrican Cilvil War you will find a number of Welshmen serving in the ''Privateer Navy'' of the Confederacy whilst in the Boar war it is Owen Rhoscomyl who stands out as the most well known ''Military Adventurer'' of those times.
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That is until John Humpries really come up with a ''buet'' of a story concerning one Caryl ap Rhys Pryce. This followed on his excellent book 'The Man from the Alamo', the story of the Welshman who fought for the Independence of Texas and participated in the Newport Rising of 1839. His latest book on Caryl ap Rhys Pryce goes beyond his earlier work, in the sense it delivers an an account of ''Military Adventurism'' in a period and place, most will be aware of regards the Mexican Revolution but then does he add something extra. I am going to say no more other than this is a ''must buy book'', to read and keep on your book shelf to read again some time. This and other excellent Welsh History books can be obtained from Glyndwr Publishing, see link > Publishers Glyndwr Publishing (Wales Books) ... USA: Pelican Publishing. Date company established: 2000. Contact: Terry Breverton, Editor ...www.academi.org/publishers/i/129378/ - 13k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this
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.The only problem with Owen Rhoscomyl and Caryl ap Rhys Pryce was that they were ''Brits'', and that Wales never had much in way as the Irish Wild Geese, see link > Flight of the Wild Geese - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 2:19pmThe Flight of the Wild Geese refers to the departure of an Irish Jacobite ... More broadly, the term "Wild Geese" is used in Irish history to refer to Irish ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_of_the_Wild_Geese - 41k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this In later Irish associated history there is the involement of Irish Military Adventurers and ''Foreign Volunteers'' in South America , as in Venuzual, see link > Irish Legacy in the Venezuela's Independence war The unruly assortment of volunteers from Ireland, who had joined Bolivar's ... But, many of the Irish to reach Venezuelan shores, scarcely made it off the ...www.simon-bolivar.org/bolivar/won_by_the_irish.htm - 24k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this . Then not least in Mexico, see link >San Patricios - The Irishmen who died for Mexico - 2 visits - 4:32pm The Saint Patrick's Battalion in the US-Mexican War, has placed the Irish ... like O’Dunn and McMurphy are changed to American-English "Dunn" and "Murphy. ...vivasancarlos.com/patrick.html - 10k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this .
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Ireland is lucky to have in existence an excellent Military History Soociety that deals with all periods of such history in all theatres of wars, see link > Military History Society of Ireland The Military History Society of Ireland was founded in 1949. The aim of the Society is to promote the study of military history, and in particular the ...www.mhsi.ie/ - 6k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this . I tried to get the Curators of British Army Welsh Regimental Museums in Wales, at Cardiff (Welsh Regiment) , Brecon (SWB) and Caernarfon (RWF) interested in a similar Military History Society of Wales but not go! None were interested in Medieval Welsh Warfare or Welsh Medieval Mercenaries etc, only in the British Army Connection. Generally these Museums are quite happy to just link with the National Army Museum in Chelsea, excellent museum and in fairness to they, they did contact me for information on Welsh Jacobitism when they did an exhibition on the Jacobite Rebellion few years back. So, that's that but anyway I plod on regardless but my campaigning is coming to an end game situation, if the proposed I'r Gad - Welsh Battlefield Campaign - Mis Mehefin - Month of Action, does not rise to occaision of urgency and achieve gain forward ground, then fin! I shall not surrender but will stick my sword in the thatch, for posterity to pick up the pieces? However, I shall sustain the blog, even though not campaigning I shall post stuff from time to time of Welsh Medieval but also looking to future, later and broader Military History.
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Even Welsh Military experience in the British Army, after all it is an hard fact of history but one cannot get away from. After all my Grand father fought in WW I was wounded and gassed, my Father worked on Aircraft Maintenance re Anti - Submarine patrols. My Uncle served in the SWB in Eritrea and has wrote a fascinating account of his time there, I have also met up with a fella who was in the SWB in Cyprus during the Emergency there, and rioted when EOKA shot a Women from Morriston. I know a young fella whose Dad was in the British Palestine Police and has passed on some really blooody ''Tit for Tat'' tales of Jews and Arabs going for each other in awful ways. I often frequent cemetaries, carrying out research and what one often sees his a recorded record in stone of the Sons of the Welsh Gentry and Middle Classes who die by the score during WW I in all theatres of action, makes interesting reading. These names certainly do spell out an ''Old Wales'' that comes to revival in 1905 and all but a ''Golden Sunset'' with the great Cardiff Pageant of 1909 but then between 1914 - 18 starts dieing away in the ''Killing Fields'' of France and further afield.
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I do not intend however, to repeat the work of Welsh Regimental Museums, nor glorify the British Army but rather seek out more personal Welsh stories of a more enquiring interest. Looking at the Welsh loving affair with the Britain/England/Empire via connection with the British Army. In our times, that film ZULU did not exactly do Welsh Nationalism any favours, ironic too, as we now know better, that the regiment involved was not particularly Welsh. Niether was that ''Welsh'' protestant RWF too Welsh in it's make up, at least not at the beginning. I have not yet however had time to read what looks to be a good book, see link > Fusiliers, by Mark Urban - Reviews, Books - The Independent 25 Nov 2007 ... As Mark Urban tells it in this sharply original and well-researched book on the Royal Welsh Fusiliers' involvement, this may also be why the ...www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/fusiliers-by-mark-urban-760032.html - 88k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this . Ironically, or perhaps not, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers is one of the most popular re-enactor Regiments in America today, see link > Urwin/RWFiA As such, the reenactor unit is designated the Royal Welch Fusiliers in America (RFWIA). Our members have the privilege of belonging to the Colwyn Bay Branch ...astro.temple.edu/~gurwin/Urwin_RWFiA.html - 11k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this and what about this, amazing, see link > MySpace.com - Royal Welch Fusiliers in America 23rd Regiment - 55 ... - 3:19pm MySpace profile for Royal Welch Fusiliers in America 23rd Regiment with ... me its about YOU and if you would like to join a Historial reenactment group. ...profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=141937754 - 160k - Cached - Similar pages - Note this .
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Wow!!! and we have nothing comparable in our Welsh History that would be a more patriotic, nationalist opposition to all this Protestant Welsh - British Loyalism, so guess I/we? will have to invent one over at the ASSYRIAN ROD http://assyrianrod.blogspot.com/ . How about a 'Welsh Jacobite Army' welcoming bonnie Prince Charlie to Wales as 'Prince of Wales', to see off the Brit Prot Establishment, that's one for Wrexham, given it's connection to Welsh Jacobitism and contemporary ''Tartan Taffery''. For the South, based in Glamorgan what about a ''Welsh Jacobin Army'' allying with the French landings at Fishguard to set fourth to Liberate Wales and declare a Welsh Republic. Truth hurts, so fantasize in some Alternate Welsh History over at ASSYRIAN ROD and have some fun, a different kind of fun for a change.
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Gethin.
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