Winston Churchill might be a hero of Britain, Europe and the Second World War. Certainly, that his how he will mostly be remembered. Despite this, his relationship with Cymru was always strained, if not troublesome. Here’s a post on the often forgotten event of Llanelli, 1911.

It was on the day of August 18th, 1911, when an express train became stranded at Llanelli station by rail workers tasked with extinguishing the a fire coming from the steam locomotive. Talks had taken place on August 17th over pay and conditions but the talks broke down. Therefore, union members across Cymru and Britain had been ordered to cease work.

This spread into a summer of discontent and it was in Llanelli where large crowds of pickets gathered at the level crossings each side of the station on August 18th. The Home Secretary of the day, Winston Churchill, sent extra troops to the town. He had ordered the deployment of 58,000 soldiers tasked with protecting railway assets around Britain and, of course, numerous soldiers were sent to Llanelli.

August 19th witnessed a determined effort to send a train through Llanelli but pickets stopped the train. In a moment of madness, the Riot Act was read aloud and the soldiers, sent by Churchill, fired at the crowd.

The consequence of this decision was the murder of two 20-year-old men: Leonard Worsell and John “Jac” John. This enraged the local people and they rioted – with tragedy escalating as four of them died following the explosion of a rail wagon stocked with explosives. The strike ended on the same day and negotiations continued, but not without horrors caused to Llanelli.

No matter the outcome of World War II, Churchill remains a polarising figure in Cymru. Remembered fondly for the Second World War by many but loathed by some who perceive his character as being anti-worker, anti-trade union and anti-Welsh. When I asked you a couple of months ago to name Cymru’s “Greatest Enemy”, Churchill was ranked 3rd (behind Margaret Thatcher and Edward I).

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Niklas George

Niklas is the founder, owner, manager, editor, writer, video creator, voice over artist, and so forth, of Welsh Histories. He is passionate about the preservation of Welsh culture; the rejuvenation of the Welsh language and the promotion of Welsh history. Niklas currently resides in Pune, Maharashtra, with his beloved wife.