COAL

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STREIC!STREIC!

1984-2009 25 STRIKE!STRIKE! MLYNEDD YEARS STREIC! STRIKE! “Mae glowyr de Cymru’n dweud – dy’n ni ddim yn barod i droi “The miners in south Wales are saying – we are not accepting the cefn ar ein cymunedau glofaol, dy’n ni ddim am adael i’n plant fynd dereliction of our mining valleys, we are not allowing our children to i’r ciw dôl yn syth o’r ysgol – mae’n amser taro’n ôl!” go immediately from school into the dole queue – it is time we fought!”

Emlyn Williams, Llywydd, NUM, De Cymru Emlyn Williams, President, NUM, South Wales Area

“Bu rhaid i ni frwydro yn erbyn y gelyn allanol yn Ynysoedd “We had to fight the enemy without in the Falklands, but we y Falkland, ond rhaid i ni fod yn ymwybodol bob amser o’r gelyn always have to be aware of the enemy within, which is much more mewnol, sy’n frwydr anoddach o lawer ac yn fwy o beryg i ryddid.” difficult to fight and more dangerous to liberty.”

Margaret Thatcher, Prif Weinidog Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister

Ar 1 Mawrth 1984 cyhoeddodd y Bwrdd Glo Cenedlaethol ei fod yn bwriadu cau 20 o byllau glo a cholli On 1 March 1984 the National Coal Board announced that it planned to close 20 coal mines with the 20,000 o swyddi. Bu’r streic 12 mis a ddaeth yn ei sgil yn gyfrwng i newid hanes gwleidyddol, loss of 20,000 jobs. The year-long strike that followed changed the political, economic and social economaidd a chymdeithasol Cymru am byth. history of Wales forever. Pleidleisiodd y mwyafrif o lowyr Cymru yn erbyn streic i ddechrau, ond wedyn fe fuon nhw’n flaenllaw The majority of Welsh miners initially voted against a strike but later played a major part in picketing yn y protestiadau a’r picedu. Cododd gwragedd y glowyr eu llais i gefnogi’u gwŷr gan godi arian a and demonstrations. Miners’ wives rose to the challenge of supporting their men by raising funds and threfnu i ddosbarthu bwyd, ac aethant ati hefyd i gefnogi’r piced a’r gorymdeithiau. organizing food distribution, but were also active on picket lines and marches. Er na ddioddefodd Cymru’r trais ar y llinellau piced a welwyd ar rai o feysydd glo eraill Prydain, Although Wales did not suffer the picket line violence seen in some other British coalfields, Welsh collodd rhai o lowyr Cymru eu bywydau wrth bicedu a chyflawni gwaith diogelwch yn y pyllau glo a miners were killed on picket duty and carrying out colliery safety work and a taxi driver was killed as lladdwyd gyrrwr tacsi wrth gludo torrwr streic i’w waith. he took a strike-breaker to work. Roedd da a drwg yn perthyn i'r ddwy garfan a bu ymdrech fawr i geisio casglu hanesion o’r naill ochr There were rights and wrongs on both sides of the dispute and great pains have a’r llall. Mae’r dicter a ddaeth yn sgil y streic, sy’n dal yn gryf ar ôl 25 mlynedd, wedi gwneud hyn yn been taken to try to collect stories from each side. The passions aroused by dasg anodd oherwydd bod rhai a fu’n cymryd rhan yn amharod i roi the strike, still strong after 25 years, have made this a difficult task, for even caniatâd i’w hanesion gael eu hadrodd. now some participants are reluctant to allow their stories to be told. Mae hyn, a’r ffaith fod y mwyafrif o’r straeon wedi’u casglu o Gymru, lle This, and the fact that the majority of the stories were collected from Wales, mai dim ond canran fechan o’r gweithlu ddychwelodd i’r gwaith yn ystod where only a small percentage of the workforce returned to work during the y streic, yn ei gwneud yn anorfod bod un safbwynt yn ymddangos fel strike, makes it inevitable that one view should seem to predominate. If petai’n cael mwy o sylw. Pe byddai hanesion wedi’u casglu o fannau stories had been collected elsewhere it is quite possible that the opposite eraill mae’n dra phosibl y byddai’r safbwynt arall yn rhagori. view would dominate. Caiff hanes gwrthrychol a chytbwys streic y glowyr ei ysgrifennu rhyw An objective and balanced history of the miners strike will one day be written ddiwrnod, ond mae’r tudalennau sy’n dilyn yn cyflwyno hanesion rhai but the pages that follow present the stories of some of the men and women o’r dynion a’r menywod gafodd eu heffeithio gan yr hyn a adwaenir whose lives were touched by what today has simply become known as … bellach fel … Y Streic. The Strike.

Ceri Thompson, Curadur, Big Pit: Amgueddfa Lofaol Cymru Dyluniwyd gan: mopublications.com Design: mopublications.com Ceri Thompson, Curator, Big Pit: National Coal Museum 3 ‘Yr hyrddio a’r gwthio’ ym Mhwll Nantgarw ‘Pushing and shoving’ at Nantgarw Colliery Mike Thompson

NEWID BYD TWELVE MONTHS MEWN THAT CHANGED BLWYDDYN MY LIFE

4 5 NEWID BYD MEWN BLWYDDYN TWELVE MONTHS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE

Chwith: Gwrthdaro yng Ngwaith Furnacite Abercwmboi Islawr: Mike Thompson yn cyflwyno un o’i rosod i Arthur Scargill De: Yr heddlu a’r picedwyr ym Mhwll y Cwm Left: Confrontation at Abercwmboi Phurnacite Plant Below: Mike Thompson presents one of his roses to Arthur Scargill Right: Police and pickets at Cwm Colliery Mike Thompson

Dechreuais i weithio ym Mhwll y Arthur Scargill, Tony Benn a Dennis ni),bachgendegoedyncaeleifwrw’n National, Wattstown, pan oeddwn Skinner. Mae’r bws am ddim, felly dere glec ar ei ben gan blismon ar gefn ceffyl. i’n bymtheg oed. Es ymlaen i Bwll â’r camera a mwynhau diwrnod bant”. Roeddwn i wedi cael braw, ac yn sydyn Fernhill wedyn, ac erbyn 1984, roeddwn “Iawn” medde fi . reit, fe gofiais i am fy nghamera. Wrth i’n gweithio yng Ngwaith Golosg Roedden ni’n gorfod teithio ar hyd dynnu’r camera o ’mag, teimlais i bastwn Nantgarw. Yn Nantgarw yr ymunais â’r hewlydd cefn yr holl ffordd i Mansfield, plismon yn cyffwrdd â ’ngwallt. Neidiais ‘Streic Fawr’. Roedden ni wedi pleidleisio gan fod bysiau llawn glowyr yn cael eu i ganol y berth agosaf er mwyn osgoi o blaid cefnogi glowyr Pwll Nantgarw, troi’n ôl ar y draffordd. Roeddwn i’n unrhyw ffrwgwd pellach. Fe adawon ni I started as a fifteen-year-old at there! But, upon arriving at Mansfield, I felt my hair being parted by a police oedd yn gysylltiedig â’n ffyrnau golosg ni. credu mai ni fyddai’r unig rai yno! Ond Mansfield gan addo na fydden ni byth yn National Colliery, Wattstown. I later was amazed to find the biggest gathering baton. I dived through a privet hedge to Roedden ni’n rhannu’r un undeb, yr un ar ôl cyrraedd Mansfield, dyna sioc oedd dychwelyd. Ar y ffordd adref, dywedais worked in Fernhill Colliery and, by 1984, of miners that has ever been. Around avoid any more contact. We left Mansfield baddondy pen pwll a’r un ffreutur hyd yn gweld y dyrfa fwyaf erioed o lowyr mewn wrth un o swyddogion yr undeb “Os taw was working in Nantgarw Coke Works. It 45,000 had made it through the police vowing never to return. On the return oed. Ni wyddwn fawr ddim am un lle. Roedd tua 45,000 o ddynion wedi fel ’yn maen nhw am ein trin ni, rwy’n was at Nantgarw that I got involved in road blocks. The speeches were great, we journey I told our union officials “If this is wleidyddiaeth cyn y streic, heblaw bod llwyddo i osgoi’r heddlu ar y ffordd. mynd i’w gofnodi fe”. Dywedodd what they now call ‘The Great Strike’. We marched around Mansfield and everything what they think of us I am going to record ein swyddi yn y fantol. Ond doeddwn i Roedd yr areithiau’n wych, fe orymdeithion cadeirydd y gyfrinfa “Grêt; gei di wneud had voted to support the miners at was fine. We all went looking for some- it”. The lodge chairman said “I’m glad; ddim am groesi’r llinell biced ar unrhyw hynny’n swyddogol ar ran yr undeb”, a Nantgarw Colliery, which was joined on thing to eat before we were due to return you can do it officially for the union”, and gyfrif. Gofynnwyd i mi fynd i bicedu sawl Os taw fel ’yn maen dyna sut ddes i’n rhan o’r streic. Roeddwn to our coke ovens. We shared the same that’s how I got involved in the strike. I gwaith, ond gwrthodais i, doedd e ddim i wedi bod yn ffotograffydd amatur ers union, the same pithead baths and even If this is what they had been an amateur photographer for yn apelio ata’ i. Roeddwn i’n arfer nhw am ein trin ni, rwy’n sawl blwyddyn, ac yn teimlo bod the same canteen. I can’t say that I knew a many years and I felt it was my duty to show think of us I am going chwarae rygbi, ac er bod gen i enw am mynd i’w gofnodi fe dyletswydd arna’i ddangos i’r cyhoedd lot about politics at the start of the strike the public what was actually going on. fod yn chwaraewr eithaf caled, roeddwn beth oedd yn digwydd mewn gwirionedd. except that our jobs were at stake and to record it I travelled around England for the first i’n heddychwr oddi ar y cae ac felly ddim Bues i’n teithio o amgylch Lloegr am there was no way that I was going to cross six months of the strike; the second six am bicedu. Un diwrnod, gofynnodd ni o amgylch Mansfield, ac aeth popeth chwe mis cynta’r streic; ac yna o gwmpas a picket line. I was asked to go picketing months was spent mainly in Wales. I cadeirydd y gyfrinfa os hoffen i fynd i yn iawn. Aethon ni i chwilio am bryd o Cymru’n bennaf am y chwe mis olaf. Yn on a few occasions but I said no, it just to the buses. From then everything went slowly but surely began to understand that Mansfield, Nottingham. “Fydd ’na ddim fwyd cyn mynd nôl i’r bws. Dyna pryd y raddol, deallais i fod hyn yn fwy na streic, wasn’t me. I used to play rugby and was downhill. We were in a café and saw this was not just any strike but a bid for trwbwl, dim ffwdan, dim ond diwrnod dechreuodd pethau fynd o chwith. ond yn frwydr i barhau er lles ein dyfodol regarded as quite aggressive on the pitch, hoards of police making their way to the survival, for our future and our children’s mas i’r teulu yn gwrando ar siaradwyr fel Roeddwn i yn y caffi pan welson ni griw a dyfodol ein plant. Fe dynnais i but off it I was a pacifist so I didn’t want town centre. “Trouble?” I asked the café future. I took many hundreds of photo- o heddlu’n mynd am ganol y dref. gannoedd o luniau. Gallwn i fod wedi to get involved. One day the lodge chair- owner, “Soon will be” he said, “I saw this graphs. I could have lost my job on at least “Trwbwl?” holais i. “Bydd, cyn bo hir” colli fy swydd o leiaf deirgwaith oni bai man asked me if I wanted to go to a rally last week; they will drag all the stragglers three occasions if I hadn’t had the support atebodd perchennog y caffi. “Fe welais i’r am gymorth fy Aelod Seneddol, Mr Allan in Mansfield, Nottingham. “There will be out of the pubs to justify them being here”. of my MP, Mr Allan Rogers, and my un peth yn digwydd yr wythnos Rogers, ac is-reolwr y gwaith golosg, no hassle, no trouble, just a family day out Within five minutes hundreds of min- under manager at the coke works, Gerry ddiwetha’; byddan nhw’n llusgo pobl mas Gerry Coles. Gallwn i fod wedi colli fy listening to speakers like Arthur Scargill, ers came running up the road to the buses Coles. I could have lost my family if I had- o’r tafarndai jyst er mwyn cyfiawnhau eu nheulu hefyd oni bai am gefnogaeth fy Tony Benn and Dennis Skinner. The bus followed by the police. What I saw in the n’t had the support of my wife, Kay. There bod nhw yma”. ngwraig, Kay. Rwy’n ddiolchgar dros ben is paid for so bring your camera and have next hour will live with me forever – min- are many other people that I am very Bum munud wedyn, roedd cannoedd i lawer o bobl eraill hefyd am eu cefnogaeth a nice day out”. “OK, I’m in” I said. ers being thrown against moving buses grateful to for their support and friendship o lowyr yn rhedeg lan yr hewl at y bysiau, a’u cyfeillgarwch yn ystod y deuddeg mis We had to take the back roads all the (including our bus), a little boy, about ten during those twelve months that changed a’r heddlu ar eu holau. Anghofia’i fyth a newidiodd fy mywyd am byth. way to Mansfield as we had been told that years old, clubbed on his head by a my life. beth welais i yn ystod yr awr nesaf – any buses carrying miners found on the mounted policeman. Stunned and glowyr yn cael eu gwthio yn erbyn bysiau Mike Thompson, motorways would be turned around. I shocked by all I was seeing, I finally re- Mike Thompson, oedd yn symud (gan gynnwys ein bws Gwaith Golosg Nantgarw thought that we would be the only ones membered my camera. I pulled it out and Nantgarw Coke Works

6 7 ANGHREDADWY! UNBELIEVABLE!

Pan ddechreuodd y streic, 1984, lladdwyd y gyrrwr tacsi David roeddwn i’n rheolwr ym Mhwll y Wilkie wrth iddo gludo glöwr i’r gwaith Cwm. Siom i fi yn bersonol oedd clywed yn Ynysowen. Roedd pethau wedi bod yn bod 26 o’r 28 pwll glo yn y de wedi weddol dawel yn y de tan hynny. Ar y pleidleisio’n unfrydol dros barhau i pryd, roedd y Bwrdd Glo’n credu fod weithio. Dim ond dau bwll oedd yn dynion yn y gymuned eisiau mynd nôl i’r erbyn, ac roedd hi’n drist iawn gweld yr gwaith, ond bod arnynt ofn. Fel rheolwyr holl byllau glo eraill ar gau oherwydd y pwll, cawsom ein cynghori i beidio â picedwyr y ddau bwll arall fore Llun. gwrthod unrhyw un oedd yn gofyn am A dweud y lleiaf, doedd agwedd y gael dod nôl. Dyma sut y dechreuodd y picedwyr a’m stopiodd i’r bore hwnnw ‘dychweledigion’ ddod nôl i’r pyllau. ddim yn neis. Eisteddodd rhai ohonyn Daeth chwe gweithiwr nôl i Bwll nhw ar fonet fy nghar, ac fe ges i air bach Ynysowen, ac roedd yna awyrgylch gyda nhw gan ddweud ’mod i’n mynd i’r annifyr bob tro y bydden nhw’n cyrraedd gwaith beth bynnag. Roedden nhw’n y gwaith. Allen ni mo’u rhwystro nhw, ddigon i godi ofn ar ddyn, oherwydd nid roedd ganddyn nhw berffaith hawl i ddod bechgyn y Cwm oedden nhw, ond nôl. Roedden nhw wedi pleidleisio o dieithriaid. ‘Bolshies’, dynion Scargill – blaid gweithio yn y lle cyntaf, ac yn roedden nhw’n eilunaddoli Arthur dadlau ei bod hi’n annemocrataidd Scargill. ceisio’u rhwystro nhw. Ond pan ddaethon Roeddwn i’n teimlo bod tactegau nhw’n ôl, fe gawson ni’n bygwth o bob Arthur Scargill yn anghywir o’r dechrau. cwr gyda rhybuddion fel “Fe dalwn ni’r Ni chafodd gefnogaeth ei weithlu ei hun pwyth nôl y diawled” ac “Fe gawn ni chi i alw streic, ac ni chawson nhw gyfle i pan ddown ni nôl, a gollwng bwa ar eich bleidleisio. Yn Nottingham er enghraifft, pen wrth i chi fynd heibio” ac ati. Wnes arhosodd yr holl byllau glo ar agor. Wn i i ddim cymryd llawer o sylw oherwydd ddim beth sydd ynghylch de Cymru, mae dim ond mynegi eu dicter oedden nhw; hi wedi ymfalchïo yn ei delwedd o fod yn roedden nhw’n rhwystredig dros ben, ac gadarnle i’r undebau llafur erioed – ond os oedd modd iddyn nhw’ch dychryn chi, mae’n flin gen i ddweud eu bod nhw yna dychryn amdani. wedi cymryd cam gwag y diwrnod Rhyw dasgau digon pitw gafodd y hwnnw. Hyd yn oed pe bai pob un o’r 26 gweithwyr a ddaeth nôl, a helpu staff pwll wedi pleidleisio dros y streic, personél y rheolwyr. Er enghraifft, fyddwn i ddim wedi cytuno â’r roedden ni’n gorfod symud y pympiau o penderfyniad, ond fe fydden nhw wedi amgylch y pwll oherwydd llifogydd. bod yn unedig o leiaf. Roedd y ffordd yr Roedd rhaid i ni ofyn am gymorth gan aethon nhw ati yn anghredadwy! mai dim ond llond llaw ohonom oedd yn Pe bai’r NUM wedi cydweithio mwy y pwll. Roeddwn i’n siomedig iawn gyda â’r NCB, byddai’r pyllau wedi aros ar NACODS (undeb swyddogion pyllau glo) agor yn hirach yn fy marn i. Pe bai oherwydd roedden nhw’n gwrthod rhagflaenydd Scargill, Joe Gormely, yn croesi’r llinell biced ond eto’n dal i fynnu dal wrthi, fe fyddai wedi trin pethau’n caelcyflog–ahydynoedpanoedden wahanol – ond doedd Scargill ddim o’r nhw yn y gwaith, roedden nhw’n un brethyn. Wrth siarad â ni ar y pryd, gwrthod gwneud dim am taw gwaith yr dywedodd Philip Weekes, Cyfarwyddwr NUM oedd hi. Bydden nhw’n siarad meysydd glo’r de y bydden ni’n difaru gyda’r dychweledigion ac yn rhyw fath o gadael i ddau bwll reoli’r sefyllfa yn y de. ochri gyda nhw yn eu cwmni, ond yn Doedd dim lle i ddemocratiaeth mwyach, dweud fel arall y tu ôl i’w cefnau. I mi, ac ni allai gredu beth oedd wedi digwydd. rhagrithwyr oedden nhw, a dim byd arall. Roedd e wedi meddwl y byddai pawb i Staff danddaear oedd y dych- Desmond Caddy yn archwilio When the strike started I was a on that Monday morning when all the spective of them. I felt a bit intimidated mewn, neu bawb allan, ond o’dd e’n weledigion i gyd, ac unwaith roedden ‘Ffas Lo 62’, Pwll y Cwm, manager at Cwm Colliery. My per- other collieries were stopped by pickets because they weren’t the lads from the methu’n lân â deall bod dau bwll yn gallu nhw wedi croesi’r llinell biced a mynd i yn ystod y streic sonal feelings about the strike were that I from these two pits. Cwm, they’d have been much, much bet- mynnu bod pawb yn mynd allan ar streic. lawr y pwll gyda swyddogion BACM Desmond Caddy examining was very saddened to think that there were The attitude of the pickets that ter, but these were strangers. They were Gadewais i Bwll y Cwm a dod yn (Cymdeithas Rheolwyr Glofeydd Prydain), ‘62 Coal Face’, Cwm Colliery, twenty-eight pits in the south Wales coal- stopped me that morning was not very bolshie, they were Scargill men – they ab- rheolwr Pwll Ynysowen ar 2 Hydref roedden nhw’n ddiogel. Roedd yr heddlu during the strike field and twenty-six of them voted unan- nice to say the least. They sat on my car solutely idolised Arthur Scargill. 1984. Ychydig wythnosau’n ddiweddarach, wrth law i ofalu ein bod ni’n cyrraedd y imously to stay in work. Only two pits and I said a few choice words to them to Personally I thought Arthur Scargill’s ar un diwrnod erchyll, 30 Tachwedd pwll yn ddiogel, a doedd hi ddim yn  were against working and it was very sad get off and that I was going to work irre- tactics were totally wrong from day one.

8 9 ANGHREDADWY! UNBELIEVABLE!

 beth anghyffredin gweld plismon am ond dilyn eu harweinwyr oedden nhw! eu galw’n fradwyr. Yn anffodus,  He didn’t have the backing of his own and, if they could upset you, upset you still called scabs. Unfortunately, they will bedwar o’r gloch y bore, neu sathru ar Rwy’n credu bod Neil Kinnock wedi anghofian nhw fyth mo hynny. labour force to call a strike, didn’t give they would. never, ever, be forgotten. droed un o g∑n yr heddlu. Roedd taro’r hoelen ar ei phen wrth ddweud bod Ailagorodd Pwll Ynysowen ar fore them the opportunity to vote. In The returnees did menial tasks and Merthyr Vale came back to work on hynny’n ddigon i godi ofn, am nad yr NUM yn ei atgoffa o lewod yn cael eu Llun y 5 neu 12 Mawrth 1985, a’r peth Nottingham for example, all the pits assisted management personnel, for ex- the Monday morning of the 5th or the oedden nhw wedi cael bwyd ers pymtheg harwain gan fulod. Roedden nhw’n bobl cyntaf ddywedodd y gyfrinfa wrthyf oedd stayed in work. I don’t know what it is ample, when we had to move pumps 12th I think of March 1985 and the first awr, ac ro’n i wedi clywed pob math o dda fel unigolion, ond roedden nhw wedi “Dy’n ni ddim am weithio gyda’r about south Wales but it has always had around the pit because of flooding. We thing the lodge said to me was “We’re not straeon! Er bod yr heddlu ar ddyletswydd dilyn y bobl anghywir. Er hynny, fe bradwyr yna”, a dywedais i, “Wel, dwi’n this sort of strong image of being true had to ask them to give us a hand because working with those scabs”, and I said ym mhob pwll, ni chawson ni fentrodd nifer fach i’r gwaith. Fe gadwes flin, ond bydd y dychweledigion yn trade unionists but I’m afraid to say that there was only a hand full of us at each pit “Well I’m sorry but those returnees shall drafferthion tebyg i’r rhai yn Lloegr. gweithio, hoffwch e neu beidio”. Aeth they let themselves down that day. If the and we needed every pair of hands we be working whether you like it or no” and Roedd y naill ochr a’r llall yn ymddwyn Dy’n ni ddim am weithio pawb i lawr i’r pwll ac i’r lamprwm, a twenty-six pits had all voted to come out could get. I was very disappointed with they all went down to the pit and they yn well o lawer yma. Cymry oedd llawer gyda’r bradwyr yna dywedodd yr oferman wrtha i “Bos, I still wouldn’t have agreed with the deci- NACODS (the colliery officials union)be- went to the lamp locking stations and the o’r heddlu, a llawer ohonynt o gefndir mae’r bois yn gwrthod gweithio gyda’r sion, but at least they would have been cause they wouldn’t cross a picket line but overman came on to me and said “Boss glofaol, felly roedden nhw’n tueddu i dychweledigion”. Atebais i “Fe gewn nhw unified. The way they actually went about still wanted to get paid and when they these lads are not going to work with these gydymdeimlo’n fwy â ni. i mewn cysylltiad â chriw Pwll y Cwm, a bummunudinewideumeddyliau”a it was unbelievable. were actually in work they still wouldn’t returnees”. I said “I’ll give them five min- Roedd hi fel ffair erbyn y gaeaf. deall fod rhai o’r bois a aeth nôl wedi cael gofynnodd ysgrifennydd undeb y gyfrinfa I think that if the NUM had worked do a thing because they would be doing utes to make up their mind” and the Wrth siarad â phobl yn unigol, doedd amser ofnadwy ar ôl y streic. Mae hanes i mi “Dy’ch chi ddim yn mynd i’w with the NCB a lot more pits would have NUM work. They would speak to the re- union lodge secretary said to me “You’re llawer ohonyn nhw ddim yn gwybod yn dangos fod dychweledigion y 1980au hanfon nhw gartref ydych chi?” stayed open longer. If Scargill’s predeces- turnees and sort of sided with them when not going to send them home are you?” I pam eu bod nhw ar streic mwyach – dim a bradwyr 1926 a’r 1930au yn dal i gael Dywedais i “Os na fyddan nhw’n sor Joe Gormely was still in post things they were in their company, but when said “If they don’t go to work I’ve got no gweithio, does dim dewis ’da fi.” would have been handled differently – they were away from them they would say alternative.” Anfonais i bawb gartref. Wedyn Scargill wasn’t fit to lick his boots. Philip the opposite. To me they were hypocrites, I sent them all home. They came daethon nhw’n ôl ata i gan ddweud eu Weekes, the Director of the south Wales full stop. back to me then and said that they wanted bod nhw eisiau gweithio, ac fe ddwedais coalfield spoke to us at the time saying to work, and I said “Well you will work i “Wel, byddwch chi’n gweithio dan yr that we would rue the day that two pits We’re not working with under the conditions that I stated this amodau y soniais amdanyn nhw’r bore called the tune in south Wales. morning, the returnees deserve the right ’ma, sef bod gan y dychweledigion yr Democracy had gone out of the window those scabs to work in this mine. As long as you ac- hawl i weithio yn y pwll ’ma. Cyn belled and he couldn’t believe what had hap- cept that you can return, if you don’t ac- â’ch bod chi’n derbyn hynny, iawn. Os pened. He thought that the pits would The returnees that came back were all cept that, if you expect me to keep these nad ydych chi’n derbyn hynny, ac os have either been all out or all in – but for underground personnel and once they got six returnees out of the pit then you’ve got ydych chi’n disgwyl i mi gadw’r chwech two pits to call everybody out, he just past the pickets it was a matter of going another thing coming”. And they worked draw o’r pwll, meddyliwch eto”. Ac fe couldn’t handle it. down the pit with BACM (British with them. But whilst they were on the wnaeth y bois gydweithio. Ond cawson I left the Cwm and became manager Association of Colliery Managers) officials coal face they were treated something ter- nhw eu trin fel baw ar y ffas lo. Er of Merthyr Vale Colliery on 2 October and the minute they were down the pit rible. For example, if they wanted supplies enghraifft, os oedden nhw’n gofyn i’r 1984. Just a few weeks later was that ter- they were safe. The police were on hand to to put the timber over their roof supports staff cyflenwi am goed i ddal y to uwch rible day of 30 November 1984 when the ensure our safe arrival at the colliery and it they wouldn’t give them any, they would eu pennau, bydden nhw’n gwrthod – gan taxi driver David Wilkie was killed bring- was nothing to come across a bobby at be taken them off the conveyor before dynnu’r coed o’r cludfelt cyn iddo ing a miner to work at Merthyr Vale. It four o’clock in the morning or step on a they reached them so they wouldn’t have gyrraedd atynt. Doedd hynny ddim yn had been relatively quiet in south Wales police dog’s foot. That was scary in itself any roof support. That was not conducive cyd-fynd ag arferion gweithio diogel, ac up to then. At that time the National Coal as they hadn’t been fed for fifteen hours to safe mining so we stopped that a bit fe wnaethon ni roi stop ar hynny ar Board believed there were men in the and I was told where they go to pull you sharp! unwaith! community who wanted to come back to down! There was police presence at every Eventually things settled down but Daeth pethau’n ôl i drefn yn y man, work but were afraid to do so. As colliery pit but we didn’t have the sort of trouble the men weren’t at all positive about their ond doedd gan y dynion ddim ffydd yn y management we were advised that if any you had up in England. Both sides be- future and apathy started to creep in. I left dyfodol, a datblygodd rhyw hen deimlad miner came to the colliery and asked to haved a lot better. The fact that the police Merthyr Vale in 1985 and went to o ddifaterwch. Gadewais i Ynysowen ym return to work we were not to turn him were Welsh, often from mining stock, Oakdale Colliery. Cwm Colliery closed in 1985 a symud i weithio yn Oakdale. away. This is how the ‘returnees’, as they made them more sympathetic. 1986 and Merthyr Vale in 1989. During Caeodd Pwll y Cwm ym 1986, a Phwll were then called by the NCB started to Towards the winter things did get a the last few months of the strike, I think Ynysowen ym 1989. Rwy’n credu bod come back to the pits. bit more hectic. A lot of people you spoke that the NUM Executive in south Wales Swyddogion Gweithredol yr NUM yn y We received six in Merthyr Vale and to individually didn’t really know why realised, particularly after the death of de yn amau bod y sgrifen ar y mur yn it was horrendous on the days that they they were out on strike – they were just David Wilkie, the taxi driver, that the ystod misoedd ola’r streic, yn enwedig ar came in to work. We couldn’t stop them following their leaders! I think that Neil writing was on the wall. The 30 ôl marwolaeth David Wilkie. Rwy’n coming in as they had every right to come Kinnock summed it when he said that the November tragedy gave Mrs Thatcher, credu bod trasiedi 30 Tachwedd wedi to work. They had voted to work origi- NUM reminded him of ‘lions being led ‘the Iron Lady’, all the ammunition she rhoi hwb o’r newydd i Mrs Thatcher nally and they reasoned that it was unde- by donkeys’. They were good people in- needed. She had the courage of her con- hefyd. Roedd hi’n barod i sefyll dros ei mocratic to try and stop them. But when dividually but they had followed the victions, which many of her male col- hegwyddorion, yn wahanol i lawer o’i they came to work we were threatened in wrong people. However, a very small leagues didn’t have. I’m not a Tory man chyfoedion gwrywaidd. Dwi ddim yn all manners. It was “We’ll get you, you so number of people did dare to return. I but I admired the way she handled the Dori o bell ffordd, ond roeddwn i’n and so!” and “We’ll get you when we get kept in touch with Cwm and heard that a whole thing. edmygu sut lwyddodd hi i reoli’r cyfan. back in work, drop an arch on you when couple of lads that went back there had a you’re passing” and so on. I didn’t take horrific time after the strike. Historically Desmond Caddy, Desmond Caddy, too much notice as they were just venting you’ll find that the returnees of the 1980s Cwm and Merthyr Vale Collieries Pwll y Cwm a Phwll Ynysowen their feelings; they were very frustrated and the scabs of 1926 and the 1930s are

10 11 BRWYDR ARWROL AN EPIC STRUGGLE

Dechreuodd y streic yng a’r sefyllfa ym mhyllau glo eraill y cwm, weithio a gweld sut byddai pethau’n The strike began in the spring of million miles away from some of the val- over the closure of Cortonwood Colliery ngwanwyn 1984. Doedd Cyfrinfa lle’r oedd y gweithlu’n adnabod ei gilydd datblygu. Y bore canlynol, roedd llinell 1984. The Cynheidre NUM Lodge was ley’s other mines where the workforce in Yorkshire there were many dissenting Undeb y Glowyr yng Nghynheidre ddim yn dda a phawb yn dod o’r un filltir biced y tu allan i Bwll Cynheidre a’r streic ill-prepared for such an epic struggle. A were well known to each other and all voices at Cynheidre. A pithead meeting yn barod am frwydr mor fawr. Roedd sgwâr. Roedd ysbryd cymunedol wedi cychwyn. Er gwaetha’r honiadau, number of key lodge officials had either came from a catchment area a few miles was convened and voted to continue llawer o swyddogion allweddol y gyfrinfa Cynheidre ar goll. doedd gan neb o’r undeb unrhyw syniad left the industry on retirement or been from the pit. Community spirit at working and await developments. The fol- wedi ymddeol o’r diwydiant neu wedi Ychydig flynyddoedd ynghynt, roedd beth oedd o’u blaenau. Roeddem ni ar y voted off the Lodge at the start of the year. Cynheidre was in short supply. lowing morning there was a picket line colli eu lle yn y Gyfrinfa ddechrau’r Undeb y Glowyr De Cymru wedi chwith yn honni taw’r Llywodraeth This loss of experience at such a time cer- A couple of years previously, the outside the pit and Cynheidre was on flwyddyn. Heb os, cafodd colli dynion gweithredu’n ddiwydiannol yn erbyn Geidwadol oedd wedi cyffroi’r gweithwyr tainly had an effect upon the way the South Wales Area NUM had taken in- strike. Despite what has been claimed, no mor brofiadol effaith ddifrifol ar ein bygythiad i gau Pwll T¥ Mawr/Lewis i streicio. Ond doedden nhw ddim callach strike was handled in the valley, particu- dustrial action over the closure threat to one on the union side had the faintest idea hymateb i’r streic yn y cwm, yn enwedig Merthyr yng Nghwm Rhondda. Ni na ni o ran beth fyddai penllanw eu larly in the early days of the dispute. the Ty Mawr/Lewis Merthyr Colliery in what lay ahead. We on the left would yn y dyddiau cynnar. Roedd ambell un chafwyd fawr ddim cefnogaeth gan byllau penderfyniadau i’r diwydiant ac i’r wlad i Certain individuals were bitter at their the Rhondda Valley. Support from the claim that the Tory Government pro- yn teimlo’n chwerw ar ôl colli grym, a glo Lloegr, heblaw am un pwll bach yng gyd am hynny. ejection from office and without doubt English coalfields had not been over- voked the strike. However, I believe that ’sdim dwywaith mai dyna sbardunodd yr Nghaint chwarae teg. Felly, pan ddaeth Wrth i’r wythnosau droi’n fisoedd, therein lay the seeds of the back to work whelming, with the honourable exception they had no more idea than we did where ymgyrch i ddychwelyd i’r gwaith yn yr alwad am weithredu diwydiannol dros trodd pethau’n fwyfwy chwerw a movement which took a grip in the of the tiny Kent coalfield. Therefore, their actions would lead the industry and, ystod y misoedd nesaf. Roedd sefyllfa’r gau Pwll Cortonwood yn Swydd Efrog, chefnodd pobl ar y gyfraith i bob pwrpas. months to come. The manpower at when the call came for industrial action indeed, the entire country. gweithlu yng Nghynheidre’n gymhleth roedd llawer o lowyr Cynheidre’n anfod- Gwelwyd yr heddlu’n hebrwng lorïau o Cynheidre Colliery also had a complex As the weeks turned into months, hefyd, gan fod bechgyn Morlais, Brynlliw lon dros ben. Cynhaliwyd cyfarfod pen harbwr d∑r dwfn Port Talbot i fyny’r composition. Workers from Morlais, things got increasingly bitter and the ‘Rule a Chwmgwili wedi symud i weithio i’r pwll, a phleidleisiodd pawb dros barhau i M4 i fynd â glo i waith dur Llan-wern. Brynlliw and Cwmgwili had all ended up of Law’ was effectively suspended. We had pwll. Doedd y gweithwyr ddim yn nabod Roedd llawer o’r lorïau hyn wedi dod yn at the pit and the workforce had yet to gel; the spectacle of the police force escorting ei gilydd yn dda a phawb yn ddieithr i syth o chwareli a safleoedd glo brig heb many of the workers were literally un- lorries from the deep water harbour at bob pwrpas. ddisg treth, yswiriant na thystysgrif known to each other. Port Talbot up the M4 to keep Llanwern Roedd y gweithlu’n hanu o lefydd MOT! Roedd yr heddlu’n stopio dynion The workforce came from as far a Steel Works supplied with coal. Many of mor bell â Llanpumsaint, Port Einion ar ar y briffordd ac yn eu rhwystro rhag field as Llanpumsaint to Port Eynon on the lorries had been taken straight from Benrhyn G∑yr, Caerfyrddin ac Abertawe! teithio i’r llinellau piced. Weithiau, roedd the Gower or Carmarthen to Swansea! It quarries or opencast sites and had no tax, Doedd 40% o’r gweithlu ddim yn gallu hi’n teimlo fel petai’r wladwriaeth yn would be fair to say that 40 per cent of the insurance or MOT certificates! Men were siarad Cymraeg mwyach, sef iaith rhyfela yn erbyn yr undeb. Ni oedd ‘y workforce no longer spoke the traditional stopped on the public highway and pre- draddodiadol Cwm Gwendraeth. Roedd gelyn mewnol’. Welsh language of the Gwendraeth vented from travelling to picket lines. At byd o wahaniaeth rhwng Pwll Cynheidre Aeth y gwragedd ati i sefydlu  Valley. The situation at Cynheidre was a times, it was felt that the state was at 

12 13 BRWYDR ARWROL 'Portread o bicedwr' 'Portrait of a picket' Dorothea Heath grwpiau cymorth, gan greu canolbwynt gweithwyr writ yn erbyn yr undeb yn yr pechu. Un peth am y dynion hyn – i’r gymuned gyfan. Datblygodd y peth yn Uchel Lys er mwyn atal picedu ar raddfa roedden nhw wedi bod ar streic am wyth ddiwydiant cartref o’r iawn ryw. fawr ym Mhwll Cynheidre a phyllau glo mis, ac ni effeithiodd eu penderfyniad Sefydlwyd canolfannau dosbarthu bwyd, eraill. nhw ar ganlyniad y streic yn y pen-draw, a dosbarthwyd parseli bwyd – oedd yn Un peth diddorol am y rhan fwyaf o yng nghanolbarth Lloegr y collwyd y dipyn o gamp o ystyried safle daearyddol bobl a groesodd y llinell biced neu a dydd. Ond bydd y teimladau chwerw Cynheidre a’r ffaith nad oedd unrhyw lofnododd y gwrit yn erbyn yr undeb, rhwng y dynion aeth nôl i’r gwaith a beth tebyg wedi digwydd ers streic 1926. oedd na wnaethon nhw weithio’r un gweddill y gweithlu yn para am byth – Heblaw am ymdrechion y gwragedd, shifft arall ar ôl i bawb arall ddychwelyd chwalwyd sawl priodas a chyfeill-garwch byddai’r dynion wedi gorfod dychwelyd i i’r gwaith. Fe gymron nhw daliadau oes. weithio dan lwgu – does dim dwywaith diswyddo yn lle. Rhygnodd y diwydiant ymlaen am am hynny. rai blynyddoedd, ond fe gaeodd y pyllau Dechreuodd y Llywodraeth ddefnyddio Yr unig beth wnaeth y fesul un. Buddsoddwyd £30 miliwn i pob math o driciau i gael y dynion nôl i’r ddatblygu gwythïen Carwe Fawr yng gwaith. Crëwyd ymgyrch ‘nôl i’r gwaith’ dynion a groesodd y Nghynheidre, ond ym 1989 caeodd Glo gydag un o gyn-swyddogion cyfrinfa llinellau piced oedd Prydain y pwll heb i’r wythïen Cynheidre yn rhan allweddol ohoni. gynhyrchu’r un talp o lo! Dyna chi ffordd Erbyn Hydref 1984, roedden nhw’n loetran ar wyneb y pwll o redeg diwydiant! teimlo’n ddigon cryf i geisio ‘mynd nôl drwy’r dydd! Mae’r gweddill yn hen hanes. i’r gwaith’. Aeth rhyw ugain nôl i’r Rhywle ar silffoedd di-ben-draw’r gwaith yng Nghynheidre. Mae beth Ni chloddiwyd yr un darn o lo ym Archifau yn Kew, mae papurau’r ddigwyddodd wedyn yn anodd iawn i’w Mhwll Cynheidre nac yn unlle arall ym llywodraeth a fydd, rhyw ddiwrnod, yn gredu. Daeth heddlu o bob man i sicrhau maes glo’r de adeg y streic. Yr unig beth dangos pa mor agos y daeth Undeb y bod llond llaw o weithwyr yn llwyddo i wnaeth y dynion a groesodd y llinellau Glowyr i drechu’r Llywodraeth Dorïaidd. fynd nôl i’r pwll. Hawliwyd parc gwyliau piced oedd loetran ar wyneb y pwll Hon oedd brwydr fawr ola’r dosbarth ar lan y môr fel llety i’r heddlu oedd wedi drwy’r dydd! Doedd neb yn gallu gwneud gwaith yn yr ugeinfed ganrif. teithio o bell, a hynny o boced y dim, roedd rhaid i reolwyr y pwll lleol trethdalwyr. Yna, cyflwynodd rhai o’r adael llonydd iddyn nhw a pheidio â’u Phil Cullen, Pwll Cynheidre

AN EPIC STRUGGLE

 war with the union. We were branded uisitioned and police officers from distant men who did return to work had been on the ‘enemy within’. locations were accommodated there, all at strike for eight months and their return Women’s support groups were tax payers’ expense. Some of these men had no bearing on the outcome of the formed and provided a focal point to the who returned to work then issued a writ strike, the dispute being lost in the English whole community. It turned into a cot- in the High Court against the union to Midlands. The bitterness between some of tage industry in its own right. Food dis- prevent the mass picketing at Cynheidre the men who returned to work and the tribution centres were established and and other mines. rest of the workforce will never be recon- food parcels distributed. Given the geo- ciled – marriages were broken and friend- graphical position of Cynheidre Colliery The men who crossed ships forgotten. this was no easy feat as nothing had been the picket lines just The industry staggered on for a few seen on this sort of scale since the 1926 years but one by one, the mines closed. strike. There can be no doubt that the sataroundonthe Cynheidre got its thirty million-pound men would have been starved back to surface all day! development of the Carway Fawr seam, work without the efforts of the women. however, the mine was closed by British The Government began using every Interestingly, most of the men who Coal in 1989 and the Carway Fawr sealed trick in the book to get the men back to crossed the picket lines or signed the writ without ever producing a single lump of work. A back to work campaign was against the union did not work a single coal. What a way to run an industry! formed with a former official on the shift after the rest of us returned to work, The rest as they say is history. Cynheidre lodge playing a prominent taking redundancy. Somewhere within the miles of shelving at role. By October of 1984, they felt strong No coal was mined at Cynheidre or the National Archives in Kew are the gov- enough to try a ‘return to work’. A group anywhereelseinthesouthWalescoalfield ernment papers that will one day prove how of nearly twenty men returned to work at during the strike. The men who crossed close the National Union of Mineworkers Cynheidre. There followed scenes which the picket lines just sat around on the sur- came to defeating the Tory Government. had to be witnessed to be believed. Police face all day! They were untouchable, local It proved to be the last great working-class were brought from all over the place to en- colliery management were told to leave struggle of the twentieth century. sure that this handful of men got into them well alone and they were not to be work. A holiday park on the coast was req- upset in any way. It must be said that the Phil Cullen, Cynheidre Colliery

14 15 A TITHAU’N FRAWD I MINNAU…

Picedwyr Pwll Penallta yn Nhrawsfynydd, 1984 Penallta Colliery pickets at Trawsfynydd, 1984 Dorothea Heath

COURAGE AND COMRADESHIP

16 17 A TITHAU’N FRAWD I MINNAU… COURAGE AND COMRADESHIP

Gorymdeithio trwy Flaenau Ffestiniog, 1984 March through Blaenau Ffestiniog, 1984 Dorothea Heath Graffiti’r picedwyr ar wal yn Llanberis Pickets' graffiti on wall in Llanberis Dorothea Heath

Roedden ni’n gweithio i’r Guardian gaeaf mor oer fel bod angen gwisgo dillad ac fel aelodau o Undeb Cenedlaethol y During the miners’ strike we were trance to Trawsfynydd nuclear power sta- Both The Guardian and The Observer a’r Observer yn ystod streic y ychwanegol i gadw oerfel y Moelwyn Newyddiadurwyr, roedden ni’n dilyn cod working for The Guardian and The tion. The winter was so cold that extra lay- have the reputation of being fair and ob- glowyr, ac yn treulio amser yn draw. Daeth picedwyr Blaenserchan i ymddygiad a anwybyddwyd gan y Observer and spent time on ers of clothing were needed to keep out jective and, as members of the National sgwrsio â’r glowyr a’u harweinwyr sylw’r wasg pan orweddodd dwsin cyhoeddiadau oedd yn erbyn yr undebau picket lines talking to both miners the chill of the Moelwyn mountains. Union of Journalists, we followed a code ar y llinellau piced. Roedden ni’n byw ohonyn nhw o flaen trên oedd i fod i llafur. Fe geisiodd rhai papurau newydd and miners’ leaders. We were living Blaenserchan pickets hit the headlines of conduct that seemed to elude the anti- ym Mlaenau Ffestiniog ar y pryd, ac gasglu gwastraff niwclear o Drawsfynydd. fel y Sun,yDaily Mail a’r Daily Express, in Blaenau Ffestiniog at the time and min- when half a dozen of them lay down in trade union publications. There were at- roedd dynion o’r de yn dod i fyny’n aml Gwrthododd gyrrwr y trên, aelod o wfftio pryderon y glowyr am ddyfodol eu ers from south Wales came up regularly to front of a train sent to collect nuclear tempts in several newspapers, such as The i bicedu y tu allan i orsaf niwclear undeb ASLEF, groesi’r llinell biced. Bu’n diwydiant a’u cymunedau. Y noson cyn i picket the Trawsfynydd nuclear power waste from Trawsfynydd. The train Sun, Daily Mail and Daily Express,torub- Trawsfynydd. Roedd dynion o byllau’r lowyr y Maerdy ddychwelyd i’w gwaith station. Men from Tower, Penallta, bish the miners’ concerns for the future of T∑r, Penallta, Blaen-nant a Blaenserchan Ym mhob man, roedd yna ym Mawrth 1985, roedden ni yn Sefydliad Blaenant and Blaenserchan Collieries were Everywhere there was their industry and their communities. The ymhlith y rhai a deithiodd 180 milltir o’r deimlad arbennig o gymuned y Glowyr yn y Maerdy yn siarad â’r dynion among those who made the 180-mile that spirit of community night before Maerdy Colliery returned to cymoedd. Cawson nhw groeso mawr ar oedd yn paratoi ar gyfer yr orymdaith journey from the Valleys. They found and dedication that work in March 1985 we were in Maerdy sawl aelwyd, a byddai cryn dipyn o sgwrsio ac ymroddiad sy’n anodd i fyny’r cwm i’r pwll. Disgynnodd hospitality in many homes and animated Workmen’s Institute talking to men who diddan tan yr oriau mân. Ffurfiwyd sawl nodweddiadol o’r ardaloedd newyddiadurwyr Llundain fel cawod ar y conversation would continue late into the defines mining areas were preparing for the traumatic march cyfeillgarwch oes. Fel newyddiadurwyr, glofaol fel rhimyn o oleuni lle, yn barod i ysgrifennu am lowyr night. Friendships that have lasted to this as bastions of hope up the valley to the colliery. Journalists buom yn ymweld â sawl pwll fel St John’s, wedi’u ‘trechu’. Ceisiodd ambell i ‘hac’ day were formed. Our work as journalists in a world of doubt and from London had descended on the coal- Maesteg, y Maerdy yng nghwm Rhondda mewn byd drwgdybus fynd i mewn i Sefydliad y Glowyr, ond took us to collieries such as St John’s, field and were preparing to write of the yn ogystal â’r Parlwr Du, un o’r ddau bwll a hunanol fu’r glowyr ddim yn hir yn dweud wrthyn Maesteg and Maerdy in the Rhondda as self interest miners’ ‘defeat’. Several of these attempted olaf yn y gogledd. Ym mhob man, roedd nhw ble i fynd. well as Point of Ayr, one of the two re- to enter the Institute but were told by the yna deimlad arbennig o gymuned ac rhaid i’r trên aros am oriau cyn dod o hyd Y bore wedyn, roedd golygfeydd maining collieries in north Wales. driver, a member of ASLEF, refused to miners, in no uncertain terms, to “shove off!” ymroddiad sy’n nodweddiadol o’r i yrrwr arall, a galwyd yr heddlu. Aeth emosiynol iawn ym Mhwll y Maerdy. Everywhere there was that spirit of com- cross the picket line. The train was de- The next morning there were emo- ardaloedd glofaol fel rhimyn o oleuni glowyr Penallta ati i naddu eu henwau ar Roedd ffotograffydd un o bapurau tabloid munity and dedication that defines min- layed for several hours before a replace- tional scenes at the Maerdy pithead. A mewn byd drwgdybus a hunanol. lechfaen ym Mlaenau Ffestiniog, a phan Llundain yn awyddus i gael llun o wynebau ing areas as bastions of hope in a world of ment driver could be found and the police photographer from a London tabloid was Roedd haf 1984 yn un cynnes – mor ddaeth y streic i ben, fe wnaeth pawb dagreuol a siomedig y menywod a’r doubt and self interest. brought in. Penallta miners carved their intent on capturing an image of a group gynnes fod picedwyr Penallta wedi diosg gyfnewid cofroddion. cefnogwyr oedd wedi dod o Rydychen, er The summer of 1984 was hot – so names on a slate slab in Blaenau Ffestiniog of women supporters from Oxford ‘crying eu crysau i chwarae criced ger mynedfa Mae’r Guardian a’r Observer yn mai dagrau o falchder ar ddiwedd brwydr hot that pickets from Penallta played and, when the strike ended, mementos in defeat’ although they were actually gorsaf niwclear Trawsfynydd. Roedd y adnabyddus am fod yn wrthrychol a theg, fawr oedden nhw mewn gwirionedd.  cricket stripped to the waist at the en- were exchanged. weeping openly with pride at the end 

18 19  Trwy lwc, llwyddodd ffotograffydd y dros well cyflogau ac amodau gwaith. Yr Chwith: Casglu arian y tu allan i  of an epic struggle. By some chance a wages and conditions. They were opposed Left: Collecting money Guardian i ‘lithro’ o flaen y camera a un hen stori oedd hi, gyda’r gweithwyr siop y Co-op Maesteg photographer working for The Guardian by a similar hard-nosed management and outside Maesteg Co-op difetha’r llun! Gydol y streic, ceisiodd y yn dioddef caledi tebyg ac agwedd styfnig Uchod de: Arthur Scargill yng ‘slipped’ and got in the way! During the suffered similar hardships. Minibuses from Above right: Arthur Scargill ddau ohonom gyflwyno darlun cywir o’r eu rheolwyr. Daeth bysiau mini’n cludo nghwm Rhondda, 1984 strike we both tried to present the truth the Valleys arrived with food. At in the Rhondda, 1984 isod de: Gorymdeithio trwy Below right: March through hanes yr oedd carfanau eraill o’r wasg yn bwyd o’r cymoedd. Ac amser Nadolig, during a passage of history that some in Christmas there was a party and presents Flaenau Ffestiniog, 1984 Blaenau Ffestiniog, benderfynol o’i gamliwio. Rydyn ni’n trefnodd cymunedau glo’r de barti ac Dorothea Heath the press were intent on distorting. We for the strikers’ children from south Wales 1984 credu bod gan y wasg ddyletswydd i anrhegion i blant y streicwyr. Dyna i chi both have the belief that the press has an mining communities. Such is the solidar- Dorothea Heath edrych, gwrando, pwyso a mesur a enghraifft o frawdgarwch pobl sy’n obligation to look, listen, evaluate and try ity of those who share a common bond. chyfleu’r gwirionedd. rhannu’r un ddelfryd. to ensure that the truth is actually told. Y flwyddyn ganlynol, ym 1986, bu The following year, 1986, saw Blaenau Tony and Dorothea Heath, chwarelwyr Blaenau Ffestiniog yn streicio Tony a Dorothea Heath, Y Gelli Gandryll Ffestiniog quarry workers striking for better HayonWye

20 21 Binny Jones, Blaenau Ffestiniog, 1984 Binny Jones of Blaenau Ffestiniog, 1984 Dorothea Heath BLYDI GLOWYR!

Roeddwn i’n byw ac yn gweithio ‘Babi’r streic’ – Janet a’i mab David yng ngorllewin Llundain yn ystod ‘The strike baby’ – Janet with baby David streic glowyr 1972. Roeddwn i yn fy arddegau hwyr ac yn mwynhau noson mas gyda ffrindiau. Fe benderfynon ni fynd i’r sinema, ond hanner ffordd drwy’r ffilm, aeth hi’n dywyll. Roedd y cyflenwad trydan wedi methu, ac roedd rhaid i bawb adael y sinema gan nad oedd neb yn gwybod pryd câi’r cyflenwad ei adfer. Rwy’n cofio meddwl ar y pryd “Blydi glowyr! Beth sy’n bod arnyn nhw, d’yn nhw ddim yn sylweddoli eu bod nhw’n difetha bywydau pobl eraill?” Doedd gen i ddim syniad bryd hynny y byddwn i’n priodi glöwr, yn symud i fyw mewn pentref bach yng Nghymru, ac yn rhan o streic a fyddai’n para blwyddyn. Roedd David a fi wedi bod yn briod ers 11 mlynedd pan ddechreuodd streic 1984. Roedd ein dau fab, Ian a Neil, yn yr ysgol gynradd. Roedden ni’n gwybod bod streic ar y gweill ac wedi cynllunio ymlaen. Fe brynon ni rewgell a’i llenwi i’r ymylon cyn dechrau’r streic. Roedd hynny’n help mawr. Doedd hi ddim yn hawdd byw ar fudd-dal o £16 yr wythnos, ond dysgais sut i fod yn  BLOODY MINERS!

During the 1972 miners’ strike I eleven years when the 1984 strike was de- boards, no more chocolate biscuits, crisps was living and working in west clared. We had two sons, Ian and Neil, and sweets. Our family members who London. I was in my late teens and on who were both in primary school. We were not involved in the strike were very a night out with some friends. We had de- knew the strike was coming and we had supportive and helped us as much as they cided to go to the cinema and halfway planned ahead, we purchased a chest could. There were other miners who were through the film all the lights went out. freezer and by the time the strike came we not so lucky. The single miners had no We were informed that there had been a had managed to fill it to capacity. This money coming in whatsoever and they power cut and we would have to leave the helped us enormously. It was not easy try- were really struggling. cinema, as they had no idea when the ing to manage on £16 per week benefit It was at this time that my friend Kay power would be restored. I remember at from the state, but it taught me how to be Bowen, whose husband Phil was the the time thinking “Bloody miners! Why resourceful in the kitchen and I soon Blaenant Colliery Lodge Chairman, con- don’t they go back to work, do they realise learned how many meals you could make tacted me to ask if I would be prepared to what they are doing to other people’s out of a tin of corned beef, and to make a help with a support group to help feed the lives?” I had no idea then that I would chicken last for three meals, roast one day, single miners. Following several meetings marry a Welsh miner, move to a small vil- curry the next and then boil the carcass for a committee was formed and the Dulais lage in Wales and become involved in a chicken stew. We had to cut out any lux- Valley Miners Support Group developed. strike that would last for over a year. ury items and the children soon found the We had enormous support from the com- David and I had been married for difference in the supplies in our cup- munity and other unions and soon 

22 23 BLYDI GLOWYR! BLOODY MINERS!

 ddyfeisgar yn y gegin – sawl pryd o am ychydig geiniogau'r un, ac yn Bob dydd, roedd y newyddion yn dangos  cash and supplies were coming in. We fwyd gawn i o dun o gornbiff, sut i defnyddio’r elw wedyn i brynu mwy o glowyr yn gwrthdaro â’r heddlu ar y set up a distribution service and purchased wneud tri phryd o un cyw iâr trwy ei bethau ar gyfer y parseli bwyd. llinell biced. Fe welson ni lowyr wedi’u food with the financial donations re- rostio un diwrnod, gwneud cyrri’r Erbyn hyn, roeddwn i’n feichiog eto. hanafu gan bastynau’r heddlu wrth ceived. To begin with the food parcels diwrnod wedyn, ac yna berwi’r carcas i Fe brynais i fy nillad mamolaeth i gyd o geisio amddiffyn eu swyddi a gwella’u were given only to single miners, but wneud stiw. Bu rhaid i ni roi’r gorau i siop ddillad y Gr∑p Cymorth. Roedd hamodau byw. Doedd Banwen, ein eventually the donations became so gen- brynu danteithion, a chyn hir, fe welodd rhai ohonyn nhw’n ddillad designer,a pentref ni, ddim byd tebyg i hynny diolch erous that we were able to supply food y bechgyn wahaniaeth yng nghynnwys y fyddwn i byth wedi gallu eu fforddio nhw i’r drefn. parcels to all the miners in our area who cypyrddau – dim bisgedi siocled, dim cyn y streic. Cafodd David, fy nhrydydd Pan ddaeth y streic i ben, penderfyn- were on strike. creision a dim losin. Roedd aelodau eraill mab, ei eni yn Ysbyty Cyffredinol odd y menywod nad oedden ni am Tuesday morning we would go to y teulu’n gefnogol dros ben, ac yn Castell-nedd yn Ionawr 1985. Roedd ddychwelyd i fod yn wragedd t¥. Swansea and purchase basic items for each gwneud eu gorau glas i’n helpu ni. dwy wraig arall i lowyr yn rhannu’r un Cynhaliwyd cyfarfodydd yng nghartrefi parcel, i.e. bread, milk, potatoes, eggs, Doedd eraill ddim mor lwcus. Doedd y ward â mi, ac fe’i hailfedyddiwyd yn pobl, a sefydlwyd gweithdai D.O.V.E vegetables, corned beef, tea, sugar etc. glowyr dibriod ddim yn ennill dim, ac ‘Arthur Scargill Suite’ gan y nyrsys. (Dulais Opportunities for Voluntary Wednesday was our distribution day, our felly’n ei chael hi’n anodd dros ben. Amser Nadolig, doedd dim syniad Enterprise). Bwriad y cwmni cydwei- group would meet in The Belt, (Banwen Roedd gen i ffrind o’r enw Kay ’da ni sut i brynu anrhegion i’r plant, ond thredol hwn oedd helpu menywod i gael Ex-Servicemen’s Club) in the hall and set Bowen. Ei g∑r Phil oedd Cadeirydd hyfforddiant a dysgu sgiliau newydd er out the tables and one by one the carrier Cyfrinfa Pwll Blaenant. Gofynnodd Kay Roedd yna deimlad mwyn rhoi cyfle iddynt chwilio am waith bags would be filled and given to the min- a fydden i’n fodlon helpu gr∑p cymorth a datblygu eu gyrfaoedd. Mae D.O.V.E ers and their families. Eventually the food i fwydo’r glowyr dibriod. Ar ôl sawl anhygoel o gymuned adeg wedi mynd o nerth i nerth fel Prifysgol parcel scheme was feeding 1,000 people cyfarfod, sefydlwyd pwyllgor i ddatblygu y streic, gyda phawb yn Gymunedol y Cymoedd erbyn hyn. in the Dulais, Neath and Swansea Valleys. Gr∑p Cymorth Glowyr Cwm Dulais. Heddiw, lleolir y Brifysgol yn hen Times were hard during the strike; it Cawson ni lawer o gefnogaeth gan y helpu’i gilydd swyddfeydd Pwll Banwen, sydd bellach was difficult coping with the shortage of gymuned ac undebau eraill, a chyn hir, wedi’u moderneiddio a’u hymestyn. money and being unable to give our chil- Parti Nadolig y plant yng nghanolfan ‘The Belt’ roedd yr arian a’r cyflenwadau’n llifo i Mae carreg goffa gerllaw yn cofio dren the things they needed. One partic- Children’s Christmas party at ‘The Belt’ mewn. Sefydlon ni wasanaeth dosbarthu unwaith eto, cawsom ni gymorth glowyr y cylch. Ar y garreg, mae enw ular memory was of my son Neil: his a phrynu bwyd gyda’r rhoddion ariannol. amhrisiadwy gan rai fel ‘Brenin y Gelli merch ifanc o’r enw Katie Jones oedd yn training shoes for school had started to fall Dim ond glowyr dibriod oedd yn cael y Gandryll’ (Richard Booth) ac Undeb y gweithio danddaear ym 1878. Mae apart and we could not afford to buy him books for all the children of the miners Voluntary Enterprise) workshops were set parseli bwyd i ddechrau, ond bu’r Newyddiadurwyr. Fe gyfrannon nhw pethau wedi newid cryn dipyn erbyn a new pair. This story was printed by a and paid for a Christmas party with up. This was a co-operative to help cyfraniadau mor hael nes ein bod ni’n anrhegion a llyfrau i holl blant y glowyr, heddiw, gan fod merched ifanc Banwen local newspaper, and it touched one old Father Christmas in attendance. The women to learn new skills and training to gallu cyflenwi parseli bwyd i holl lowyr y a thalu am barti Nadolig gyda Siôn Corn. yn gallu ymrestru yn D.O.V.E., astudio age pensioner so much that she sent us community spirit at the time of the strike give them the opportunity to seek em- cylch oedd ar streic. Roedd yna deimlad anhygoel o gymuned am radd ac edrych ymlaen at fywyd gwell. some money to buy Neil a new pair of was unbelievable, everyone helped each ployment and develop their careers. The Bob bore Mawrth, bydden ni’n adeg y streic, gyda phawb yn helpu’i Efallai bod y pyllau wedi hen gau erbyn training shoes. We had so many donations other and it was comforting to know that D.O.V.E has grown and developed and is mynd i Abertawe i brynu pethau gilydd. Roedd hi’n gysur mawr gwybod hyn, ond mae syniad gwreiddiol criw o of second-hand clothes that we set up a we were not on our own. I realised that we now the Community University of the sylfaenol ar gyfer pob parsel, fel bara, nad oedden ni ar ein pennau ein hunain. fenywod penderfynol yn ystod y streic shop in the rear of the club manned by were very lucky to live where the strike Valleys. It is housed in the old Banwen llaeth, tatws, wyau, llysiau, cornbiff, te, Sylweddolais i pa mor lwcus oedden ni i wedi rhoi rhywbeth i’r gymuned gyfan miners’ wives. We sold the clothes for a was solid. It was very sad to see what was Colliery offices, which have now been siwgr ac ati. Dydd Mercher oedd ein fyw mewn ardal lle’r oedd y streic yn ymfalchïo ynddo. few pence each and all the funds raised happening in other parts of the country modernised and extended. diwrnod dosbarthu, a byddai’r gr∑p yn gadarn. Roedd hi’n drist iawn gweld y were used to purchase more items for the where this was not the case. Every day on There is a standing stone that com- cyfarfod yn y Belt (Clwb Cyn-filwyr sefyllfa mewn rhannau eraill o’r wlad. Janet Thomas, Dyffryn Cellwen food parcels. memorates the miners of this area. The Banwen), gan osod byrddau yn y neuadd. I discovered by this time that I was stone bears the name of a little girl called Yna, bydden ni’n llenwi’r bagiau bwyd ac pregnant. My maternity clothes were all The community spirit Katie Jones who worked underground in yn eu rhoi i’r glowyr a’u teuluoedd. Cyn purchased from the Support Group at the time of the the mines in 1878. How times have hir, roedd 1,000 o bobl yng Nghwm clothes shop. Some of these clothes had changed, the young women of Banwen Dulais, Cwm Nedd a Chwm Tawe yn designer labels and I would certainly never strike was unbelievable, today can now enrol at the D.O.V.E., derbyn parseli bwyd. have been able to afford to buy them be- everyone helped study for a degree and look forward to a Roedd pethau’n galed adeg y streic; fore the strike. My third son David was better future. The mines may be closed roedd hi’n anodd ymdopi â’r prinder born in Neath General Hospital in each other now but the idea that was conceived by a arian a’r ffaith nad oedden ni’n gallu January 1985. I was in a ward with two group of determined women during the prynu pethau angenrheidiol i’n plant. other miner’s wives and the nurses named strike has now given our community Mae gennyf gof arbennig o Neil y mab: our room the ‘Arthur Scargill Suite’. the news we would see miners in clashes something to be proud of. roedd ei treinyrs ysgol wedi dechrau When Christmas was approaching we with police whilst on picketing duty. We cwympo’n ddarnau, a doedden ni ddim had no idea how we were going to buy saw baton charges and miners being hurt Janet Thomas, Duffryn Cellwen yn gallu fforddio prynu pâr newydd iddo. gifts for the children, but again the sup- whilst trying to protect their jobs and im- Cafodd yr hanes sylw yn y papur newydd port we received from everyone including prove their standard of living. Our village, lleol, ac roedd un hen wraig wedi’i the ‘King of Hay’ (Richard Booth) and the Banwen, luckily seemed to be a very long chyffwrdd i’r byw a benthycodd arian i National Union of Journalists helped us way from there. ni brynu treinyrs newydd iddo. Cawson to overcome this. They supplied gifts and When the strike finished the wives ni gymaint o ddillad ail-law gan bobl decided they did not want to go back to eraill, aethon ni ati i sefydlu siop yng Casglu arian yn Nhonypandy just being housewives. Meetings were held nghefn y clwb dan ofal gwragedd y Collecting money in Tonypandy in people’s houses, and eventually the glowyr. Roedden ni’n gwerthu’r dillad Mike Thompson D.O.V.E (Dulais Opportunities for

24 25 DAN GLO! IN THE CELLS

During the strike I spent 24 hours tyres of our vans and cars had been punc- time, it was good – egg and bacon, bread Fe dreuliais i 24 awr yng inapolicecell.I was one of the 101 tured, but the police denied responsibil- and butter and tea – so it was getting bet- nghelloedd yr heddlu yn ystod y miners who broke into the docks in Port ity. By the next day the police had ter every minute (ha ha ha!). We were told streic. Roeddwn i’n un o 101 o lowyr a Talbot Steelworks. I drove one of the vans had enough of us and put a writ on the by the court that we could not picket dorrodd i mewn i’r dociau yng ngwaith and when we approached the three tow- base of our crane. I climbed down to get again because we were on bail. If we did dur Port Talbot. Roeddwn i’n gyrru un ering cranes we could see the dockworkers it; it was off the Crown Court and said then they would sling us in jail. We were o’r faniau, ac wrth i ni nesáu at y tri unloading a Spanish ship. We all made that we had better come down or face the picked up by our comrades and back home chraen, roedden ni’n gallu gweld our way up into the cranes. The dockers, consequences. to the hills where our families were waiting gweithwyr y dociau’n dadlwytho llong o when they saw us scampering up the crane, for us. Sbaen. Aeth pawb i fyny i’r craeniau. all panicked and got off ASAP! When we We didn’t sleep Well, I was asked to go southern Dechreuodd y docwyr fynd i banig o were all up the cranes we strung barbed much but our Ireland with another miner to ask the Irish weld hyn, a gadael ar hast! Pan oedden ni wire around the walkways to stop anyone Trade Congress for funds. I was only sup- i gyd yn y craeniau, fe glymon ni ddarn o coming up behind us. Once we were in spirits were high posed to be there for three days but stayed weiar bigog o amgylch y llwybrau er control of the cranes we were high enough for three weeks because of the success we mwyn atal neb rhag dod ar ein cyfyl ni. to see anyone who approached us. We On the Saturday afternoon we heard had raising funds. When we were waiting Unwaith roedden ni’n rheoli’r craeniau, could also to see down on the ship below on the radio that the NUM had advised for the ferry to take us back to Fishguard, roedden ni’n ddigon uchel i weld unrhyw us – the crew by now were getting off! us to come down, so we had a vote and there was a British policeman on it with un oedd yn dod i fyny. Oddi tanom, We had taken tins of beans, spaghetti, decided to leave. As we came down one by the captain. The policeman pointed to the roedd criw’r llong yn gadael! flasks of hot water and lots of other one we had our names taken and two of us and I thought "wait until we get Roedd gynnon ni duniau o ffa pob, foods. There were no toilets up there were two policemen for on the boat!" But nothing actually hap- sbageti, fflasgiau d∑r poeth a llond côl o the cranes so I will leave it to each one of us to take us to pened until we got to Fishguard where we fwydydd eraill. Doedd dim t¥ bach yn y Louise, merch Allan, gydag Arthur Scargill your imagination what we buses, so you can imagine were directed to go a different direction craeniau, felly gallwch ddychmygu beth Allan’s daughter, Louise, with Arthur Scargill had to do while we were what it was like! Then we than any one else and we were stopped by oedd rhaid i ni ei wneud 120 o droedfeddi 120 feet up above the were scattered to plain clothes people, searched and ques- uwchben y d∑r! Cyrhaeddodd yr heddlu roedd hi’n flasus dros ben – bacwn ac wy, chi gwrdd â’r ‘bois’”? (yr IRA!). Ar ôl water! Then came the different police cells all tioned – “What were you doing out in gan weiddi “Dewch i lawr” drwy’r bara menyn a phaned o de – felly roedd dweud mai mynd yno i gasglu arian ar police with loudhailers around the area. We southern Ireland?”, “Did you meet ‘the uchelseinyddion, a ninnau’n ateb “Ewch pethau’n gwella bob munud (ha! ha! ha!). gyfer ein teuluoedd wnaethon ni, telling us to “Get had our pictures taken boys’?” (they meant the IRA!). We simply i grafu!”. Yn ddiweddarach, fe ddeallon Dywedodd y llys na allen ni bicedu eto roedden ni’n rhydd i fynd. Ddeallon ni’n down!” and us shout- (without our permis- said we were there to get funds for our ni fod rhywun wedi gwneud tyllau yn am ein bod ni ar fechnïaeth. Pe baen ni’n ddiweddarach mai pobl yr MI5 oedden ing back “Get sion!) with the arresting families and they let us go. We were later nheiars ein ceir a’n faniau, ond roedd yr picedu, yna carchar amdani. Daeth ein nhw. Ar y ffordd adref, fe alwon ni heibio stuffed!” We found officers. We were then told that they were MI5. On the way heddlu’n gwadu unrhyw gyfrifoldeb. cymrodyr i’n hebrwng nôl adref lle’r oedd i bencadlys streicwyr Gorseinon i later that the locked up six in a cell home we called back in Gorseinon min- Erbyn y diwrnod canlynol, roedd yr ein teuluoedd yn ein disgwyl ni. gyflwyno siec gwerth £7,000. Roedd pobl until 4 pm the next day. ers’ strike headquarters and dropped off a heddlu wedi cael llond bol, ac wedi gosod wedi addo teganau Nadolig i’r plant, ac Well, we didn’t sleep cheque for £7,000. We were also prom- Allan Price gwrit wrth fôn y craen. Fe ddringais i Er na gysgon ni fawr fe gadwodd y Gwyddelod eu gair. much but our spirits were ised toys for Christmas for the children, a lawr i’w ’nôl hi; roedd Llys y Goron yn Fe gyrhaeddais i nôl mewn pryd i high. When food even- promise that was honoured by the Irish. ein rhybuddio i ddod i lawr neu wynebu’r ddim, roedd pawb mewn ymddangos gerbron Llys y Goron yn tually arrived it was I only just got back in time to appear canlyniadau. hwyliau da Abertawe gyda’r lleill. Pe na bawn ni next day and it with my mining brothers before the Y dydd Sadwrn canlynol, roedd y wedi pledio’n euog, bydden ni wedi cael came from the Crown Court in Swansea. We were told radio’n dweud fod yr NUM wedi’n Gofynnwyd i mi fynd i Weriniaeth ein cyhuddo o ysgogi terfysg, oedd yn Dunraven that, if we didn’t plead guilty, we would cynghori ni i ddod i lawr, felly fe Iwerddon gyda glöwr arall er mwyn golygu ugain mlynedd yn y carchar. Hotel in be charged with inciting a riot, which car- bleidleision ni dros adael. Wrth i ni ddod gofyn i’r Gyngres Lafur yno am arian. Y Cawsom ein cynghori gan ein cyfreithwyr Bridgend. ried a twenty year sentence. We were ad- i lawr fesul un, fe gymrodd yr heddlu ein bwriad gwreiddiol oedd mynd am i bledio’n euog, a chafodd pawb ddedfryd After not vised by our lawyers to plead guilty and all henwau, a chawsom ein tywys i’r bysiau dridiau, ond roedd ein hymgyrch codi o dair blynedd wedi’i gohirio. Roedd hyn tasting got a three-year suspended sentence. This gan ddau blismon yr un. Dychmygwch arian mor llwyddiannus fel yr arhoson ni yn golygu y byddem ni’n cael ein food meant that if we were in any more trouble hynny! Wedyn fe gawson ni’n hanfon i draw am dair wythnos. Tra’r oedden ni’n carcharu pe taen ni mewn mwy o drwbl for a with the police we would be jailed. Also wahanol gelloedd yr heddlu yn yr ardal. aros i ddal y llong nôl i Abergwaun, gyda’r heddlu. Roedd y ffaith y gallen ni long on our minds was the fact that we could Tynnwyd lluniau ohonom gyda’r roedd plismon Prydeinig yng nghwmni’r golli’n gwaith hefyd yn ofid mawr. Buon lose our jobs for what we had done. This plismyn arestio (heb ein caniatâd). capten. Fe welais i’r plismon yn pwyntio’i ni’n becso’n henaid am fisoedd, ond worry went on for months after, but Cawsom ein cadw dan glo gyda phum fys aton ni, a meddyliais i, “aros di nes y diolch i’r drefn, cawson ni fynd nôl i’r thanks to God, we were able to go back to dyn arall, tan 4 o’r gloch y prynhawn byddwn ni ar y llong!”. Ond ddigwy- gwaith gyda’n cymrodorion. Bydden i’n work with all our other comrades. If I was canlynol. ddodd dim byd nes i ni gyrraedd gwneud yr un peth eto mewn sefyllfa ever faced with the situation again, I Er na gysgon ni fawr ddim, roedd Abergwaun. Cawsom ein harwain i debyg, ond gyda mwy o arddeliad a would still do the same, but with even pawb mewn hwyliau da. Ymhen hir a gyfeiriad gwahanol i bawb arall a chael ein phenderfyniad dros fy nghyd-ddyn a more vigour and determination for my hwyr, cawsom fwyd o westy’r Dunraven stopio gan bobl mewn dillad cyffredin, ein Chymru fy ngwlad. people and country of Wales. ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr y diwrnod chwilio a’n holi – “Beth oeddech chi’n ei wedyn. A ninnau heb fwyta ers dyddie, wneud yn ne Iwerddon?”, “Wnaethoch Allan Price, Cymer Afan Allan Price, Cymmer Afan

26 27 AWYRGYLCH A BIT OF PUSHING GYFEILLGAR AR AND SHOVING

Y CYFAN I was born in Aberystwyth in 1947. I left school in 1966 and joined the Metropolitan Police. In 1973 I joined the South Wales Police and was posted to Cefais fy ngeni yn Aberystwyth ym Swansea. I was promoted to sergeant in 1947. Gadewais i’r ysgol ym 1966 ac 1980. I joined the Police Support Unit ymuno â Heddlu’r Metropolitan. Ym where I was trained in riot control (this 1973, ymunais â Heddlu De Cymru a meant that I did my normal policing du- chael fy anfon i Abertawe. Cefais ties but attended training sessions for four ddyrchafiad fel sarjant ym 1980. days a year). In March 1984 I was work- Ymunais ag Uned Cymorth yr Heddlu lle ing in the Morriston/Pontardawe area sur- cefais hyfforddiant rheoli terfysgoedd rounded by collieries such as Abernant as (oedd yn golygu cyflawni dyletswyddau well as a number of smaller mines. This arferol yr heddlu a mynychu sesiynau meant that I was well aware of the issues hyfforddi am bedwar diwrnod y leading up to the strike, not so much the flwyddyn). Ym Mawrth 1984, roeddwn political background, but I knew the local i’n gweithio yn ardal Treforys/ miners and the work that they did. Pontardawe oedd yn frith o byllau glo fel During that month I had a phone call at Aber-nant a thoreth o byllau llai. home on a Sunday morning about 11 am. Roeddwn i’n nabod rhai o’r glowyr lleol, I was told that there was a possibility of a yn gwybod am eu gwaith ac yn miners’ strike in England and to report to ymwybodol o’r materion arweiniodd at y Swansea Central Police Station where our streic, y tu hwnt i’r cefndir gwleidyddol. riot equipment was kept. I was told to Y mis hwnnw, cefais alwad ffôn gartref pack an overnight bag ‘just in case’. were attacked and we arrested six of the Chwith: Sarjant Dave Savage yn archwilio tua 11 o’r gloch fore Sul. Clywais fod We ended up travelling to the pickets for public order offences and as- car am bicedwyr, Sir Derby, Mehefin 1984. posibilrwydd y byddai’r glowyr yn bwll Daw Mill yn Ne Sir Derby. Roedd Arestiais i bicedwr ar gylchfan gyfagos am Coventry area and were sent straight to a sault. We had to go up to Chesterfield for Uchod: ‘Aros i rywbeth ddigwydd’, Sir streicio yn Lloegr, ac felly roeddwn i fod nifer helaeth o bicedwyr yn barod i daflu carreg at ffenestr lori. Ac eithrio’r local colliery where we stayed all night the court appearances and were surprised Derby, Mehefin 1984 i fynd i Orsaf Heddlu Canol Abertawe, ‘groesawu’ rhai o’r peirianwyr oedd yn confois glo, roedd hi’n ddigon tawel yn y awaiting possible confrontations between that they received prison sentences – they Left: Sergeant Dave Savage checks a car for flying pickets, Derbyshire, June 1984. lle’r oedden ni’n cadw ein hoffer gwrth- cyrraedd yno i wneud gwaith cynnal-a- de nes i rai o’r glowyr fynd nôl i’r gwaith pickets and men who were still working. were probably made an example of! Above: ‘Waiting for something to happen’, derfysg. Bu rhaid i mi bacio dillad nos chadw. Roedd hi’n amlwg bod rhywfaint yn y gaeaf. Es i Bwll Aber-nant pan oedd The day shift at the colliery came in about I policed outside Port Talbot steel- Derbyshire, June 1984 hefyd, ‘rhag ofn’. o drwbl i fod, ond ni chawsom unrhyw y glowyr yn mynd i’r gwaith yn y bore. six in the morning, they were met with a works to keep the coal convoys coming in Yn y diwedd, cawsom ein cludo i Roedd awyrgylch digon cyfeillgar rhwng bit of shouting from the pickets but there and out. It was here that I arrested a picket Coventry a’n hanfon yn syth i bwll lleol, Roedden ni’n yr heddlu a’r picedwyr mewn was no real trouble. Later that day we were on the steelworks roundabout for throw- a lot of sympathy for the miners and I lle buon ni’n aros drwy’r nos am unrhyw gwirionedd, dim ond rhyw dynnu a sent to an army camp and given camp ing a stone at a lorry’s windscreen. Apart never saw any nastiness. To be honest the wrthdaro rhwng y picedwyr a’r dynion cydymdeimlo â’r glowyr, gwthio’n gilydd nawr ac yn y man. beds in the gymnasium – it was freezing. politics didn’t interest me I was just doing oedd yn dal i weithio. Cyrhaeddodd ac ni welais unrhyw Roeddenni’ncydymdeimloâ’rglowyr,ac A couple of hours sleep and then back on my job. I don’t think that policing was criw’r shifft dydd am 6 y bore, gyda’r ni welais unrhyw gasineb a dweud y gwir. the lines at six next morning. We spent a We had a lot of quite the same after. We never really got picedwyr yn gweiddi arnyn nhw ond gasineb a dweud y gwir Dim ond gwneud fy ngwaith oeddwn i, week there on night shifts but didn’t ex- sympathy for the miners back to the situation as it was before the ddim yn achosi trwbl. Yn ddiweddarach doedd gen i ddim diddordeb yn yr ochr perience any violence. strike because of the amount of men who y diwrnod hwnnw, fe gawson ni’n gymorth ychwanegol. Ymosodwyd ar y wleidyddol. Dwi ddim yn credu fod I spent the rest of the strike doing my and I never saw any were away on picket duty. It definitely af- hanfon i wersyll milwrol gyda gwelyau peirianwyr wrth iddyn nhw geisio mynd plismona wedi bod yr un fath ers hynny. normal police duties interspersed with nastiness fected policing at the community level as cynfas yn y gampfa – roedd hi’n rhewi. i mewn i’r pwll, ac arestiwyd chwe Newidiodd pethau ar ddiwedd y streic, being sent away at short notice. On one some people had got away with doing Ychydig oriau o gwsg, yna’n ôl â ni ar y phicedwr am ymosod a chyflawni gan fod cymaint o ddynion wedi bod i occasion we stayed in Chilwell Army naughty things for a year and we lost con- llinell biced am 6 y bore. Fe dreulion ni troseddau yn erbyn y drefn gyhoeddus. ffwrdd ar ddyletswyddau picedu. Heb os, Barracks, Nottingham, and were sent to a from the coal convoys it was quiet in trol a bit. wythnos gyfan ar shifft nos yno, heb Roedd rhaid i ni fynd i’r achos llys yn cafodd hyn effaith ar waith plismona mine in South Derbyshire by the name of south Wales until the winter when some unrhyw derfysg. Chesterfield, a chawsom ein synnu pan cymunedol am i rai pobl gael rhwydd Daw Mill. There were lots of pickets there miners started to return to work. I went Dave Savage, Neath Fe dreuliais i weddill y streic yn anfonwyd nhw i’r carchar – er mwyn hynt i gamfihafio am flwyddyn ac fe waiting to ‘greet’ some engineers coming to Abernant Colliery on occasions when gwneud dyletswyddau cyffredin a chael fy gosod esiampl yn fwy na thebyg! gollon ni rywfaint o reolaeth oherwydd in to do some maintenance. It was obvi- these men were going to work in the anfon i ffwrdd ar fyr rybudd. Ar un adeg, Bues i’n plismona y tu allan i waith hynny. ous there was going to be trouble but we mornings. Relationships between the po- arhosais ym Marics y Fyddin yn Chilwell, dur Port Talbot er mwyn cadw’r llwybr weren’t given any reinforcements. When lice and pickets were quite jovial really, Nottingham, a chawsom ein hanfon i yn glir i’r lorïau glo gael mynd a dod. Dave Savage, Castell-nedd the engineers tried to enter the pit they just a bit of pushing and shoving. We had

28 29 Chwith: Tony Popple, canol y rhes flaen, ar ôl chwarae Left: Tony Popple, centre of front row, after playing pêl-droed gyda’r picedwyr, Pwll Creswell, Sir Derby football with pickets, Creswell Colliery, Derbyshire Canol: Yr Arolygydd Will Evans (oedd yn gwybod dim Centre: Inspector Will Evans (who was unaware of am yr arwydd y tu ôl iddo!) what was on the sign behind him!) De: Uned Cymorth yr Heddlu Rhanbarth Abertawe, Right: Swansea Division, Police Support Unit, Sir Derby, 1984 Derbyshire, 1984 LIVING IN THE BACK BYW MEWN FAN OFAVAN

Ym mis Mawrth 1984, roeddwn y picedwyr ddim yn wirioneddol gas tuag Garw neu ardal Pontypridd. Buon ni’n In March 1984 I was a police con- We didn’t have any real Pontypridd area. We were virtually living i’n gwnstabl ym Mhontardawe. aton ni, fel Cymry o ardaloedd glofaol a byw yng nghefn fan am fisoedd i bob stable in Pontardawe. I was well in the back of a van for months – no bar- Roeddwn i’n ymwybodol iawn o’r sefyllfa allai uniaethu â nhw. Er bod gennym ni’r pwrpas – doedd dim barics i ni yn ne aware of the situation at the time as my animosity from the pickets racks in south Wales! I never felt intimi- ar y pryd gan fod fy nhad yn löwr yn offer gwrth-derfysg diweddaraf, ni fu Cymru! Ond doeddwn i ddim yn teimlo father was a miner in Abernant Colliery because we were Welsh dated at all, we policed the collieries firmly Aber-nant a llawer o’m ffrindiau naill ai’n angen eu defnyddio nhw. dan unrhyw fygythiad. Roedden ni’n and many of my friends were also either and fairly, we weren’t there to take sides. lowyr neu’n gysylltiedig â’r diwydiant. gwbl deg wrth gadw’r heddwch yn y miners or associated with the coal indus- boys from a coalfield area I was captain of Cwmgorse RFC in Glo oedd asgwrn cefn y pentref. Pan Doedd y picedwyr ddim pyllau glo, doedden ni ddim yno i ochri try. Coal was the lifeblood of the village. and had some sympathy 1984 and I remember a bit of pushing and ddechreuodd y streic, roeddwn i’n rhan o â neb. During the start of the strike I was part of shoving on a picket line when someone Uned Cymorth yr Heddlu, oedd yn yn wirioneddol gas tuag Fi oedd capten tîm rygbi Cwm-gors a Police Support Unit (PSU) which con- with them shouted at me from the back of the pick- cynnwys 25 i 30 o ddynion oedd yn aton ni, fel Cymry o ym 1984, ac ynghanol y gwthio a’r tynnu sisted of 25 to 30 men under an inspector ets “Oi, Popple – I hope you shove better atebol i arolygydd a dau sarjant. ar y llinell biced rwy’n cofio rhywun yn and two sergeants. real animosity from the pickets because we than that on Saturday!” It was our com- Bob bore Llun, byddwn i’n pacio bag ardaloedd glofaol a allai gweiddi, “Oi, Popple – gobeithio byddi On a Monday morning we would were Welsh boys from a coalfield area and munity, so when the police had a ‘chuck am yr wythnos, ac yn cyflwyno fy hun ar uniaethu â nhw di’n gallu gwthio’n well dydd Sadwrn!” pack a bag for a week, and report for duty had some sympathy with them. We were wagon’ outside Abernant, the first batch ddyletswydd yng Ngorsaf Heddlu Canol Roedden ni yng nghanol ein cymuned, a at Swansea Central Police Station where fully equipped with riot gear but never ac- of soup went to us and the second to the Abertawe. Roedden ni’n aros mewn gan fod gennym ‘chuck wagon’ y tu fas i we would be told were we were going just tually used it. pickets. But at the end of the year it had barics y fyddin yng ngogledd Lloegr yn Cefais fy anfon i ffwrdd i weithio’n Aber-nant, ni fyddai’r cynta’ i gael cawl, before we set off. You would end up in an I was deployed regularly on these taken its toll on the police, the hours we ystod yr wythnos ac yn gwneud rheolaidd tan wyliau blynyddol y glowyr a’r picedwyr wedyn. Ond fe aeth y cyfan army barracks in the north of England for ‘away trips’ until the annual miners’ holi- were working, the lifestyle – we were dyletswyddau diogelwch mewn pwll lleol. ddechrau Awst. Ar ôl hynny, es i nôl i’m yn drech na ni erbyn diwedd y flwyddyn a week being deployed on security duties days at the beginning of August. After that physically shattered. I don’t know if the Roedd rhywfaint o’r gwaith braidd yn dyletswyddau arferol ym Mhontardawe – o ran ein horiau gwaith, ein ffordd o at a local colliery. Some of it was a bit bor- I went back to normal policing in strike actually achieved anything in the ddiflas. Doedd dim llawer o bicedwyr ym nes i rai o’r glowyr ddechrau mynd nôl i fyw – roedden ni wedi blino’n lân. Wn i ing, for example we never saw many pick- Pontardawe until some miners started to end, someone else will have to judge that. mhrif bwll Markham er enghraifft, ond weithio. Yna, fe ailymunais â Thîm ddim os lwyddodd y streic i gyflawni ets at Markham Main Colliery but other return to work. I was then put back into a roedd llu ohonyn nhw pan fyddai’r Cymorth yr Heddlu ym Mhwll Aber- unrhyw beth yn y diwedd. Gaiff rhywun places,suchasCreswell,therewereplenty PSU deployed at Abernant Colliery and, Tony Popple, Ammanford glowyr yn cyrraedd y gwaith mewn nant a heblaw am y Nadolig, roeddwn i arall benderfynu hynny. of pickets on hand when the working apart from Christmas, was there every day lleoedd eraill fel Creswell - ond dim trwbl yno bob dydd neu’n barod i dderbyn miners went in but no real trouble apart or on standby to go to another part of the go iawn, heblaw am eiriau drwg. Doedd galwad i ran arall o’r maes glo fel Cwm Tony Popple, Rhydaman from verbal abuse. We didn’t have any coalfield such as the Garw Valley or the

30 31 BECHGYN YN ERBYN DYNION

Roedden ni’n disgwyl i Orgreave blaenau ni, pedair neu bum llinell o Rhyw wthio digon diniwed a gafwyd fod yn frwydr a hanner, ac rwy’n heddlu'r holl ffordd ar draws y maes, a i ddechrau, a phawb yn cael dipyn bach o credu mai dyna oedd bwriad yr llinell o geffylau y tu ôl iddyn nhw. Yn eu sbort. Ond pan ofynnon ni i fois Sir Efrog heddlu o’r dechrau. Pan fuon ni’n plith, roedd y garfan gipio (‘snatch “Sut byddwn ni’n gwybod bod y lorïau ar picedu llefydd fel Pwll Daw Mill yn Sir squad’), sef y rhai â tharianau byrion yn y ffordd?”, yr ateb oedd “Byddwch chi’n Warwick, fe fydden nhw’n eich stopio chi barod i dorri trwodd. Ar y dde, roedd cae gwybod, achos byddan nhw’n anfon y filltiroedd o’r pwll, ac roedd rhaid i chi llawn heddlu ar geffylau, ac mewn cae cafalri,” a dyna’n union ddigwyddodd. barcio a cherdded yno. Ond fe gyrhaeddon Dechreuodd rhai o’n hochr ni daflu ni Orgreave heb unrhyw drafferth. Roedden nhw’n cerrig ond dim ond ar ôl i’r heddlu Dywedwyd wrthym ble’n union i ddechrau ymosod arnon ni. Roedd popeth barcio yn y pentref bach, a chawson ni bwrw dynion a’r rheiny’n welsoch chi ar y teledu yn y drefn anghywir; rwydd hynt i benderfynu ble i sefyll ar y methu amddiffyn eu nid fel ’na ddigwyddodd pethau, roedd y llinell biced. Roedd llinellau’r heddlu’n bois yn taflu cerrig i amddiffyn eu hunain gwbl agored, a gallech chi gerdded o’r hunain o gwbl rhag yr holl geffylau a’r heddlu oedd yn naill ochr i’r llall o’r gwaith. Dim problem cipio dynion ar hyd y lle. o gwbl felly. Ond roeddech chi’n gallu arall, roedd heddlu â ch n oedd yn edrych Trwy lwc, roedden ni’n ddigon pell i synhwyro bod rhyw ddrwg yn y caws yn felpebaennhwhebgaelbwyders ffwrdd yn y cefn pan ddaeth yr hyrddiad syth, ac wrth i’r diwrnod fynd rhagddo, dyddie! Roedd yr heddlu wedi trefnu hyn cyntaf. Roedd trwch o heddlu’n sefyll roedd hi’n amlwg bod rhywbeth ar droed. i gyd. Roedd hi’n debyg i faes y gad, ond mewn tair neu bedair rhes. Roedd y plis- Roedden ni wrth fôn rhyw glawdd, ac o’n bod un fyddin yn drefnus a’r llall ddim! myn yn y rhes flaen yn taro’u tarianau 

LIKE MEN AGAINST BOYS

Orgreave was going to be the big went on, something obviously was. At our shields waiting to come through. On the battleground and I think it was end of the line there was a bit of banking, right-hand side was a field with police on what the police wanted as well. right in front of us were four or five lines horses, and in the other field there were When we had picketed places like Daw of police right across the breadth of the police with dogs that looked like they had- Mill Colliery in Warwickshire they would n’t been fed for a while! It was totally or- stop you miles away from the pit and They were hitting men ganized by the police, it was like looking you’d have to park up and walk. But we at a battlefield but one army was organ- got right to Orgreave with no trouble. who had no protection. ized and the other one wasn’t! We were told exactly where to park They were just wild and At first it was the usual pushing and in the small village and they let us decide shoving and everyone was having a laugh. which end of the picket line we were over the top But when we turned to the boys from going. It was open police lines and you Yorkshire and asked “How do you know could walk either side the plant. No prob- area and behind them there was a line of when the lorries are coming?” they said lem, nothing at all. You could smell a rat horses and in amongst them were the “You’ll know because they’ll send the cavalry as soon as you got there and, as the day snatch squads, the ones with the short out” and that’s exactly what happened. 

32 BECHGYN YN ERBYN DYNION

 gyda’u pastynau, a’r rhai y tu ôl iddyn lein reilffordd rhag ofn iddyn nhw gael lorïau fynd a dod, ac roedd yr heddlu’n nhw’n defnyddio’r pastynau arnon ni. eu cau allan. Roedd y carfanau cipio’n ein gadael ni i fynd yn syth drwy eu Y GELYN ODDI MEWN Roedden nhw’n ein gwthio ni’n ôl gyda’r defnyddio’r pastynau fel ffyliaid ar ben y llinellau fel petai dim byd wedi digwydd. tarianau, ac yn torri trwodd pan fyddai’r clawdd. Roedden nhw’n bwrw dynion a’r Roedden nhw wedi gwneud eu gwaith! llinell yn chwalu. Yna, bydden nhw’n rheiny’n methu amddiffyn eu hunain o Roedd y cyfan yn rhyfedd iawn, fel profi anfon y ceffylau i wasgaru pawb cyn i’r gwbl. Roedden nhw mas o reolaeth, dros brwydr fawr, ac yna “bant â chi bois, mae’r garfan gipio arestio dynion gyda’u ffyn ben llestri’n llwyr. Roedden nhw eisiau diwrnod ar ben!”. Dynion yn erbyn Baner Cyfrinfa a’u tarianau bach. Roedden ni mewn chwalu’r streic yn y fan a’r lle, beth bynnag bechgyn oedd hi yn Orgreave, gyda nhw Penallta. Ron cornel i bob pwrpas, ac roedden nhw’n y bo. Wel, roedd hynny’n ein gwneud ni’n wedi’u harfogi a ninnau mewn jîns a Stoate yw’r ail o’r dde ein hel ni’n ôl dros bont y rheilffordd a’r fwy penderfynol byth, ac yn fwy crac fyth. trenyrs. Roedden ni wedi ein twyllo ni’n lân! lein ei hun. Erbyn diwedd y dydd, roedd y cyfan Ddaethon nhw ddim yn agos at y wedi chwythu’i blwc. Rhoddwyd hawl i’r Meirion John, Pwll De Celynen

LIKE MEN AGAINST BOYS

There was stone-throwing from you were in disarray they would come whatever it took to do it. Well, it made our side but that was after the charges. through. They would then send out the you more determined, it made you more Everything that you saw on the telly was horses next to spread everyone and then angry. all out of synchronization; it didn’t hap- the snatch squads with sticks and the small At the end of the day it kind of just pen like that because the stone-throwing shields just picking people up. Basically died a death. The lorries had been in and Penallta Lodge was in defence of all these horses and we were boxed in and they could funnel the police let you walk straight back banner, Ron Stoate is snatch squads just picking up stragglers. us back through a railway bridge and onto through their lines as if nothing had hap- second from right Luckily, when the first charge came, the railway line. pened. They’d done their job! It was we were pretty far back so you could get They wouldn’t come down the rail- strange, just like going through a battle, out of the way. The police were three or way line in case they got cut off them- then “It’s the end of the day, off you go four deep. The ones in front with the big selves. You could see all these snatch boys!” Orgreave was men against boys, they shields had their truncheons out because squads going wild with their truncheons were all kitted up and we were in trainers they were banging their shields with them, at the top of the bank. They were hitting and jeans. We were totally out-foxed! THE ENEMY WITHIN! but the ones behind them were actually men who had no protection. They were using their truncheons on us. They first just wild and over the top. They were Meirion John, South Celynen Colliery locked shields to push you back and once going to smash the strike there and then,

34 35 Y GELYN ODDI MEWN THE ENEMY WITHIN!

O’n ni’n picedu ym Mhenallta Caerffili wedyn, a da'th plisman ata’ i a i nawr oedd fy ngheffyl. A dyna fi’n trio Percy Haines – ‘Picedwr ganol gaeaf, mis Ionawr neu dweud, “Ti, y b******” a rhoi ei ddwrn dweud wrth fy mrawd Brian i drefnu bod hynaf Penallta’ yng Chwefror efallai, ac o’dd hi’n dan fy ngên. Meddai John fy mrawd, rhywun yn edrych ar ôl y ceffyl am nad Nghanolfan Streic yr ddigon ôr i rewi brain, ag eira ar y “Www, ’smo fe’n lico ti!”. Pan aethon ni oeddwn i’n gwybod pa mor hir fydden i NUM, Sefydliad Ystrad llawr. O’dd hi’n gynnar yn y bore, tua 3 i’r llys, roedd e’n honni ’mod i wedi torri bant. Mae’r peth yn chwerthinllyd! Dyna Mynach neu 4 o’r gloch. O’dd rhaid bod yna ben un o’i asennau fe. Do’n i erioed wedi ei fi ar fin mynd i’r carchar, ac yn becso bore am y bydden nhw’n dod â’r scabs i weld o’r blaen cyn iddo fe bwno ’ngên i! mwy am y ceffyl na dim byd arall. mewn unrhyw bryd ar ôl 4.30 er nad o’dd Ta beth, fe wnaethon nhw ein cadw ni Ethon ni i mewn i’r llys, a sefyll o said, “This is a bit strong isn't it butt? y shifft yn dechrau tan 6.30. O’n ni wedi dan glo. flân tri ynad. O’n i’n ’nabod un ohonyn We're not the Great Train Robbers!”. cynnau tân mewn drwm pum galwyn er Ypethnesafo’ddeubodnhw’isie nhw. Reit, mae o leia’ un ffrind gen i fan They don't answer. They just look at you mwyn cadw’n gynnes â’r heddlu wedi tynnu llun. Fe ofynnon nhw i mi sefyll yn hyn, meddyliais i. Roedd rhaid cael like you're s*** on their shoes. We were ymuno â ni o gwmpas y tân. Ond dim erbyn wal wen. A dyma un ohonyn penderfyniad unfrydol i’n cadw ni yn y then told that they were after a remand in ond chwe phicedwr o’dd yn cael bod yno nhw’n dweud, “Dere mlaen nawr Ron, ddalfa a doedd e’ ddim yn cytuno. Yn y custody for me and my two brothers. First ar un adeg. Wrth i’r picedwyr gyrraedd diwedd, cawson ni’n rhoi ar gyrffiw o 9 y thing that comes into my mind now was fesul tipyn, o’n nhw’n cael eu denu at y Ma’ hyn dros ben llestri bore tan 9 y nos i’n hatal ni rhag picedu. tân fel gwenyn i bot mêl. Dyma un O’n ni’n gorfod mynd lawr i orsaf This is a bit strong picedwr yn cyrraedd, a’r plisman yn braidd on’d yw e? heddlu’r Coed-duon am 10 o’r gloch bob isn't it butt? dweud wrtho, “Chei di ddim sefyll fan Nage’r Great Train bore a 6 o’r gloch bob nos, saith diwrnod hyn – cer draw fan’na” ac atebodd e, yr wythnos, i lofnodi darn o bapur. O’dd We’re not the “Olreit, wy’n mynd nawr”, ac aros wrth y Robbers y’n ni! rhaid i ni wneud hyn am wythnosau yn tân. Dywedodd y plismon, “Cer, nawr!” yr oerfel. Do’dd hynny ddim yn jôc. Great Train Robbers! a’i daflu ar draws y ffordd. Os na fydden ni’n gwneud hyn, Nawr, dyw John fy mrawd h n ddim rhaid gwneud hyn” ac un arall yn dweud, gallen ni gael ein harestio a’n cadw yn y my horse. So I'm trying to tell my brother yn becso dam amdanyn nhw, a bydde’ “Os na sefi di’n erbyn y wal, gei di ddalfa, a bydden ni’n colli’n swyddi ar ôl Brian to make arrangements for someone fe’n rhoi proc mawr i’r coed bob hyn a glatsien yn dy wyneb”. Un yn neis, a’r y streic. Digwyddodd rhywbeth doniol to look after my horse because I don't hyn. Byddai sbarcs yn mynd i bobman a llall yn gas. A chriw o blismyn yn sefyll pan o’n ni yn swyddfa’r heddlu un bore. know how long I'm going to be gone. lludw gwyn dros iwnifform y plismyn i wrth y drws yn gwylio’r cyfan. Ta beth, Sais oedd y plisman y tro hwn, “Ry’n ni Ridiculous isn't it? I'm on the verge of gyd. Nawr chi’n gweld, o’dd e’n gwneud synnwyr cyffredin enillodd yn y diwedd. wedi dod i lofnodi ein taflenni cyrffiw” going down and here I am worrying about hyn yn fwriadol, ac o’dd yr heddlu’n Fe ges i dynnu’n llun. medden ni. “Ydych chi? Rhaid eich bod my horse. gwybod ’ny’n iawn. Yn sydyn, dyma Pan ethon ni i mewn i’r llys, o’n i’n chi wedi gwneud rhywbeth difrifol iawn i They took us into the court and there nhw’n neidio arnon ni. Ar ôl sgarmes, teimlo cywilydd mawr wrth gael ein haeddu hynny. Beth wnaethoch chi te?”. were three magistrates on the bench. But cefais i a John ein taflu i gefn fan, a John hebrwng drwy’r holl bobl. O’n i’n sownd “Wel, ni yw gwehilion y ddaear, ontife” one of them I knew. So I thought right yn cal cwpwl o belts. Roedd Don Evans, wrth blisman mewn gefynnau, a o’dd ein hateb. Roedd papur newydd y I've got at least one friend here. In order Cadeirydd NACODS, yn cadw llygad ar dywedais i, “Ma’ hyn dros ben llestri Sun wedi’n galw ni’n “scum of the earth”. to remand us in custody they have to have y llinell biced, a dda’th e draw i brotestio braidd on’d yw e? Nage’r Great Train “Beth chi’n ei feddwl?” holodd y plisman. Percy Haines – ‘Penallta’s a unanimous decision and he wouldn't am hyn i gyd cyn i’r heddlu geisio ei Robbers y’n ni!”. Ddywedon nhw ddim “Ni yw’r gelyn oddi mewn”. Deallodd o’r oldest picket’ in NUM have it. So they put us on a curfew from 9 Strike Centre, Ystrad arestio fe! Fe fydden nhw wedi’i arestio fe gair. Dim ond edrych arnon ni fel baw. diwedd. “O! glowyr ydych chi!”. am to 9 pm. The reason for the curfew Mynach Institute hefyd, oni bai am ymyrraeth Terry Yna, ddeallais i eu bod nhw am wneud was to stop us picketing. We had to go Hathaway, Ysgrifennydd NACODS. cais i ’nghadw i a’r ddau frawd yn y Ron Stoate, Is-gadeirydd Cyfrinfa’r down to Blackwood police station at 10 Ethon nhw â ni i orsaf heddlu ddalfa. Y peth cyntaf ddaeth i’m meddwl NUM, Pwll Penallta am every morning and 6 pm every night, seven days a week, and sign a sheet. We had to do that for weeks and weeks and weeks in the bitter cold. And that was no joke. The thing was if we didn't do it they would have arrested us, remanded us in THE ENEMY WITHIN! custody and we would have lost our jobs after the strike. One amusing thing hap- pened when we went to the station one We were picketing outside were arriving, they were coming to the fire their uniforms. Now he was doing this de- They took us to Caerphilly police sta- And one is saying, “Come on now Ron morning. There was this English police- Penallta and it was winter, per- like moths around a light. This one picket liberately, see, and they know he's doing it tion and this policeman came up to me you've got to have it done”. And there's man there. We said, “We've come to sign haps January or February, and it comes over and the police says to him, deliberately. All of a sudden they jumped and said, “You, you b****** you” and he another saying, “If you don't get up our curfew sheets”. “Have you? You must was bitter cold, with snow on the “You can't stand here – get over there!” and us. After a struggle, they threw me and my put his fist under my chin. My brother against that wall I'll punch your face in.” have done something serious for this. So ground. And it was the early hours of the he went, “Oh all right, I'll go now”, and elder brother John in the back of the van John said, “Ooh, he doesn't like you!” It One's being nice, the other's being nasty. what have you done then?”, “Well we're morning about three or four o'clock. You just stood there warming his hands by the and they are giving him a good roughing- turned out, when we went to court, that And there's a crowd of policemen in the the scum of the earth”. Now if you re- had to be there then because they'd bring fire. The policeman said, “You'll go now!” up. Now Don Jones, the NACODS he reckoned I’d given him a hairline frac- doorway watching all this. Anyway, com- member, The Sun newspaper had branded the scabs in anytime after 4.30 even and threw him across the road. Chairman, who was on the picket line ob- ture of the ribs. I'd never seen him before mon sense prevails doesn't it? I have my the miners that. “What do you mean?” though their shift start time was 6.30. We Now my older brother John, he don't serving, came over to protest at all this and he shoved his fist under my face! Anyhow, photo taken. “Well, we're the enemy within”. A flash had a fire lit in a five-gallon drum so we give a f*** for them and he was shaking the next thing the police tried to arrest they locked us up. When we get to the court we're all of recognition then, “Oh you're miners!" could keep warm. Now the police were the wood about in the brazier. So all these him. They would have too if Terry The next thing now is they want to marched through all these people milling around the fire like us. But they would only sparks were going everywhere and the po- Hathaway, the NACODS Secretary, take my photo. They had a white-painted about and it's humiliating. We are all Ron Stoate, NUM Lodge allow six pickets around it. As the pickets lice were getting this white soot all over hadn't intervened. wall and they wanted me against this wall. handcuffed individually to policemen. I Vice-Chairman, Penallta Colliery

36 37 CYWILYDD I FOD YN AELOD ASHAMED TO BE A MEMBER O’R NUM OF THE NUM

The following five anonymous letters were sent to the NUM lodge office at South Celynen Colliery during the strike.

 Dear Sir and all the other union offi- cials. May I say this to you concerning your threat to allow Celynen Pit to flood if miners who have returned to work do not stop again. Do your worst, the people of Britain are not giving in to blackmail. Let the pit flood and let all the miners be without work, plus lose any redundancy money which they could not claim. We are fed up with law breaking etc. We have Cafodd y pum llythyr dienw canlynol eu ddioddef? Caeodd 130 o byllau dan y  Unwaith eto, hoffwn i a ’ngwraig seen enough in this country of miners hanfon i swyddfa cyfrinfa’r NUM ym blaid Lafur, ond ni soniwyd yr un gair. ddiolch i Gyfrinfa De Celynen am thinking they are above the law. One Mhwll De Celynen yn ystod y streic. Chafodd yr un dyn yr un geiniog o helpu’r Comiwnydd gythrel Arthur day the whole lot of you will give an iawndal. Daethon ni mas dros Bwll Scargill i’n rhoi ni ar y clwt. Dydyn ni account to the Lord God. And that is Lewis Merthyr ym 1983. Dywedodd y ddim yn hoffi Margaret Thatcher nac  nearer than you think. Annwyl Syr a holl swyddogion eraill Comiwnydd Scargill a’i griw wrthon ni Ian Macgregor, ond am Arthur Scargill Law abiding citizen yr undeb. Hoffwn ymateb i’ch by- ble i fynd. Eleni, ry’n ni mas eto am fod a Mick MacGahey, wel – ry’n ni’n eu Left: Graffiti, tai bach cyhoeddus  My wife and I would again like to gythiad i adael i Bwll Celynen orlifo os un pwll wedi cau yn ardal Scargill. casáu nhw â chas perffaith. Dyw lly- Abercarn. thank the South Celynen Lodge for na fydd y glowyr sydd wedi dychwelyd Beth sydd mor arbennig am ardal wydd arall y glowyr, y comiwnydd di- Above:: Gweithwyr wnaeth dorri’r streic helping that communist b****** Arthur  I work in the South Celynen in the yn rhoi’r gorau i weithio. Gwnewch fel Scargill? Mae gen i gywilydd o fod yn awledig arall ’na, Emlyn Williams, yn cael eu cludo gartref mewn tacsi ar ôl Scargill to take us into poverty. We BU area. It is my wish and hope that y mynnwch, ni fydd pobl Prydain yn aelod o’r NUM oherwydd y pethau ddim gwerth sôn amdano. Terry shifft ym Mhwll y Cwm, hydref 1984 don’t like Margaret Thatcher or Ian Emlyn William – President, Terry ildio i flacmel. Gadewch i’r pwll orlifo a sy’n digwydd. Dwi ddim yn Gomiwnydd, Thomas, Dr Kim Howells – dau gle- Left: Graffiti on public toilets at Abercarn. Macgregor but Arthur Scargill and Williams – Vice President and that gadewch i’r glowyr fod heb waith, a a dwi ddim yn fodlon bod allan o waith brwr wast, hunanbwysig. Os na allwch Above: Strike-breakers being driven home Mick MacGahey – we hate their guts. other nut Dutfield also you stupid cholli unrhyw arian diswyddo na allent oherwydd y diawled ’na. Mae’n hen chi weld mai’r comiwnyddion sy’n in a taxi after a shift at Cwm Colliery, That so called other president of the lodge men. It is my wish and hope that ei hawlio. Rydyn ni wedi cael hen bryd i’r dynion sydd am weithio ddef- rhedeg y streic a bod glowyr Gwent yn autumn 1984 miners, that other communist b******, you and your families live in poverty ddigon o dorcyfraith ac ati. Rydyn ni fro a dweud hynny wrth y picedwyr. cael eu harwain i ddifancoll, rhaid eich Emlyn Williams, isn’t worth a mention. for the rest of your natural lives for wedi hen flino ar y glowyr sy’n meddwl Dienw bod chi’n ddwl. Dylai Emlyn Williams TerryThomas,DrKimHowells–just helping that stupid b***** Scargill to eu bod uwchlaw cyfraith gwlad. Rhyw gael ei ddiswyddo heb geiniog o iawn- two bags of wind, full of their own im- take the south Wales miner into de-  ddydd, bydd pob un ohonoch yn rhoi dal. Myself and wife would like to thank portance. If you lot can’t see that this spair. My only real dream now is to cyfrif i’r Arglwydd Dduw. Ac mae’r di-  Hoffwn i a fy ngwraig ddiolch i aelo- Anhysbys the members of the South Celynen strike is communist run and that the wrnod hwnnw’n nes nag yr ydych yn dau cyfrinfa De Celynen am ein har- see you all drop dead on top of the lodge for taking us into a life of Gwent miner is being led to despair ei feddwl. wain i fywyd o dlodi. Hoffem ddiolch pit. poverty. We would also like to thank you must be dull wasters. Emlyn Anon. Dinesydd sy’n parchu’r gyfraith hefyd i ddau byped Scargill, Emlyn CAS PERFFAITH those two puppets of Scargill’s, Emlyn Williams should be sacked out of hand Williams a Terry Thomas, am helpu’r Williams and Terry Thomas for helping without any compensation. cythrel Scargill ’na i wneud hynny. Bob Llythyr i’r NCB gan ‘löwr sy’n gweithio’ that b****** Scargill to do it. We pray Anon.   I work in the South Celynen Colliery. Dwi’n gweithio ym mhwll De nos, rydyn ni’n gweddïo y bydd ar ôl diwedd y streic every night that some terrible accident Celynen yn ardal BU. Dwi’n dymuno damwain ddifrifol yn taro Cyfrinfa De How much longer has the Gwent befalls the South Celynen Lodge, also ^ miner got to put up with this ac yn gobeithio’r canlynol i Emlyn Celynnen, a bod eich gwragedd a’ch  Dwi’n ofni am fy mywyd oherwydd that your wives and your children SHEER INTENSITY OF HATRED Communist run farce of a strike. The Williams – Llywydd, Terry Williams – plant yn dal rhyw fath o frech sy’n ar- yr holl gasineb sydd tuag ata i’n catch some kind of pox which they die labour party closed 130 pits, not one Is-lywydd a’r ffwl Dutfiled ’na, twpsod wain at farwolaeth araf a chreulon. bersonol. Er ’mod i a’m cydweithwyr a slow and painful death. Anyone who Letter from a ‘working miner’ to the word was said, not one man received y gyfrinfa. Gobeithio y byddwch chi Mae pwy bynnag sy’n dweud ei fod yn yn derbyn y byddai rhywfaint o elyni- says they are satisfied with this strike NCB after the strike ended. compensation. 1983 we came out over a’ch teuluoedd yn byw mewn tlodi am cytuno â’r streic naill ai’n dwp neu aeth yn ein herbyn, mae’r holl ddr- have either been brain washed or is Lewis Merthyr Colliery. That weddill eich oes am helpu’r cythrel wedi’i gyflyru i feddwl felly. Pe bai pwll wgdeimlad sydd wedi dwysáu i lefelau stupid. If a pit had been shut in Wales  The sheer intensity of hatred against Communist Scargill and his bunch told gwirion Scargill i arwain glowyr de wedi cau yn ne Cymru yn hytrach nag LLOFRUDDIAETH yn cadarnhau eu instead of that b****** Scargill’s area myself personally, leaves me in fear of our boys where to go. This year be- Cymru i bwll anobaith. Fy unig freud- yn ardal y cachgi Scargill ’na, fydden bod nhw am fy ngwaed i – dwi’n we would never have been out on my life. Although my work mates and I cause they shut one pit in Scargill's dwyd nawr yw eich gweld chi gyd yn ni ddim ar streic. Pan oedd y ddau dweud hyn wrthych gan y byddai strike. When those two puppets appreciated that there would be some area we are out again. What is so spe- syrthio’n farw ar ben y pwll. byped E. Williams a T. Thomas yn codi parhau i weithio dan y fath amgylchi- E.Williams and T.Thomas draw six animosity, the degree of hostility, cial about Scargill's area? The things Dienw chwe mis o gyflog iddyn nhw’u hunain adau gyfystyr â hunanladdiad. months wages for themselves and which has escalated to MURDEROUS that are going on make me ashamed a’u teipyddes cyn y streic, a’n galw ni Dienw typists prior to the strike, then bring us pitch, verifies that they are out for allan am ddiawl o ddim, yna mae’n to be a member of the NUM. I am not out for f*** all it's about time this was blood – I am bringing these facts to  Dwi’n gweithio ym Mhwll De hen bryd i rywun ymchwilio i hynny. Mi a Communist and object to being put looked into. I bet they laugh their your attention as for me to continue to Celynen. Faint mwy o’r streic chw- fentra’ i eu bod nhw’n chwerthin nerth out of work by the b******s. It's about heads off in their offices in Cardiff. You work under such circumstances would erthinllyd hon dan law’r Comiwny- eu pennau yn eu swyddfeydd yng time that the men who want to work dull b******s. be suicidal. ddion sy’n rhaid i lowyr Gwent ei Nghaerdydd. Y twpsod diawl. woke up and told the pickets that. Anon. Anon. Anon. 38 Dienw 39 Cefais fy ngeni yng Nglynebwy, ac (fel rhyw fath o hobi) nes i’r band ohonom i Orsaf B er Drax, sefyll ar y FE WNAETHON NI roedddad-cuynlöwr.Ar ôl gadael yr ddechrau dod yn llwyddiannus. Roedden llinell biced yno, a chael sylw ysgol, y dewis oedd naill ai mynd ’lawr y ni’n gwybod fod galw mawr am ‘The cenedlaethol. Doedd Virgin, ein cwmni pwll neu i waith dur Glynebwy – felly Flying Pickets’, a chofiwch mai ym recordio, ddim yn hapus iawn, ac yn dewisais i’r gwaith dur. Roeddwn i wedi mlynyddoedd cynnar Thatcheriaeth oedd gwrthod gadael i ni fynd i bicedu. Felly, bod yn sosialydd mawr erioed, a chefais i hyn, a bod cryn dipyn o ymgyrchu yn ei fe ddywedon ni “Beth chi’n mynd i BOPETH POSIBL ’ngwaith actio cyntaf gyda chwmnïau herbyn, ‘yn erbyn yr ast!’ Fe wnaethon ni wneud ’te, trefnu llinell biced yng ngorsaf theatr gwleidyddol. Fe wnaethon ni sioe lawer iawn o gyngherddau – ymddangos Kings Cross i’n rhwystro ni rhag dal y wedi’i seilio ar Ddeddf Cyllid Tai 1972, mewn sioeau cabare gyda phobl fel Alexei trên i Sir Efrog?”. Yna, cafodd ein hail gan werthu pob tocyn a theithio am Sayle, Ben Elton, Rick Mayall, Keith Allen sengl ei rhyddhau, sef When You’re Brian Hibbard yn One Big Blow flwyddyn gron. Yna, fe ymunais â chwmni moel – y criw yna i gyd; ac roedd hi’n Young and in Love. Ges i’n synnu gyda’r theatr o’r enw ‘7:84’ sef ‘7% o’r llwyddiant rhyfeddol. Aethon ni ar ymateb pan aethon ni ar y teledu i roi boblogaeth yn rheoli 84% o’r cyfoeth’. deithiau mawr gyda phobl fel Dionne cyhoeddusrwydd i’r gân, a dweud ein bod Aethon ni ati i greu sioe One Big Blow am Warwick a llwyddodd ein record Only You ni’n cefnogi’r glowyr. Diawch erioed, fand pres y glowyr. Roedd hi’n roedd W.H. Smiths yn gwrthod llwyddiannus dros ben, a buon ni ar ddwy Fe benderfynon ni gwerthu’r albwm oherwydd ein cysylltiad daith yng nghymoedd y de. Bydden ni’n â’r ‘hwliganiaid’ hyn. Byddai pobl fel cael cwpwl o beints ar ôl pob sioe, ac yna’n alw’n hunain yn Henry Kelly a Harry Carpenter yn ein neidio i gefn y fan a chael hwyl wrth ganu. ‘The Flying Pickets’ gwawdio ni ar y teledu. Efallai ei bod Gofynnodd theatr gymunedol yn wedi gwneud drwg i’n gyrfaoedd ni, ond Deptford a fydden i a’r bois yn fodlon nid dyna’r pwynt. Gr∑p gwleidyddol canu mewn cyngerdd i godi arian at i gyrraedd rhif un y siartiau pop. Dyma ni, oedden ni, ac roedd yn rhaid i ni ddilyn achos da. Bu trafod mawr dros enw’r yn gysylltiedig â’r theatr wleidyddol ers y trywydd hwnnw. band. Yn y diwedd, fe benderfynon ni blynyddoedd, yn canfod ein hunain ar Roeddwn i’n byw yn ne-ddwyrain alw’n hunain yn ‘The Flying Pickets’ lwyfan Top of the Pops,ynmeddwl Llundain ar y pryd, ac un noson, oherwydd ein cysylltiad â streic y glowyr “yffarn dân, syniad pwy oedd ’yn bois?” roeddwn i’n cerdded o amgylch y Cutty ym 1972 a 1974. Fe wnaethon ni sioe i Pan aeth y glowyr ar streic, fe ffoniais Sark yn Greenwich pan gwrddais i â rhai ddathlu gwrthryfel y werin gyda Tony i swyddfeydd yr NUM yn syth i ofyn o fois pwll y Betws, Rhydaman. Roedden Benn a llawer o fudd-gyngherddau eraill “Beth allwn ni ei wneud?” Felly, aeth tri nhw’n chwilio am rywle i aros, felly fe 

I was born in Ebbw Vale, my Pickets. We did a show celebrating the When the miners went on strike, I grandfather was a miner. I had the Peasants Revolt with Tony Benn and after was immediately on the phone to the option of going down the pit or into did a lot of benefits (as a kind of a hobby) NUM offices saying “What do you want Ebbw Vale Steel Works when I left school until The Flying Pickets really took off. us to do?” So three of us ended up going – so I went into the steelworks. I suppose We knew that there was a demand for up to Drax Power Station and standing on I have always been a socialist and my first The Flying Pickets, you’re talking now the picket line there and it got national jobs in the acting profession were in po- about the early years of Thatcherism, and coverage. The record company, Virgin, litical theatre companies. We actually did weren’t happy with us and told us we a show about the 1972 Housing Finance couldn’t go. So we said “What you going Act, which we toured for a year and sold We decided to call to do then, have a picket line at Kings out. I later joined a theatre company ourselves Cross Station to stop us jumping on the called ‘7:84’ which stood for ‘7% of the train to Yorkshire?” Then the second sin- population control 84% of the wealth’. I The Flying Pickets gle came out called When You’re Young joined them to do a show called One Big and in Love. I was amazed at the reactions Blow which was about a miners’ brass there was an obvious movement against when we went on television promoting band. It was incredibly successful and we her, you know, ‘against the bitch!’ So we the single and said that we supported the did two tours of the south Wales valleys. did lots of gigs – we did a cabaret circuit miners. God, WH Smiths wouldn’t stock We’d have a couple of pints after, and with people like Alexei Sayle, Ben Elton, the album because of our association with then we’d all jump into the back of the Rick Mayall, bald Keith Allen – all that ‘thuggery’. People like Henry Kelly and transit van and start singing for our own gang; and that was incredibly successful. Harry Carpenter would make jibes at us amusement. We ended up doing tours, very large on television. I suppose career-wise it was Brian Hibbard in One Big Blow There was a community theatre in tours, with people like Dionne Warwick probably detrimental. But that wasn’t the Deptford asking if I could get the boys to and then we had the number one hit point, we were political animals and we sing in a benefit concert. We debated record, Only You. We had all been in- had to go the way we did. what we were going to call ourselves. volved in political theatre for years and I lived in south-east London at the Because of our involvement in the 1972 then to suddenly find ourselves on Top of time and I was walking around The Cutty WE DID WHAT WE COULD and 1974 miners’ strike up in Yorkshire the Pops, thinking “f****** hell, whose Sark in Greenwich one night and met some we decided to call ourselves The Flying idea was this boys?” boys from Betws Pit, Ammanford. 

40 41 FE WNAETHON NI BOPETH POSIBL

 rois i allwedd y fflat iddyn nhw. Buon mlynyddoedd cynnar ei ‘theyrnasiad’. Fe nhw’n defnyddio’r fflat wedyn bob tro gawson nhw flas arni yn ystod ddaethon nhw draw i gasglu arian. Dwi’n terfysgoedd Brixton a Handsworth ym CAU PWLL credu eu bod nhw wedi cael eu synnu gan 1981. Dwi’n cofio’r bechgyn yn mynd y croeso gawson nhw yn ne-ddwyrain lan i Orgreave a chael eu llorio gan drais Llundain. Doedd dim angen iddyn nhw yr heddlu yn erbyn glowyr diarfog oedd brynu peint mewn sawl tafarn. Fe yn brwydro dros eu swyddi. Dwi’n credu wnaethon ni gig i’r NUM yng Nghaint, bod Thatcher yn benderfynol o sicrhau LLADD CYMUNED budd-gyngerdd yn yr Albert Hall gyda na fyddai beth ddigwyddodd i Dennis Skinner, Alexei Sayle a band lywodraeth Heath ym 1974 yn digwydd reggae o’r enw Azwad – fe wnaethon ni eto. Pan ddywedodd hi nad oes y fath bopeth posibl i gefnogi’r glowyr. beth â chymdeithas, beth roedd hi’n ei Roedden nhw’n trefnu raffl er budd olygu mewn gwirionedd oedd nad oedd y yr NUM yng Nglynebwy, a gofynnwyd i fath beth â chymunedau dosbarth gwaith. mi gyfrannu rhywbeth. “Iawn”, atebais i, Wrth drechu’r glowyr, cafodd “fe gewch chi un o’r cotiau gwaith gyda’r mudiad undebau llafur Prydain ei geiriau ‘The Flying Pickets’ ar y cefn”. chwalu’n rhacs hefyd – ac fe lwyddodd Roeddwn i’n perfformio mewn sioe yn Thatcher i greu cenhedlaeth hunanol. Hi Birmingham ar y pryd, ac roedd rhaid i greodd ddemocratiaeth o bobl oedd yn mi sicrhau bod y gôt ’ma’n cyrraedd berchen ar eu cartrefi eu hunain, a Glynebwy rhywsut. Ges i lifft i lawr – a gwerthu tai cyngor. Sut ar wyneb y dwi erioed wedi cyrraedd yno mor gyflym! ddaear oedd disgwyl i blant tai cyngor Roedden ni newydd ryddhau record oedd yn gwneud gwaith bôn braich, allu lwyddiannus, ac roeddwn i’n eithaf amlwg fforddio prynu t ? Roeddwn i’n gweithio gyda’r locsys mawr ’na! Dyna lle’r oeddwn yn Llundain, ac yn gweld pobl yn i’n sefyll ar ochr y ffordd, pan stopiodd Brian Hibbard yn Big Pit, 2008 slochian poteli siampên wrth aros am y Brian Hibbard at Big Pit in 2008 rhyw gar mwya’ sydyn â’r gyrrwr yn bws nos yn Sgwâr Trafalgar. Dyma’r dweud “ff***n ’el mêt, dwi newydd genhedlaeth “fi, fy arian i, a thwll eich glywed ti ar y radio, ble ti’n mynd?” ac chôt waith i godi arian ar gyfer y glowyr! tinau chi”. Roeddwn i’n eu casáu nhw atebais i “Dwi’n mynd â chôt gwaith i Dwi’n credu bod Thatcher wedi bryd hynny, ac yn dal i wneud heddiw. Lynebwy” ac fe es i yno a nôl mewn cynllunio’r gwrthdaro gyda Scargill ac pedair awr – dim ond er mwyn mynd â wedi ‘milwreiddio' yr heddlu ym Brian Hibbard, Caerdydd

WE DID WHAT WE COULD

 They were looking for somewhere to quite distinctive with the side burns and I as society, what she really wanted to say stay so we gave them the key to the flat. was standing beside the road and all of a was there was no such thing as working They used to use it as a base to come up sudden this car comes to a halt and the class communities. collecting. I think that they were surprised driver says, “f***** hell mate, I just had The defeat of the miners completely by the reception they got in south-east you on the radio, where you going?” I said destroyed the trade union movement in London as they were welcomed with open “I’m taking a donkey jacket down to Ebbw this country but Thatcher also succeeded arms. In a lot of the pubs, they didn’t have Vale” and I got to Ebbw Vale and back in in creating the ‘me generation’. She cre- to buy a pint. We did gigs for the NUM about four hours – just to drop a donkey ated the property-owning democracy, she in Kent, we did a benefit in the Albert jacket to raise money for the miners! sold off council houses. I mean how do WHEN THEY CLOSE Hall with Dennis Skinner, Alexei Sayle I think that Thatcher engineered the kids who were brought up in a council and a reggae band called Azwad – we did confrontation with Scargill and ‘mili- house doing manual jobs get on the hous- what we could to support the miners. tarised’ the police force throughout the ing ladder? I was working in London and They were organizing a raffle for the early part of her ‘reign’. They practiced in you’d see the people waiting for the all NUM in Ebbw Vale, so they asked me if the Brixton and Handsworth riots of night bus in Trafalgar Square and they A PIT THEY KILL there was anything I could raffle. I said 1981. I remember those boys going up to would be swigging from bottles of cham- “Yes, you can have one of the donkey Orgreave and being just blown away by pagne. They had, to quote Macmillan, jackets with ‘The Flying Pickets’ on the the violence of the police against unarmed ‘never had it so good’. It was the ‘me, my back”. I was in Birmingham at the time miners just fighting for their jobs. I think money and f*** you lot!’ generation, doing a show and I had to get this donkey that Thatcher was determined that what which I despised then, and still do. A COMMUNITY jacket down to Ebbw Vale. I hitched happened to the Heath Government in down – and I’ve never got there so 1974 was never going to happen again. Brian Hibbard, Cardiff quickly! We’d had the hit record and I was When she said that there is no such thing

42 43 CAU PWLL LLADD CYMUNED WHEN THEY CLOSE A PIT THEY KILL A COMMUNITY

Ar ddiwrnod galw’r streic, daeth fy Ar ôl i ni ffurfio Gr∑p y Menywod, – glowyr a heddlu. Daeth criw o fenywod The day that the strike was called, ers didn’t want us except to collect the they sit. The police weren’t interested in ngwr,^ John, adref o’i waith ym cynhaliwyd cyfarfod yn Aberaman. Comin Greenham aton ni. Roedden my husband John came home food and give it out! But we wanted to go us, they just made a beeline for them; they Mhwll y Twr^ a dweud, “Y’n ni mas. Doedd y glowyr ddim am i ni wneud dim nhw’n hen lawiau ar rwystro’r traffig trwy from work in Tower Colliery and picketing and we had a bus donated for wanted to make their name arresting Ond wy’n dweud’tho ti nawr, nage streic mwy na chasglu a dosbarthu’r bwyd! eistedd ar y ffordd. Doedd yr heddlu said “We’re out. But I’m telling you the women to go. I’ll never forget that day Greenham women. ’nôl ddydd Llun fydd hi'r tro ’ma, mae Ond roedden ni eisiau picedu, a chawson ddim yn becso amdanon ni, roedd now, this isn’t going to be a ‘back in work because we were so proud of our bus! We We had a lot of help from people, es- hon am fod yn un hir”. Ond doedd dim ni fws i gludo’r menywod. Anghofia’i fyth ganddyn nhw fwy o ddiddordeb mewn Monday’ strike, this is going to be a long went from the village, went to Aberaman, pecially the printers’ union SOGAT. syniad gyda ni pa mor galed oedd mo’r diwrnod hwnnw, roedden ni mor gwneud enw iddyn nhw’u hunain trwy one”. But we didn’t know just how hard Mountain Ash – picked the women up They provided a party here at Christmas Thatcher am fod ar y glowyr. browd o’n bws! Aethon ni o bentref i arestio un o fenywod Greenham. Thatcher was going to be with the miners. from all over. Got to Port Talbot, go in time which, I know sounds odd, was O fewn mis, fe ddechreuon ni gasglu bentref, i Aberaman, Aberpennar – yn Fe gawson ni lawer o gymorth gan Within a month we started to collect through these big gates, and there are po- probably the best Christmas some of the arian ar gyfer y parseli bwyd. Roedden ni codi menywod o bob man. Ymlaen i Bort bobl, yn enwedig SOGAT, undeb yr for the food parcels. At that time there was lice looking at us, and I thought this is children ever had. They had more that am fynd ar yr orymdaith fawr yn Talbot, drwy’r giatiau mawr ’na, gweld argraffwyr. Aethon nhw ati i drefnu parti goingtobeabigmarchinLondonand great they’re not stopping our bus, we did year than they would have ever had on a Llundain, ond doedd ein gw¥r ni ddim yr heddlu’n edrych arnon ni a meddwl Nadolig, ac mae’n od dweud hyn, ond we wanted to go on it but the men would- what the men couldn’t do, we’d got into miner’s wage. There were companies yn fodlon. Roedd rhaid i ni wthio’n “Grêt, dy’n nhw ddim yn stopio’r bws”. dyma un o’r partïon Nadolig gorau n’t let us. So we forcibly pushed ourselves the steelworks! We were actually in the sending 200 Christmas annuals down and ffordd ar y bws ac i’r orymdaith. O hynny Roedden ni wedi llwyddo ble’r oedd y gafodd plant yr ardal erioed. Cawson nhw onto the bus and we went on the march. crematorium – we’d gone in through the every sort of book or game you could ymlaen, roeddwn i eisiau mynd i bicedu a dynion wedi methu, sef mynd i mewn i’r fwy o bethau’r flwyddyn honno na After this I really wanted to go picketing wrong gates! Well we eventually got to the think of as well as boxes of biscuits and chael cyfle i ddweud ein dweud. fydden nhw erioed wedi’i gael ar gyflog and put our case forward. There was a other luxuries. Roedd hi’n flwyddyn Gofynnwyd i mi siarad mewn cyfarfod yn glöwr. Roedd cwmnïau’n anfon 200 o meeting in the Brangwyn Hall in Swansea It was a hard year It was a hard year and the years that Neuadd y Brangwyn, Abertawe, a dyna anodd, a’r blynyddoedd flwyddlyfrau Nadolig a llyfrau a gemau o and I was asked to make a speech there, followed were harder. Thatcher really did ddechrau’r cyfan. bob math, yn ogystal â bocsys o fisgedi a and that was the start of it. and the years that her job. When Thatcher smashed the wedyn yn anoddach fyth Bues i’n annerch pobl ac yn casglu phethau da eraill. I went all over the country speaking followed were harder miners, she smashed the unions, because it arian ar gyfer y glowyr ar hyd a lled y Roedd hi’n flwyddyn anodd, a’r and collecting for the miners. It sounds was never about coal, it was about break- wlad. Mae hyn yn swnio braidd yn od, gwaith dur! Ond yn yr amlosgfa oedden blynyddoedd wedyn yn anoddach fyth. daft but we had to fight our way on to the ing the unions and the communities paid ond roedden ni’n gorfod brwydro’n ni mewn gwirionedd – aethon ni drwy’r Roedd Thatcher wedi’i gwneud hi go picket lines at first – and it wasn’t only the picket line and the boys were all cheering a high price for it. When you close a pit ffordd drwy’r llinellau piced i ddechrau – giatiau anghywir! Gyrhaeddon ni’r llinell iawn. Pan lwyddodd hi i chwalu’r glowyr, police against us! But when the men saw and from that day on the women were al- you close a community and this is now a ac nid yn erbyn yr heddlu chwaith! Ond biced yn y pen-draw, a’r bois yn gweiddi’n fe chwalodd yr undebau hefyd, oherwydd us there they started to accept us. We lowed on the picket bus. dormitory village, people just live here and pan welodd y dynion ni yno, fe galonogol arnon ni. O’r diwrnod hwnnw nid mater glo oedd hi go iawn ond mater weren’t just behind our men, we were The police didn’t treat the women commute. I honestly don’t think that ddechreuon nhw ein derbyn ni. Roedden ymlaen, cafodd menywod fynd ar y bws o chwalu’r undebau’n deilchion. Fe standing beside them. It was phenomenal, any different from the men, they would there will ever again be that kind of com- ni’n sefyll ochr yn ochr â’n dynion yn picedu. dalodd y cymunedau’n ddrud iawn am by this time women were collecting for hold up five pound notes and say “Come mitment to get together and stand up hytrach na’r tu ôl iddyn nhw. Roedd hi’n Doeddyrheddluddimyntriny hynny. Wrth gau pwll, mae cymuned food parcels, speaking on platforms, going behind here love, do you want one of against what is wrong in this world. gyffrous dros ben, ac erbyn hyn, roedd menywod dim gwahanol i’r dynion. gyfan yn cau. Dim ond pentref noswylio on rallies, picketing. ‘Women against Pit these fivers?” or “Thank your husband for menywod yn casglu ar gyfer parseli bwyd, Bydden nhw’n dal dyrnaid o bapurau sydd yma bellach, lle mae pobl yn byw ac Closures’ was formed. It was one of the my holiday” or “I’ve paid my mortgage Ann Jones, Hirwaun yn siarad ar lwyfannau, yn mynychu pumpunt i fyny ac yn dweud “Dere ’ma yn cymudo i’w gwaith. Dwi ddim yn biggest ever women’s groups. I will always off.” It was constant. It was really fright- ralïau, picedu. Ffurfiwyd gr∑p ‘Women Cariad, ti eisiau un o’r rhain?” neu credu y gwelwn ni’r un fath o ymrwymiad be proud that I was one of the first who ening at Port Talbot because there were against Pit Closures’. Hwn oedd un o’r “Diolch i dy ∑r am fy ngwyliau i” neu byth eto, lle’r oedd pawb yn dod ynghyd started it in south Wales. masses down there – miners and police. A grwpiau merched mwyaf erioed. Bydda “Wy ’di llwyddo i dalu’r morgais i gyd”. i sefyll yn erbyn annhegwch y byd. After we formed the Women’s group of women from Greenham i’n falch am byth mai fi oedd un o’r rhai Fel tôn gron. Roedd hi’n frawychus ym Group, we held a meeting in Aberaman. Common came down. These women cyntaf a ddechreuodd y gr∑p yn y de. Mhort Talbot gyda’r holl bobl oedd yno Ann Jones, Hirwaun We were still at the stage where the min- knew how to block a road, they lock and

44 45 YN GAETH I’R GWIRIONEDD

Yn 1984/85, roeddwn i’n cofnodi’r a’r drwg – rhaid bod yn gaeth i’r reolwr neu swyddog undeb mewn pwll streic ar ran y South Wales Echo. gwirionedd. arbennig. Felly, dois i wybod beth oedd Yn 1984/85, roeddwn i’n cofnodi’r streic Bydden i’n cwrdd â’r streicwyr yn yn digwydd yn gyflym iawn, a gallwn ar ran y South Wales Echo. Fel crwtyn aml – weithiau hyd at 400 ohonyn nhw a ragweld ble fyddai’r stori nesaf yn torri. lleol, gyda thad fu’n gweithio yn y char heddlu i’w canlyn ar ben rhyw Roedd yna bobl frwd, eithafol, ar diwydiant glo am 13 mlynedd a fynydd am dri o’r gloch y bore. Roedd y bob ochr gan gynnwys yr NCB, yr pherthnasau eraill yn lowyr o hyd, roedd streicwyr yn gandryll ag agwedd y wasg heddlu a’r NUM. Roedd hi fel tân gwyllt gen i gysylltiad arbennig â’r diwydiant, a’r cyfryngau Prydeinig, ac yn fy ystyried weithiau! Dwi ddim yn credu bod pobl yn wahanol i newyddiadurwyr y Sun neu i’n un ohonyn nhw i ddechrau – ond fe heddiw’n sylweddoli bod llu o blismyn a staff eraill yr Echo hyd yn oed. Gwasg ddaethon nhw i’m ’nabod i o fewn dim. streicwyr yn aros mewn gwersylloedd Llundain yw herwfilwyr newyddiad- Fe ddois i adnabod y ‘glowyr oedd yn oedd yn debyg i faes y gad ar y pryd, uriaeth; maen nhw’n cyrraedd yr ardal, gweithio’ hefyd, dros y ffôn yn bennaf, ychydig filltiroedd o ganol eu trefi. yn bachu stori, ac yn gadael eto. yn ogystal â’r heddlu a swyddogion y Roedd rhai’n llenwi poteli llaeth â Roeddwn i’n hanu o’r maes glo, ac eisiau Bwrdd Glo. Roeddwn i’n treulio’r rhan phetrol, er mai prin iawn oedd y rheiny adrodd stori’r gymuned. Ond unwaith fwyaf o’r amser, tan hanner nos weithiau, diolch byth! Weithiau, byddai’r streicwyr fyddwch chi’n dechrau ochri ag un yn cydlynu fy nghysylltiadau i weld beth a’r glowyr oedd yn gweithio yn mynd garfan, ac yn penderfynu pa straeon i’w fyddai’n digwydd nesaf ac ym mha bwll. benben â’i gilydd. Byddai plismyn o hargraffu neu eu hepgor, rydych chi’n Byddwn i’n cael y stori swyddogol gan y Loegr yn chwifio darnau papur £50 at colli’r elfen wrthrychol, eich dilysrwydd Bwrdd Glo neu Undeb y Glowyr, a’r lowyr oedd yn byw mewn tlodi, ac o dan a’ch hygrededd. Felly rhaid cofnodi’r da fersiwn answyddogol wedyn gan ryw is- amgylchiadau fel hyn, mae pobl yn si r  A SLAVE TO THE TRUTH

During 1984/85 I covered the So you have to report good and bad – you from the National Coal Board or National strike as a reporter for the South have to be a slave to the truth. Union of Mineworkers but then I’d get Wales Echo. As a local boy, with a fa- I met striking miners often – some- the unofficial line from an under manager ther that worked thirteen years in the coal times up to four hundred of them with a or trade union official at a particular industry, and other family members still police car in attendance on a hilltop at colliery. In this way I got to know pretty in the pits, I had an insight into the coal three o’clock in the morning. These strik- quickly what was going on and I was industry that perhaps a Sun reporter, or ers were understandably furious with the usually able to foresee where a breaking even other Echo reporters, wouldn’t have attitude of the national media and saw me story was. had. The London popular press are the initially as one of them, but they soon got There were hot heads on all sides in- guerrilla fighters of journalism; they come to know me. I also got to know the ‘work- cluding the NCB, police and the NUM. into an area, get their story and get out ing miners’, although usually only over It was an absolute cauldron! I don’t think again. I was from the coalfield and wanted the telephone, and obviously the police people these days realise that in that year to give the community’s story. However and National Coal Board officials as well. there were armies of police and striking once you start allying yourself with one I spent most of my time, up until mid- miners camped just a mile away from their side or another, and deciding which sto- night sometimes, co-ordinating my con- town centres in what looked like a war ries to print or not print, you lose your ob- tacts to find out what was happening at zone. On occasions, thankfully not often, jectivity, your validity and your credibility. which pit next. I would get the official line there were even milk bottles filled with 

46 47 YN GAETH I’R GWIRIONEDD

 o gael eu corddi a’u cythruddo. Ond i gadeirydd yr NCB Ian McGregor – hen gweld unrhyw bwrpas i’r Siartwyr a trwy lwc a synnwyr cyffredin, ni chafwyd ymyrrwr Americanaidd. Dwi’n credu roddodd ddemocratiaeth etholedig i ni terfysgoedd tebyg i’r rhai a welwyd bod dylanwad Philip Weekes yn chwaith. Fe gollais i bob parch ati wedyn. mewn rhai rhannau o Loegr. allweddol wrth atal terfysgoedd yn yr Mae cymunedau’r cymoedd wedi Serch hynny, cafodd gyrrwr tacsi ardal. newid ers y streic. Trideg mlynedd yn ôl, oedd yn cludo glöwr i bwll Ynysowen ei Cafodd colli’r streic effaith roedden ni’n nabod y rhan fwyaf o’n ladd ar ôl i streicwyr daflu darn o goncrit anferthol. Mae’n anodd mesur maint y cymdogion. Heddiw, rydyn ni’n lwcus os at ei gar. Er ei bod yn ddigwyddiad golled a’r effaith yn union, ond cofiwch ydyn ni’n nabod deg y cant ohonyn nhw. unigol, roedd yn drasig dros ben, ac yn mai’r diwydiant glo oedd diwydiant Rydyn ni’n gweithio mewn lleoedd dangos pa mor beryglus o eithafol oedd cymunedol mawr olaf Cymru. Roedd gwahanol, yn addoli mewn lleoedd pethau’n dechrau mynd yn y de. Roedd gennych chi’r elfen ddiwylliannol a gwahanol, yn teithio i’r gwaith mewn pobl yn ystyried gwneud pethau gwallgof chymdeithasol gyda sefydliad y glowyr, bocys bach ac wedi colli llawer o’r ysbryd na fyddai wedi croesi eu meddyliau dan a’r elfen wleidyddol yn y ffaith fod gan cymunedol oedd gennym bryd hynny. amgylchiadau arferol. Dwi’n credu bod yr NUM ddylanwad mawr ar y Blaid Dim ond gobeithio y bydd rhai o llawer o drafodaethau’n cael eu cynnal yn Lafur. Bu colli’r streic yn ergyd farwol i’r nodweddion gorau Cymru fy ieuenctid y cefndir, a llwyddwyd i osgoi’r math o undebau llafur fel yr oeddynt. Mae yn dychwelyd eto. helyntion a welwyd mewn lleoedd eraill. Thatcher yn enwog am ddweud nad oes Roedd gan y ddwy ochr barch mawr at y fath beth â chymdeithas, a doedd hi’n Wayne Nowaczyk, Trecelyn Philip Weekes, cyfarwyddwr yr NCB yn bendant ddim yn gweld unrhyw bwrpas y de. Doedd e’n bendant ddim byd tebyg i undebaeth lafur. Efallai nad oedd hi’n

A SLAVE TO THE TRUTH

Baneri’r NUM ym Mlaenau Ffestiniog, 1984  NUM banners in Blaenau Ffestiniog, 1984 Dorothea Heath petrol! There were occasions when the in the miners’ institutes, an industrial as- Our valley communities have strikers would hit back at the working pect in the fact that men had to work to- changed since the strike. Thirty years ago miners and vice versa. Policemen drafted gether as a team and also a political aspect we would have known most of our neigh- in from England would wave £50 notes at in that the NUM had a great influence bours. Now we probably know less than miners who were on the breadline and in within the Labour Party. Further to that it 10 per cent of them. We all work in dif- those circumstances emotions are going to was the death blow to trade unionism as ferent places, we all worship in different over-run. It was only by good fortune and we knew it. Margaret Thatcher once fa- places, we travel to work in our little boxes common sense that we didn’t see the vio- mously said that there was no such thing and we have lost much of the sense of lence they saw in some parts of England. as society and she definitely didn’t see the community we had then. I only hope that In spite of this, it was here that some point of trade unionism. Well she proba- one day some of the good elements of the strikers threw a piece of concrete on to a bly didn’t see the point in Chartism which Wales I knew as a young man will return. taxi taking a working miner to Merthyr gave us our elected democracy either. At Vale colliery and killed the driver. This that point I lost all respect for her. Wayne Nowaczyk, Newbridge was a very tragic, but isolated incident, which showed just how near the edge things were getting in south Wales. There were crazy ideas coming from people who would never have dreamed of such things in normal circumstances. I think there was a lot of discussion going on behind the scenes which prevented the type of vio- lence seen in other coalfields. Philip Weekes, the director of the NCB in south Wales, was well respected by both sides. He certainly wasn’t like the NCB chair- man Ian McGregor – an American inter- loper. I think that his influence played a big part in the general lack of violence in this area. The loss of the strike had a massive effect. It’s difficult to quantify really but you must bear in mind that coal mining xxx Marching back to work, 1985 was the last great communal industry in Wales. It had a cultural and social aspect

48 49 GWALLGOFRWYDD Tony Benn yn ymweld â maes glo’r de, 1972 ECONOMAIDD

Roeddwn i’n aelod seneddol dros erbyn y glowyr am ei bod hi eisiau cael Beth bynnag, collodd y glowyr eu etholaeth lofaol Chesterfield ar y gwared ar yr undebau llafur. A’r pethau gwaith. Heddiw, mae gwerth 300 pryd. Cefais fy ethol ar ddiwrnod cynta’r ddywedon nhw! Dywedon nhw fod mlynedd o lo dan ein traed, heb unrhyw streic, a chefais 299 o gyfarfodydd ar ran Arthur Scargill yn defnyddio cronfeydd y lowyr i’w gloddio, ac rydyn ni’n rhyfela y glowyr. Rwy’n credu bod Thatcher dros gyflenwadau ynni. Mae costau a wedi trin y glowyr yn warthus. Pobl Rwy’n credu bod gwerth glo mor uchel fel y byddai pob grefftus yw’r glowyr sy’n gwneud gwaith talp ohono’n gwneud synnwyr peryglus dros ben. Mae’r glöwr yn Thatcher wedi trin economaidd. Dwi’n credu bod criw gymeriad diddorol. Ewch i Lundain, ac y glowyr yn warthus gwych o bobl wedi’u trin mor warthus, a mae llawer o bobl yn y Ddinas yn elwa ar bod hyn yn wallgofrwydd economaidd. A fod yn gyfrwysach na’u cymydog, ond os dwi’n gandryll ei bod hi wedi cyfeirio ydych chi’n löwr a bod ffrwydrad nwy glowyridalueiforgais–lolbotes!Un atyn nhw fel ‘y gelyn mewnol’. Roedd neu gwymp yn y pwll, rhaid i chi Calan Mai, roeddwn i gydag e yn Derby hynny’nbethofnadwyi’wddweudac ddibynnu’n llwyr ar y dyn agosaf atoch pan neidiodd dyn ar y llwyfan a’i daro yn wedi fy nghorddi i. Un o’r pethau gorau chi, ac mae hynny’n meithrin teimlad o ei stumog â bar dur. Roedden nhw’n ddigwyddodd i mi erioed oedd cael fy frawdgarwch. dweud mai “un o’r glowyr” oedd e, ond ngwneud yn aelod anrhydeddus o’r Cyfeiriodd Thatcher atyn nhw fel y celwydd noeth oedd hynny – plismon NUM. Fy rhif aelodaeth yw 001 – nawr, gelyn mewnol. Mae’r ffaith ei bod wedi wedi ymddeol oedd e. Roedden ni yng does dim modd rhagori ar hynny os e! dweud hynny am y bobl a adeiladodd y nghanol tyrfa fawr, braidd yn swnllyd, wlad, gyda threnau a llongau wedi’u felly fe gododd ei law, a dyma’r Sun yn Tony Benn gyrru gan lo, yn anhygoel! Fe drodd hi’n dweud mai cyfarchiad Natsïaidd oedd e! ECONOMIC INSANITY

I was a member of parliament for on the miners because she wanted to break Anyway, the miners were sacked. We Chesterfield, which was a mining the trade union movement. And what now have 300 years of coal under our ter- constituency. I was elected there the they said! They said that Arthur Scargill ritory, we have no miners to dig it and day the miners’ strike began and I did 299 was using the miners’ funds to fund his we’re having wars about energy. The cost meetings for the miners. I think that what mortgage – a bloody lie! I was with him of coal, the value of coal, is so high that Thatcher did to the miners was criminal, in Derby on May Day when a guy every bit of coal would be economic. So I that’s my opinion. Miners are highly think that it was not only a criminal treat- skilled people doing extremely dangerous I think that what ment of a wonderful group of people but work. The thing about a miner is inter- also an economic insanity. To add to it all, esting, many people in the City of Thatcher did to the calling them the ‘enemy within’, it really London make profits by outsmarting their miners was criminal chewed me up about that, I’m afraid. It neighbour, but if you’re a miner and was a terrible thing to have done and one there’s a roof fall, gas or an explosion, you of the proudest things to have ever hap- have to rely 100 per cent on the guy next jumped up on the platform and struck pened to me was that I was made an hon- to you and it breeds solidarity in the min- him in the stomach with a steel bar. They orary member of the NUM and my ing industry. said it was a ‘working miner’, it was a honorary membership number is 001 – Thatcher said that they were the bloody lie – it was a retired policeman. you can’t get much better than that! enemy within. To say that about people We were in a big crowd and it was a bit who built the country with coal fired loud so he put his hand up and The Sun Tony Benn trains and ships – incredible! She turned said it was a Nazi salute! Tony Benn visiting a south Wales colliery in 1972 50 MYND YN GROES I’R I WOULD NEVER GO UNDEB? BYTH! AGAINST MY UNION

Ar y dydd Sadwrn, roedd Pwll y Cwm wedi pleidleisio yn erbyn y streic, ond erbyn dydd Llun, roedden ni wedi cael ein cau allan gan bicedwyr o Bwll y Maerdy. Fe wnes i bleidleisio o blaid streicio, ond roedd e’n benderfyniad anodd o feddwl sut fydden ni’n ymdopi. Roedden ni eisoes wedi bod yn gwahardd goramser ers tri mis, ac roedd pethau’n galed. Fe gadwes i’n brysur gydol y streic, yn coginio, smwddio, golchi llestri, mynd mas i gerdded a phicedu rhywfaint! Roedd y dyletswyddau picedu’n cael eu trefnu drwy ganolfan streic y Cwm yn y Neuadd Les, ac roeddwn i’n mynd yno’n rheolaidd i gael y newyddion diweddaraf. Roeddwn i’n un o dîm o bedwar oedd yn picedu yng Ngwaith Sment Aberddawan a Phwerdy Aberddawan. Es i ddim i Nottingham na Derby, felly welais i mo’r helyntion mawr a ddangoswyd ar y teledu. Er hynny, fe es i lobïo Cynhadledd ddyletswydd. Roedd pobl eraill yn stopio Chwith: Pwll y Cwm ym Mhwerdy Cwm Colliery initially voted Picketing at Aberthaw was usually Left: Cwm Colliery pickets at Aberthaw y Blaid Lafur yn Brighton. Roedd hynny gyda phasteiod, ac fe gawson ni botel o Aberddawan – George yw’r un ar y dde against strike action on the quiet. In the beginning, some of the lorry Power Station – George is on the right Canol: Lorïau ar y ffordd i Bwerdy Centre: Lorries heading for Aberthaw rhyw wythnos cyn i’r bom ffrwydro yng wisgi gan ryw yrrwr lorri unwaith. Am Saturday but we were picketed drivers would stop to hear our arguments Aberddawan. Power Station out by Maerdy Colliery men on the nghynhadledd y Ceidwadwyr yno. Roedd brynhawn bendigedig! Yr haf wedyn, De: Glan Jones, picedwr ym Mhwll y Cwm but mostly they just drove past us. Right: Glan Jones, Cwm Colliery picket y glowyr dan amheuaeth i ddechrau, ond bydden ni’n ‘benthyca’ llwyth o gorn o Monday morning. Personally, I had Occasionally we would have a purge on dwi’n cofio un o’r bois yn dweud, “Os gae ffermwr cyfagos. Dwi’n credu mai p∑r dab. Ond gan ei fod e’n ddigon da i voted for the strike but it was a difficult the lorries and a lot of pickets would turn taw ni oedd e, fydden ni wedi’i chael hi”, bwyd i’r gwartheg oedd e i fod, ond bwyd redeg o flaen y car, wnaethon ni ddim decision as I wondered how we were going up to try and block the road. We’d have a used to stop and give us pies and pasties, sef Thatcher. oedd bwyd, hyd yn oed os oedd e braidd gwastraffu dim! to manage. We had already been on a bit of a push and shove with the police, one lorry driver gave us a bottle of whisky Roedd pethau’n eithaf tawel ymhlith yn galed – fel bwyta graean! Roedden Cawson ni gymorth o bob cwr. three-month overtime ban and times were some of us would get arrested but the next and we had a wonderful afternoon! picedwyr Aberddawan. Yn y dechrau, ni’n chwarae gwyddbwyll i basio’r amser, Roedd mam yn dda iawn, ac roedd genyn hard. I kept busy during the strike, I did day it would be business as usual. To pass During the summer we ‘borrowed’ a load byddai rhai o’r gyrwyr y lorïau’n stopio i ni gymdogion da, yn enwedig y Parchedig the cooking, ironing, dishes, went out of sweet corn from a farmer’s field. I think wrando ar ein dadleuon ni, ond roedd y Yn y dechrau, byddai rhai Price. Roedd yr NUM yn dosbarthu walking and I also did a bit of picketing! that it was actually grown as cattle fodder rhan fwyaf yn gyrru’n syth heibio. parseli bwyd wythnosol, sef tuniau bwyd Picketing duty was arranged through the In the beginning, some but it was food even if it was a bit hard – o’r gyrwyr y lorïau’n stopio Weithiau, bydden ni’n targedu’r lorïau a (rhai heb labeli - diddorol!), bara a thatws Cwm strike centre in the Welfare Hall of the lorry drivers would like eating ball bearings! We played chess byddai llawer o bicedwyr yn cyrraedd i i wrando ar ein dadleuon yn bennaf. Roeddwn i’n arfer chwilota ar and I’d call in there regularly to find out to pass the time. When we went off walk- geisio cau’r ffordd. Bydden ni’n gwthio y domen ac yn ffeindio pob math o bethau any news. I was part of a four-man team stop to hear our ing we tried to catch rabbits, there were ni, ond roedd y rhan fwyaf yn erbyn yr heddlu, ambell un yn cael ei diddorol. Ges i danc pysgod, mainc gorsaf that picketed the Aberthaw Cement arguments but mostly hundreds about, but we never actually arestio, a phopeth yn ôl i drefn y diwrnod yn gyrru’n syth heibio drenau cwmni’r Great Western, a llawer o Works and Aberthaw Power Station. I managed to catch one. However, we ran wedyn. Er mwyn lladd amser, roedden bethau eraill: roeddwn i’n eu trwsio a’u never went to Nottingham or Derby so they just drove past us over a pheasant going home in the car one ni’n casglu coed ar gyfer y drwm tân, yn ac yn ceisio dal un o’r cannoedd o peintio nhw, er mwyn cael rhywbeth i’w didn’t see a lot of the violence that they day. I took him home, plucked and toddi plwm sgrap i wneud pwysau gwningod oedd ar hyd y lle wrth fynd am wneud. Roeddwn i hefyd yn gwneud ffyn showed on the TV. I did, however, go to the time we used to collect wood for the cooked him and we had pheasant sand- pysgota ac yn mynd i gerdded yn ein tro. dro, ond yn ofer. Un diwrnod, fe yrron cerdded. lobby the Labour Party Conference in brazier, melt scrap lead to make fishing wiches the following day, although I think Nos Wener oedd yr amser gorau, achos ni dros ffesant ar y ffordd adref. Es i â fe Dechreuodd pethau boethi erbyn yr Brighton. That was a week or so before weights and take it in turns to go for a that you’re supposed to let them hang a roedd un o’r staff diogelwch yn gyda fi, ei bluo a’i goginio, ac fe gawson hydref wrth i rai o’r ‘scabs’ ddychwelyd i the bomb exploded during the Tory Party walk. The best night was Friday when one bit first! It tasted all right though, except Aberddawan yn dod â chaniau cwrw i ni. ni frechdanau ffesant y diwrnod wedyn – weithio yn y de. Roedd si ar led fod rhai Conference there. They initially thought of the security men at Aberthaw used to it was a bit crunchy because of all the bro- Roedd e’n gyn-aelod o’r Gwarchodlu ond dwi’n meddwl eich bod chi i fod i’w am ddychwelyd i Bwll y Cwm, ac fe that it was the miners who had done it, bring us cans of beer. He was ex-Welsh ken bones. Anyway, as he was good Cymreig ond yn dipyn o gomiwnydd, a hongian nhw am sbel yn gyntaf! Roedd benderfynon ni geisio’u rhwystro nhw. but I remember one of the boys saying “If Guards but a bit of a communist, even enough to run in front of the car, we did- byddai hyd yn oed yn gyrru draw gyda e’n blasu’n iawn, er ychydig yn grensiog Er mwyn cau’r ffordd, fe wnaethon ni it had been us we would have got her”, when he wasn’t on duty he used to drive n’t waste any of him. chaniau cwrw i ni os nad oedd e ar oherwydd yr holl esgyrn oedd wedi torri, ‘fenthyg’lorio’rgwaithgolosg,a meaning Thatcher. over to give us our cans. Other people We had help from a lot people. My 

52 53 MYND YN GROES I’R UNDEB? BYTH!

 llwyddo i yrru i ffwrdd tra’r oedd y scabs yn stopio i ni gael siarad gyda nhw, streiciau ar ôl gwneud rhywbeth tebyg CHWARAE GWYDDBWYLL porthor yn cysgu’n sownd! Roedd un o a phan agorodd y ffenest, fe es i drwyddi mewn ffatri ceir yn Rhydychen. Cafodd fois yr undeb yn sefyll ar ei ben ei hun ar gan geisio gafael yn un o’r scabs, cyn cael ei symud o’r pwll ar ôl y streic am iddo waelod ffordd y Cwm, ac yn meddwl fy hun yng nghefn fan yr heddlu. Roedd golli ei bwyll braidd gyda’r holl gasineb “’Sneb ’ma, ’chan, dim ond fi a’r scabs rhaid i ni ddweud wrth yrrwr y fan sut i oedd yn ei erbyn. Mae’n ddigon rhwydd sy’n dod miwn!” Yna, fe glywodd s n gyrraedd gorsaf yr heddlu – doedd dim lladd ar bobl eraill ar y teledu a phan fo’r A BOULES bang mawr wrth i deiars y lori ollwng clem ganddo am ei fod yn dod o Fryste! heddlu mewn ceir yn gwarchod eich gwynt. Edrychodd i fyny’r ffordd, a A ninnau’r twpsod yn rhoi’r cyfarwy- cartre’ chi 24 awr y dydd. Ond mae gweld lori ar draws yr hewl a phopeth yn ddiadau iddyn nhw. Dylen ni fod wedi’u pethau’n wahanol pan ddewch chi wyneb wenfflam – ac meddai’n falch “Da iawn hanfon nhw i’r cyfeiriad anghywir! Ond, yn wyneb â’r bobl roeddech chi’n arfer eu Deuddeg oed oeddwn i pan aeth bod sawl un o’n tadau ni ar streic. perchennog y safle gwersylla adael i ni chi bois!” Ond doedd dim scabs mewn fe ges i’r pryd o fwyd gorau ers sbel yn y pasio bob bore! Cafodd ei anfon i bwll yn fy nhad ar streic ym mis Mawrth Fe es i dramor gyda’r NUM ym aros yn ei gartref, oedd dipyn mwy gwâr gwirionedd, yr heddlu oedd yno’n carchar – cinio cig eidion rhost. y gogledd oedd yn gweithio gydol y 1984. Roedd gen i ryw syniad o’r hyn 1984; dwi’n credu mai undebau llafur a llawer gwell na’r fferm. Buon ni’n ymarfer ar gyfer yr hyn oedd i ddod. Pan Scabs! Alla i mo’u diodde’ nhw! streic, ond roedden nhw’n gwrthod oedd yn digwydd ar y pryd – nid y Ffrainc dalodd am y trip. Aeth llond bws chwarae boules hefyd. Ar ôl cyrraedd ddaeth y gweithwyr i mewn yr wythnos Do’n i ddim yn credu bod angen iddyn cydweithio ag e am ei fod wedi bradychu problemau ariannol a phethau felly, ond ohonon ni i dde Ffrainc, ac aros ar fferm adref, y peth cyntaf wnaeth fy rhieni oedd wedyn, roedd y lle dan ei sang o heddlu – nhw fynd nôl achos roedd llawer mewn ei gydweithwyr lawr fan hyn! roeddwn i’n gwybod ei fod e allan o yno. Roedden ni’n cysgu mewn cwt pren, coginio w¥ a tsips – am hanner nos! roedd hi’n amhosib mynd yn agos at y sefyllfa waeth o lawer na nhw. Fe gawson Wn i ddim a oedd y cyfan werth y waith a ddim yn ennill cyflog, a’u bod mas yn y caeau drwy’r dydd ac yn mynd Mae’r Nadolig yn amser arbennig fynedfa. Roedd hi’n draed moch yno, nhw amser caled pan aeth pawb nôl i’r drafferth wrth edrych yn ôl. Efallai y nhw’n brwydro dros eu swyddi. Hefyd, i’r ffermdy i gael ein prydau bwyd i gyd. iawn i fachgen deuddeg oed, ac er bod gyda’n bois ni y tu ôl i’r cloddiau gyda gwaith wedyn; roedd pobl yn poeri arnyn gallai pethau fod wedi cael eu trefnu’n roeddwn i’n arfer mynd lan i’r Neuadd Doedd e ddim yn agos i’r traeth na dim, arian yn brin, fe ges i bopeth posibl gan cherrig ac ati, a’r heddlu ar eu holau. Fe nhw ac yn eu gwthio wrth fynd yn y caets well. Ond pe bai rhywbeth tebyg yn Les i ’nôl parseli a hamperi bwyd. Yn ond dwi’n cofio nhw’n mynd â ni i ryw fy rhieni a mam-gu. Wnes i ddim colli ges i ’nghwrso reit dros y clawdd. i lawr i’r ffas. Wnaeth y rheolwyr ddim digwydd eto, byddwn i’n dal i gefnogi fy ystod yr haf, fe dreuliais i ychydig lyn mawr lle’r oedd pawb yn hollol mas chwaith, gan fod pobl wedi cyfrannu Pan ddechreuodd y scabs ddychwelyd edrych ar eu holau nhw o gwbl; roedden nghydweithwyr i’r carn, a byth yn mynd wythnosau ar y llinell biced gyda dad. noeth! Byddai’r bechgyn i gyd yn edrych llawer o bethau i Ganolfan y Streic, ac fe i’r Cwm, bydden ni’n mynd yno ben bore nhw’n gorfod delio â phopeth eu hunain. yn groes i’r undeb. Roedden ni’n aros mewn carafán ym a dweud, “Www, edrych arni hi, ’sdim ges i lwyth o deganau. i weiddi arnyn nhw. Ges i helynt wrth Roedd un ohonyn nhw’n ‘super scab’ yn Mhwerdy Aberddawan, ac roedd hi’n dillad ’da hi!” Doeddwn i ddim yn hoffi Erbyn heddiw, dwi llawer iawn mwy wneudhynny.Unbore,dymadacsi’r ôl y sôn, wedi’i ‘blannu’ yn y de fel torrwr George Winorgorski, Pwll y Cwm dawel yno’r rhan fwyaf o’r amser. defnyddio’r t¥ bach, sef twll yn y llawr. ymwybodol o bwysigrwydd y streic nag Roedden ni’n arfer â mynd am dro rownd Doeddwn i ddim yn rhy hoff o’r bwyd oeddwn i 25 mlynedd yn ôl. Dwi’n y llyn, ac i’r traeth cyfagos. Fe ddysgais i’r chwaith, ac fe gollais i stôn o bwysau. Fe gwybod fod dad wedi cael ei arestio ar ôl criw sut i chwarae gwyddbwyll yn iawn gawson ni stêc cig ceffyl un noson, oedd cau’r ffordd i Bwll y Cwm gyda lori. Ond hefyd, oherwydd roeddwn i’n eithaf da yn iawn, doedd dim llawer o wahaniaeth roeddwn i braidd yn ifanc i ddeall y cyfan I WOULD NEVER GO AGAINST MY UNION (ac er eu bod nhw’n arfer chwarae drwy’r o ran blas. Buon ni yno am dair wythnos ar y pryd. amser wedyn, doedden nhw ddim yn i gyd. Wythnos a hanner ar y fferm, wedyn gallu ennill yn fy erbyn i!) Dwi ddim yn cawson ni ein gwahanu, ac fe es i a bachgen Shane Winorgorski,  mother was very good and we had good thought “That’s my boys!” However, it lot worse off than them. They had a lot of cofio fawr o sôn am y streic yn yr ysgol, er arall i safle gwersylla. Penderfynodd Llanilltud Faerdref neighbours especially Reverend Price next was only a test run by the police to see stick when we eventually went back to door. The NUM provided weekly food what they were up against; they didn’t work; they used to be spat at and pushed parcels which mainly consisted of tinned come in until the following week. When around in the cage going down the pit. foods (some with no labels – they were al- they actually came in a week later there The management never really looked after ways interesting!), loaves of bread and po- were police everywhere – you couldn’t get them; the scabs had to deal with it all tatoes. I used to scavenge on the tip and near the entrance. It was chaos, our boys themselves. One of them was supposed to come back with interesting things. I got a were behind hedges with stones and what be a ‘super scab’, said to have been planted CHESS AND BOULES fish tank, a Great Western Railway station have you and being chased away by the in south Wales as a strike-breaker after bench, and lots of other stuff; I used to do police. I was chased right over a bank. doing the same thing in a car factory in it up, paint it, just to have something to When the scabs started coming into Oxford. They shipped him out after the do. I also used to make walking sticks. Cwm we used to go up there in the morn- strike because he went a bit mad with all By the autumn things had hotted up ing and shout at them. I got into a bit of the hassle he was having. All very well I was twelve years old in March Shane a’i fam Jenny yn casglu when some scabs started to go back in trouble doing that. One morning the when you’re mouthing off on the telly and 1984 when my father went on ffrwythau adeg y streic. south Wales. We had heard rumours scabs’ taxi stopped for us to speak to there are police cars watching your house strike. I was vaguely aware of what was Shane and his mother Jenny picking fruit during the strike. that some were going to go back them, when the window was 24 hours a day. It’s a bit different when going on at the time, not to the extent of in Cwm and decided to try and wound down I went through it you have to face the people you were driv- the money problems and stuff, but I knew stop them. We ‘borrowed’ a trying to grab a scab and ing past every morning! He was sent up that he was out of work and they weren’t lorry from the coke works to ended up in a police van. We north to a colliery which had worked getting paid and I knew that they were block the road and got it out of actually had to show the van through the strike, but they wouldn’t fighting for their jobs. I also used to go up the works because the man driver the way to the police sta- work with him up there because he had the Welfare hall to pick up the food watching the gate was fast asleep. tion – they didn’t know because scabbed on his workmates down here! parcels and hampers. During the summer One of the union men was down the they were from Bristol! Like fools, Looking back on it all now, I don’t I also had a couple of weeks on the picket bottom of the Cwm road on his own, say- we told them. We should have sent them know if it was all worth it. Perhaps it could line with my father. We were in a caravan ing to himself “There’s nobody here mun, the other way! The best meal I had in a have been handled a lot better than it was. in Aberthaw Power Station and it was there’s only me and the scabs are coming long time was in jail, I had a nice cooked But, if it all happened again, I would still mostly quiet. There was a lake there, where in!” Then he heard a bang as the lorry tyres beef dinner. support my fellow workmen and I would we used to walk and if we walked the other were let down and looked up the road and Scabs! Didn’t like them at all, rubbish never go against my union. way we went on to the beach. I also taught saw the lorry across it and the road going people! I didn’t think that there was any them to play chess properly as I used to be up in flames – he flushed with pride and need for them to go back as there were a George Winorgorski, Cwm Colliery quite good at it (they used to play all 

54 55 CHESS AND BOULES

 the time afterwards but they still could- After getting back home, home, the first thing my parents did was LIKE SOMETHING n’t beat me!) I don’t remember the strike to cook me egg and chips – at twelve in being mentioned much in school although the first thing my the night! quite a few of us had fathers on strike. parents did was to cook Christmas time is quite a big deal for I went abroad with the NUM in a twelve year old and there wasn’t much me egg and chips – OUT OF A FILM 1984; I think that it was paid for by the money about but my parents and grand- French trade unions. There was a bus full at twelve in the night! mother gave me all they could. I didn’t of us and we stayed on a farm in the south lose out much, there were a lot of donated of France. We slept in a wooden hut and toys and stuff in the Strike Centre so I still during the day we would be out in the about a stone. I had horse steak once and had loads of presents. I was a deputy in Blaenserchan though some of them managed to find lit- feeling against the scabs was so strong that fields and went to the farmhouse for all it was alright, couldn’t taste much differ- Twenty-five years later I know a lot Colliery and had just come up the tle jobs outside the coal industry, but most they got the full brunt. There were at- our food. It wasn’t near a beach or any- ence. We were out there three weeks in all. more about the strike and its importance pit after a night shift when I heard suffered hardship, marriages broke down tempts to protect them but they still got thing but they took us out to a big lake One and half weeks on the farm and then than I did back then. I know that my fa- that the strike was on. In and houses were re-possessed. I am not de- spat at and received the occasional fist or once and there were all people in the nude we got split up and another boy and my- ther blocked the road leading to Cwm Blaenserchan the pit was on one side of fending what the scabs did, but given the elbow when they weren’t expecting it. – I remember that! All the boys would self got moved on to a camp site. The guy Colliery with a lorry and he later got ar- the valley and the pithead baths on the choice how many men wouldn’t put their After twenty-five years I still think that the look and say “Woo, look at that she’s got that owned the camp site took us on and rested. At the time I was just a little bit too other; it was like something out of a film family before their principles? NUM was right to strike. However, I think nothing on!” The toilet was a hole in the we stayed in the house there. It was better young to understand it all. – I could see men (I think they were from When the strike ended I was expect- that they went about it in the wrong way. ground which I didn’t like using and I than the farm, a bit more civilised. We the Rhondda) coming off buses in the ing that the anger of the NUM boys wasn’t too fussed on the food, so I lost also got to play boules. After getting back Shane Winorgorski, Llantwit Fardre early morning mist to picket out our would be directed at us. However, the John Scandrett, Blaenserchan Colliery NUM men. This is my earliest and clear- est memory of the strike. The South Wales Area of NACODS (National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shot firers) had voted to strike and I went to bed that morning thinking that I FEL RHYWBETH was on strike as well. However, after get- ting up from a day’s sleep I watched the news and found out that the English areas of NACODS had out-voted us. I phoned my union representative who confirmed ALLAN O FFILM the situation; we had to follow our union’s instructions and work. The NUM allowed NACODS and certain NUM men to do safety work dur- Roeddwn i’n ddirprwy ym Mhwll NACODS a rhai o aelodau’r NUM bach. Roedd y rhandal prin yn ddigon i ing the strike. This was mainly making Blaenserchan, a newydd ddod i’r wneud gwaith diogelwch yn ystod y fwydo’r teulu, ond roedd rhaid rhewi’r wyneb ar ôl shifft nos, pan glywais streic. Y prif reswm oedd sicrhau bod y taliadau morgais am y tro, ac anghofio I went to bed that i fod y streic wedi cychwyn. Ym pympiau’n gweithio’n iawn fel na am unrhyw beth ychwanegol. Ond roedd Mlaenserchan, roedd y pwll ar un ochr i’r fyddai’r pyllau’n gorlifo. Ches i ddim pethau’n waeth o lawer i fois yr NUM. morning thinking that cwm, a’r baddonau pen pwll yr ochr arall; trafferth wrth fynd drwy’r llinell biced, Er bod rhai wedi llwyddo i gael rhyw fân- I was on strike as well roedd e fel rhywbeth allan o ffilm – ro’n gan fod bois Blaenserchan yn deall ac yn swyddi y tu allan i’r diwydiant glo, roedd i’n gallu gweld dynion (o’r Rhondda derbyn y sefyllfa. Yr unig dro aeth y rhan fwyaf yn dioddef caledi mawr, tor- dwi’n credu) yn gadael y bysys yng perthynas ac yn colli eu cartrefi. Dwi sure that the pumps were working so that nghanol niwl y bore i bicedu ein dynion Es i’r gwely’r bore ddim yn amddiffyn beth wnaeth y scabs, the pits wouldn’t flood. I never had any oedd yn aelodau o’r NUM. Dyma’r cof ond o gael y dewis, faint o ddynion fyddai trouble going through the picket lines as cyntaf a chliriaf sydd gen i o’r streic. hwnnw gan ddim yn rhoi eu teuluoedd uwchlaw eu the Blaenserchan boys knew the situation Roedd aelodau NACODS Rhanbarth De feddwl’modiar hegwyddorion? and accepted it. The only time things got Cymru (Cymdeithas Genedlaethol y Pan ddaeth y streic i ben, roeddwn hairy was when the scabs started coming Dirprwy Oruchwylwyr a’r Tanwyr Pwll) streic hefyd i’ndisgwylybyddaiboisyrNUMyn to work and the riot police were called in, wedi pleidleisio dros fynd ar streic, ac fe bwrw’u llid arnon ni. Ond roedd cymaint but even then the pickets didn’t hassle us. es i’r gwely’r bore hwnnw gan feddwl pethau’n flêr oedd pan ddechreuodd y odeimladaucryfionynerbynyscabs, We didn’t have much to do with the scabs ’mod i ar streic hefyd. Ond ar ôl deffro’n scabs ddod i’r gwaith, a’r heddlu gwrth- nhw gafodd hi waethaf. Er bod rhai wedi in work as they were looked after by a ddiweddarach, fe wyliais i’r newyddion a derfysg yn cael eu galw. Ond doedd y ceisio’u hamddiffyn, roedd eraill yn dal i management team, so we tended to be deall fod aelodau NACODS yn Lloegr picedwyr ddim yn ein poeni ni, hyd yn boeri arnyn nhw a rhoi pelten neu ergyd diplomatic and gave them a wide berth. wedi ein trechu ni trwy bleidlais. Ffoniais oed yn wedyn. Doedden ni ddim yn slei iddyn nhw. Ar ôl 25 mlynedd, dwi’n At the time I had a wife and two small fy nghynrychiolydd undeb i gadarnhau’r gwneud llawer gyda’r scabs yn y gwaith dal i gredu bod yr NUM yn iawn i children to support. The token pay was sefyllfa; roedd rhaid i ni ddilyn gan fod y tîm rheoli’n edrych ar eu holau, streicio – er eu bod nhw wedi dilyn y just enough to feed the family but the cyfarwyddiadau’r undeb a pharhau i felly roedden ni’n dueddol o fod yn trywydd anghywir. mortgage payments had to go on hold and weithio. ddiplomatig a’u hosgoi bob tro. Ar y we went without luxuries. However, it Fe wnaeth yr NUM adael i ddynion pryd, roedd gen i wraig a dau blentyn John Scandrett, Pwll Blaenserchan was a lot worse for the NUM boys, al-

56 57 MULOD YN LIONS LED BY ARWAIN LLEWOD DONKEYS

Wnes i ddim dechrau gweithio fel dod yn ddigon ffit, oedd yn hollbwysig cloch yn hytrach na’r swyddogion (oedd I didn’t start work as a miner until glöwr tan o’n i’n 26 oed. Cyn hynny, gan fod y broses ddethol yn galed hyd yn oed yn fwy adain dde o bosibl, I was over 26 years old, up to then ro’n i’n aelod o’r Gwarchodlu Cymreig ofnadwy. Roedd llawer o bobl eisiau ond yn rhy gwrtais i refru ymlaen am y I’d been in the Welsh Guards and, ac yn gweithio ar safleoedd adeiladu. ymuno â’r gatrawd yn sgil rhyfel y Falkland peth). later, worked on building sites. I Dechreuais i fel gyrrwr injan gyda’r a’r gwarchae ar y Llysgenhadaeth, felly Cofiwch chi, mae bechgyn yn ymuno started with the NCB in 1977 as an un- Bwrdd Glo ym 1977. Wedyn, ces i swydd roedden nhw eisiau chwynnu’r rhai llai â’r fyddin yn ifanc iawn, heb wybod derground haulage engine driver. Later I yn cario ceblau trydan ar hyd y llwybrau heini allan. Roedd pymtheg ohonon ni llawer am ddim byd arall. Dim ond y rhai got a job humping electric cables through a’r siafftiau. Roeddwn i ar gyflog o’r de i ddechrau, a chan ein bod ni’n mwyaf gwladgarol sy’n ymuno fel arfer, roadways and down shafts. I got the full trydanwr llawn, felly doeddwn i ddim yn edrych ar ôl ein gilydd, cafodd unarddeg felly pan roedden nhw’n gweld glowyr yn electricians rate so I wasn’t arguing with cwyno! Yn ystod haf 1983, pan oeddwn i ohonom ein derbyn – sy’n gyfran uchel o streicio a’r wasg a’r teledu yn eu that! Anyway, during the summer of 1983 ar wyliau gyda fy nheulu, prynais i lyfr beirniadu, dim ond un ochr o’r stori I was on holiday with my family and am hanes yr SAS i’w ddarllen ar y traeth Ond ar ôl i’r cyfnod roedd y milwyr yn ei chlywed. Roedd bought a book about the history of the a dechrau ymddiddori yn yr uned. ambell un yn dweud wrtha i’n gwbl SAS to read on the beach and became in- Roeddwn i’n dal yn aelod o’r fyddin wrth hyfforddi orffen, roedd llai agored y dylai’r streicwyr gael eu saethu terested in the unit. At the time I was still gefn ar y pryd, ac yn gorfod mynd i o wahaniaeth rhyngom ni, yn erbyn wal! Ond ar ôl i’r cyfnod in the army reserves and had to go along Ganolfan y Fyddin yng Nghrucywel bob hyfforddi orffen, roedd llai o wahaniaeth to the Army Centre in Crickhowell every blwyddyn i lofnodi a derbyn fy siec. Beth a phawb yn dechrau rhyngom ni, a phawb yn dechrau year to sign on and receive my payment bynnag, fe welais i boster o Fyddin parchu’n gilydd parchu’n gilydd. Er bod rhywfaint o cheque. Anyway, there was a poster for the Diriogaethol yr SAS (Catrawd 21) yn y dynnu coes diniwed, roedden ni’n dîm SAS Territorial Army unit (the 21 SAS Ganolfan, a chysylltais i â nhw. Roeddwn erbyn hynny. Bues i gyda’r gatrawd am Regiment) on the wall in the Centre and i’n meddwl ’mod i braidd yn rhy hen, gymharu â rhai o’r ardaloedd eraill. Mae’r 11 mlynedd. I got in touch with them. I thought that I ond fe ddywedon nhw y byddwn i’n cael glowyr ar y cyfan yn perthyn i’r adain Roedd fy ngwraig yn gweithio was a bit old but they said that, as long as fy nerbyn cyn belled â ’mod i’n pasio’r chwith tra bod y Fyddin Brydeinig ar y ychydig ac roedden ni’n derbyn parseli I passed the selection process, I would get After the training period the colliery knew about my ‘alternative broses ddethol. Dechreuodd hyn ychydig dde. Roedd rhai o aelodau’r gatrawd yn bwyd. Roeddwn i’n gwneud rhywfaint o in. I started all this just as the strike began. the differences between life’ during that time but it came out soon cyn i’r streic ddechrau. tynnu’nghoesiamfymodi’nlöwrar waith plastro bob hyn a hyn, ond yr arian The selection process took twelve afterwards. When I wanted to take time Roedd y broses ddethol yn para 12 streic, yn enwedig pan fu Thatcher bron a dderbyniais i fel ‘milwr penwythnos’ months, so every weekend I was off with us lessened and turned off for army training I had to have a form mis, felly roeddwn i bant gyda’r Gatrawd â chael ei lladd gan fom yn Brighton a’r a’n helpodd ni drwy’r streic yn fwy na the regiment. By being on strike I had the into mutual respect signed at the pit and that form had ‘SAS’ bob penwythnos. Â minnau ar streic, ffaith mai’r glowyr gafodd y bai ar y dim. Doedd neb o’r pwll yn gwybod am time to lose some weight and become ex- on it, which caused some surprise to say cefais gyfle i golli rhywfaint o bwysau a cychwyn. Yr NCOs oedd fwyaf uchaf eu fy ‘mywyd arall’ ar y pryd, ond pharodd tremely fit which was vital because the se- the least, but it all died down quickly. The hynny ddim yn hir iawn. Bob tro lection process was very vigorous indeed. ally know about anything else. You don’t strike fitted in with what I wanted to do at roeddwn i eisiau amser bant i fynd i A lot of people wanted to join the regi- normally join up unless you are patriotic, that time but, looking back, it seems to hyfforddi gyda’r fyddin, roedd rhaid i ment after all the publicity it had received so when they see miners striking and the have been a waste of time – miners in rywun o’r pwll lofnodi ffurflen gydag during the Falklands campaign and the television and newspapers are all hav- England going back in droves and Scargill ‘SAS’ arni – fe greodd hynny dipyn o st r embassy siege so we were very rigorously ing a go at them they tended to only telling us in Wales to am ychydig a dweud y lleiaf! Roedd y exercised to weed the numbers down. see one side. A few openly told me hang on. Emlyn streic yn cyd-fynd i’r dim â’r hyn There were fifteen of us from south Wales that all striking miners should be Williams, the Welsh roeddwn i’n ei wneud ar y pryd, ond to start and, because we looked after each put up against a wall and shot! NUM president, was wrth feddwl yn ôl, mae’n edrych fel other, eleven of us got through – a high After the training period the dif- right in getting us to all gwastraff amser – gyda glowyr Lloegr yn proportion compared to people from ferences between us lessened and go back together. The mynd yn llu yn ôl i’r gwaith, a Scargill yn other areas. Miners are generally very left turned into mutual respect. tactics were all wrong dweud wrthon ni’r Cymry i ddal ein tir. wing and the British Army is generally There was still banter but it was during that year and we Roedd Emlyn Williams, llywydd yr right wing. So, as a striking miner, I took light-hearted, we were all part of were bound to be beaten NUM yng Nghymru, yn iawn wrth a lot of stick from some in the regiment, the same team by then. I re- – we were ‘Lions led by drefnu bod pawb yn mynd nôl gyda’i especially after Thatcher was nearly blown mained in the regiment for donkeys’ as someone once gilydd. Ond roedd y tactegau’n anghywir up at Brighton and it was initially blamed eleven years. said about another little y flwyddyn honno, ac roedden ni’n on the miners. This was mainly from the My wife had a small job confrontation. bownd o gael ein trechu – roedden ni fel NCOs rather than the officers (who were and we had food parcels and I ‘llewod wedi’u harwain gan fulod’, fel y probably even more right wing but too did a little plastering on the Anon dywedodd rhywun unwaith. polite to keep on about it!). side, but it was the money I received You have to understand that soldiers as a ‘weekend soldier’ that really helped Dienw join the army at a young age and don’t re- us get through the dispute. Nobody in

58 59 DYNA BETH IT WAS AN OEDD ADDYSG! EDUCATION!

Arthur Scargill gyda Grwp Cymorth Cwm ^ Dulais a Chwm Tawe Arthur Scargill with the Dulais and Swansea Valley Grwp^ Cymorth Menywod Tredegar Newydd Support Group New Tredegar Women’s Support Group

Ym 1984, roeddwn i’n briod â Cawson ni ganiatâd i ddefnyddio siopau’r Maerdy a Blaenllechau wnaeth In 1984 I was married to John, my The Strike Centre in Maerdy agreed and raise some money and we did collec- John, fy ail wr,^ oedd yn gweithio ar Canolfan Streic y Maerdy, a dechreuon ni fwrw iddi go iawn. Ar ôl dechrau trwy second husband, who worked on that we could use the Centre and we tions but it was really the shopkeepers in wyneb pwll y Maerdy. Glowyr oll wneud pecynnau cinio i’r plant. Dwi’n wneud pecynnau cinio i’r plant, roedden the surface in Maerdy. My father, my started off with packed lunches for the Maerdy and Blaenllechau who got the ball oedd fy nhad, fy nhad-cu a’m llystad, ac credu mai ni oedd un o’r grwpiau cyntaf ni’n llenwi bagiau bwyd i restr o bobl bob grandfather and my step-father had been kids. I think we were one of the first rolling. We went from doing packed roedd fy ng∑r cyntaf yn löwr yn Lewis i fynd ati yn y de, gan fod traddodiad cryf wythnos erbyn diwedd y streic. miners, and my first husband was a miner groups to really get going in south Wales lunches for the kids to having a huge Merthyr. Dwi’n meddwl ein bod ni’n Un gegog fues i erioed. I dad-cu in Lewis Merthyr. I think we were very number on our books for bags of food ymwybodol iawn o fwriad Thatcher i Fe synnais ’mod i’n mae’r diolch am hynny dwi’n credu, gan aware of Thatcher’s determination to de- I was surprised that every week by the end of the strike. ddinistrio’r mudiad undebau llafur, felly ei fod e’n fachan adain chwith cryf iawn. stroy the trade union movement, so we Well, I was always a gobby mare. I roedden ni’n disgwyl i bethau fod yn gallu sefyll ar Roedd e’n casáu’r Ceidwadwyr a’r teulu were prepared that it wasn’t going to be I was able to stand on think that was because my one grandfa- wahanol i streiciau 1972 a 1974 – oedd lwyfan a siarad gydag brenhinol â chas perffaith, a wiw i mi like the 1972 and 1974 strikes, which a platform and speak ther was very left wing. He hated the dros gyflogau ac a barodd ychydig ddweud beth oedd e’n galw Dug were about pay and only lasted a couple Conservatives and the royal family with a wythnosau’n unig. Roedd y menywod yn arddeliad Caeredin!Cafoddfynhadeiladdyny ofweeks.Womenweremoresupportive with conviction vengeance and I won’t tell you what he fwy cefnogol y tro hwn gan ei bod hi’n pwll yn 29 oed, ‘Gweithred Duw’ yn ôl this time because it was over jobs and called the Duke of Edinburgh! My father frwydr dros swyddi a chymunedau. Ond o ymgyrchu yn y Maerdy erioed, a’r ffaith ei dystysgrif farwolaeth. Felly dwi wastad communities. But, at the end of the day, and I think that was because Maerdy has had been killed in the colliery when he yn y pen-draw, bwydo’r plant oedd y peth fod llawer o’r menywod yn gweithio yn wedi teimlo rhyw anghyfiawnder dros y I just wanted to feed the kids, so when always been a militant colliery and because was 29 and it was an Act of God accord- pwysicaf i mi. Aeth Sandra, un o staff ffreutur y pwll ac ar streic eu hunain. glowyr. Doeddech chi ddim yn pleidleisio Sandra, who was working in Maerdy the girls who started it up actually worked ing to his death certificate. So I had always ffreutur Pwll y Maerdy, ati i drefnu Ymhen ychydig wythnosau, roedden ni’n Tori AR UNRHYW GYFRI! Hyd yn oed Colliery canteen, called a meeting to see in the colliery canteen and were on strike had this feeling of injustice for the min- cyfarfod i weld beth allen ni ei wneud griw trefnus dros ben. Aethon ni ati i os nad oedd gennych chi reswm go iawn what we could do for the children, that’s themselves. Within a couple of weeks we ers. You didn’t vote Tory WHATEVER! dros y plant. A dyna ddechrau’r stori. geisio codi arian, ond perchnogion i’w casáu nhw, roeddech chi yn eu  where it all started. were very well organized. We had to try Even if you had no real reason to hate 

60 61 DYNA BETH OEDD ADDYSG! Baner Cyfrinfa’r Maerdy wrth i’r glowyr ddychwelyd i’r gwaith, Mawrth 1985 Maerdy Lodge banner during return to work, March 1985 Dorothea Heath  casáu nhw beth bynnag. Er ’mod i’n sefydlu undeb llafur ar ran y diwydiant Mawrth 1985. Fe draddodais i’r araith barod i ddweud fy nweud bob amser, fe dillad. Dy’n ni ddim yn gwybod ystyr y olaf ar do Canolfan y Streic, a llefain y synnais ’mod i’n gallu sefyll ar lwyfan a gair gorthrwm o gymharu â rhannau glaw drwy’r dydd. Roedd gen i ben tost siarad gydag arddeliad. eraill o’r byd. Un prynhawn Sul, roedd ofnadwy drwy’r nos wedyn, a bues i’n Bues i’n annerch cyfarfod cyhoeddus dau o Dde Affrica yn eistedd yn fy ystafell gorwedd yn fy ngwely yn meddwl beth yng Ngholeg Ruskin unwaith – o flaen fyw. Roedd y fenyw yn ei gwisg roedden ni wedi’i gyflawni, ac am y bois torf anferth – bron i 300 o bobl! Siaradais genedlaethol, gyda thwrban a ffrog liwgar oedd yn methu mynd nôl i’r gwaith. fel pwll y môr am awr a hanner, gan sôn fendigedig, a’r g r mewn crys gwyn a thei, Roedden nhw wedi cael eu diswyddo neu am y cymoedd, marwolaeth fy nhad – ac roedden nhw’n weithgar iawn gyda eu gwahardd o’u gwaith, ac roeddwn i’n popeth dweud y gwir. Erbyn mis phlaid Nelson Mandela. Roedden nhw’n ceisio meddwl am ffordd o’u helpu i gael Medi/Hydref, roeddwn i’n mynd lan bob adrodd eu hanes, a’r plant yn gwrando’n eu swyddi’n ôl. Er hynny, roedd pawb yn wythnos. Fe wnes i dri chyfarfod gyda astud wrth eistedd ar lawr, a fy merch falch nad oedd criw’r Maerdy wedi ildio Tony Benn, oedd yn wych. Roedd wedi’i chyfareddu gan y fenyw bert ’ma. dim, a’u bod yn dychwelyd cyn gryfed ag pethau’n wahanol iawn i’r hyn roeddwn Roedd dau streiciwr o Nottingham yn y gadawon nhw. Nid dim ond streic y wedi disgwyl ei wneud, ac fe dreuliais aros gyda ni (roedden nhw’n cael amser glowyr oedd hon, ond streic y menywod gryn dipyn o amser bant adeg y streic. caled iawn yn fan’no) a merch o Wlad hefyd. Roedd y streic yn gyffrous, yn Mae’n hawdd byw bywyd bach digon Thai – pawb yn eistedd yn fy ystafell fyw drist, yn emosiynol, ond fe ddysgais i cysgodol yn eich cymuned, yn gwylio’r ar brynhawn Sul, yn bwyta brechdanau gymaint! bocs a chredu popeth sy’n cael ei ddweud. ac yn sgwrsio am fywyd. Nawr, dyna beth Yna, rydych chi’n cwrdd â ffoaduriaid o oedd gwir addysg i ’mhlant i! Glynys Evans, Blaenllechau Chile a phobl o Wlad Thai sy’n ceisio Aeth y dynion yn ôl i weithio ym mis

IT WAS AN EDUCATION!

coloured dress and he was dressed in white shirt and tie and they were very strong in Nelson Mandela’s party in South Africa. They were telling us what they had been through and the kids were sitting on the floor listening to them and my daughter was stunned by this beautiful woman. There were two boys from Nottingham staying with us who were on strike, so they were really having a very hard time up there, and there was a girl from Thailand – all sitting in my living room, on a Sunday afternoon, eating sandwiches and talking about life. Now what better education could I give my kids!! Theboyswentbacktoworkin March 1985. I gave my last speech on the roof of the Strike Centre and just cried all day. Then I had a stinking headache all night and just laid in bed thinking what  them, you hated them anyway. So I expected to be doing and I ended up we had accomplished and about the boys had always been quite vocal, but I was sur- spending a lot of the strike away. who weren’t able to return to work. They prised that I was able to stand on a plat- You can become quite cloistered in had been sacked or suspended and I won- form and speak with conviction. your own little community and you listen dered what bargaining tool we now had to I did a public meeting in Ruskin to the box and believe everything that’s get them re-instated. However, there was College – there was one huge crowd – said. Then you meet refugees from Chile, a lot of pride that Maerdy hadn’t folded nearly 300 people! I just ranted away for you meet people from Thailand who are and was as strong going back as it was an hour and half. I talked about the val- trying to set up a working union for the coming out. I think in the end the women leys, I talked about my father dying – clothing industry. Compared to parts of felt that it hadn’t just been the miners’ talked about everything really. So that was the world, we don’t know what the term strike it had been our strike. The strike the start and by the September/October I oppression means. One Sunday afternoon was exciting, it was sad, it was emotional was going up every week. I did three meet- I had two South Africans sitting in my but, above all, it was an education. ings with Tony Benn, which was fantas- house. The woman was in national cos- tic. So it was a big difference to what I tume with the turban and a fantastic Glynys Evans, Blaenllechau

62 63 BIG PIT: AMGUEDDFA BIG PIT: NATIONAL LOFAOL CYMRU COAL MUSEUM Blaenafon, Torfaen. NP4 9XP Blaenafon, Torfaen. NP4 9XP Ffôn: (01495) 790311 Tel: (01495) 790311 Ffacs: (01495) 792618 Fax: (01495) 792618 [email protected] [email protected] www.amgueddfacymru.ac.uk www.museumwales.ac.uk

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