Reviews

If you would like to know more about the huge contribution this small nation of Wales has made to the world, then this is the book for you. For example, did you know that Wales: boasted the most advanced laws in the Middle Ages; produced Britain’s only effective royal dynasty and its most effective prime minister; produced a man probably more responsible than Charles Darwin for developing the theory of evolution; and a woman at least as responsible as Florence Nightingale for developing the nursing profession. Wales was a world leader during the early Industrial Revolution; the world’s first industrial town was located in Wales; and the world’s first steam train ran here too. Many more facts about Wales are to be found within the covers of this book.
*Publisher: Y Lolfa*

This booklet published by Y Lolfa is primarily designed to ‘talk up’ the achievements of the Welsh nation over many centuries. These achievements, in the words of the author, remain ‘largely unknown’, not only to the world at large, but also to the inhabitants of Wales itself.

The author Emrys Roberts, a graduate in history from University College Cardiff, is particularly well qualified to talk up these achievements. A passionate Welshman, although born in England, Roberts was considered a bit of a ‘firebrand’ during his turbulent period as Plaid Cymru General Secretary. His political career included a memorable campaign as a by-election candidate in Merthyr Tudful in 1972, when he rocked the Labour establishment by increasing the Plaid vote to a near-winning share of 37%.

Roberts packs in a lot of information into a very readable 95 pages, noting events of significance in the nation’s achievements. These are treated largely in chronological order, from our Celtic origins to post-war cultural, political and sporting issues. What is surprising is that in so many spheres of influence the Welsh have proved to be very innovative and pioneering. The codification of the Welsh laws in 909 AD, for example, gave women important rights 1,000 years before the British state followed suit. (Women were also given the vote in the Patagonian colony in the mid-nineteenth century.) In an era when our educational standards are constantly being questioned, it is nothing short of remarkable that the circulating schools established by a Welsh cleric in the eighteenth century ensured that we were by far the most literate country in Europe, providing a template for other countries, notably Russia, to follow.

Other firsts that Wales can claim include being the first industrialised nation; as a consequence, the world’s first railways were built to serve the iron works at Merthyr Tudful, and the world’s first £1 million cheque was written at the Cardiff Coal Exchange. And, of course, the modern British welfare state and NHS were largely created by three eminent Welsh politicians – David Lloyd George, Aneurin Bevan and James Griffiths.

Other spheres of Welsh life are not ignored and also have their own important achievements. In science we can claim the man who invented the equals sign (=), and no less than four Nobel prize winners in Economics, Literature, Medicine and Physics. I think the author could have made more of our sporting prowess: rugby is given predictable prominence but, surprisingly, no mention is made of the wonderful achievement of Chris Coleman’s football team in Euro 2016 in reaching the semi-final of a very prestigious tournament.

This is an enjoyable read which will not only educate fellow citizens of Wales, but whose contents will also surely surprise those from the other side of Offa’s Dyke who are inclined to think we are a bit of a Celtic backwater, and that the Land of Song has little to sing about. The reality is very different, and Emrys Roberts should be thanked for promoting our achievements in such a witty and readable manner.
*Richard E. Huws @ www.gwales.com*