80th Anniversary of the Death of Lawrence of Arabia

Gorffwysfa, Tremadog, Gwynedd.

Today marks the 80th anniversary of the death of Lawrence of Arabia. Thomas Edward Lawrence died on 19th May 1935 six days after he had been seriously injured while swerving to avoid colliding with two schoolboys cycling in a dip in the road near his home in Dorset. He lost control of his Brough Superior SS100 motorcycle and was thrown over the handlebars. He was an author, a renowned archaeologist, and a highly regarded British Army officer who mobilised the Arab Revolt during WWI. Otherwise known as Lawrence of Arabia, he was born in Tremadog on the 16th of August 1888. A small plaque mounted above one of the bay windows on the ground-floor of Gorffwysfa (NPRN 17044) notes the birthplace of one of the greatest military leaders this country has ever known.

By Medwyn Parry

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Glamorgan Family History Show October 2012

People’s Collection Wales officer, Helen Rowe demonstrating the website at last week’s Glamorgan Family History show.

On Saturday 13 October, Helen Rowe and Nicola Roberts had a very rewarding day on the Royal Commission stand at the Glamorgan Family History Show in Merthyr Tydfil. With around 850 attendees to the show, we were inundated with people looking for information on the places relating to their family history research. Using our laptops, we were able to search live on Coflein and Peoples Collection Wales to help explore peoples’ stories, including that of a distant cousin who was first on the scene of the wreck of the ‘Royal Charter’ at Moelfre during the Great Storm of 1859. As well as family related searches, Glamorgan University were on the look-out for photos of the college in earlier times as a technical college and then a polytechnic to help put together material for a centenary book; a former headmaster of the Secondary School at Cyfarthfa Castle was on the hunt for specific information about the building in the 1960s and we heard about life as an electrical engineer in the mines at Cynheidre and Nantgarw collieries. If you are researching a building or have a story to tell why not see our resources on Coflein, or upload your own photos and memories to Peoples Collection Wales.

Future autumn events include:
Archive Day to be held on 24 October
Swansea Museum, Local History Book Fair to be held on 27 October
Amlwch Memories Day to be held on 3 November
Pembrokeshire Archaeology Day to be held on 17 November


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Twitter Hashtag: #RCAHMWales