tempus fugit

By ceridwen

Never forget!

A brief sortie to an accessible beach provided a pleasant surprise. To put it in context I have to refer to last year's blip of the same Welsh slogan in its original  location on the coast road that connects SW and NW Wales where for many years the words REMEMBER TREWERYN have become an iconic reminder of the Welsh village that was sacrificed to create a reservoir to supply water to Liverpool. In the event the water wasn't even needed but the community was dispersed for ever, the church, pub, school and all the houses submerged only to reappear in fragmentary form during seasons of drought.
The words, which  have remained daubed on an tumbledown roadside dwelling for many decades, has acquired a deeper significance as a signifier of other colonial appropriations by the English, of iron, coal, slate, stone and land.  The slogan has been defaced on numerous occasions over the years but willing hands quickly repaint it as before. However about a month ago a more serious episode of vandalism, described by the police as a hate crime, involved the demolition of a large part of the wall itself. Welsh nationalists were outraged and although volunteers quicky rebuilt the  stonework and repainted the words, something curious started to happen. The identical phrase, white on red, started to appear in different parts of Wales, in at least 100 locations to date, but also in the wider world including London, Chicago and Athens (in Greek!) It's appearing on Tshirts, banners and bumper stickers and of course on global social media.*
 Treweryn will not be forgotten now.

The slogan I have photographed is the first to appear in Pembrokeshire we think (and we may know who did it.) 

*Newspaper article about this.


Heartfelt thanks for all the good wishes received. I'm on the mend after my hip replacement although it will be a while before I regain normal mobility. I  will try to keep blipping from time to time as the opportunity and the inclination  allow.

Comments
Sign in or get an account to comment.