Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru
Encyclopedia
Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru abbreviated as MAC, was a paramilitary
Welsh nationalist organisation, which was responsible for a number of bombing incidents between 1963 and 1969.
MAC was initially set up in response to the flooding of the Afon Tryweryn
valley and the flooding of the village of Capel Celyn
to provide water for Liverpool
. Its founders were Owain Williams, John Albert Jones and Emyr Llywelyn Jones. On 10 February 1963 a transformer at the dam construction site was blown up by three men, of whom one, Emyr Llywelyn Jones was identified, convicted and sentenced to one year's imprisonment. MAC blew up an electricity pylon
at Gellilydan on the day of his conviction. This led to the arrest and conviction of Owain Williams and John Albert Jones.
The effective leadership of the organization was later taken over by John Barnard Jenkins
, a non-commissioned officer
in the British Army
. Under his leadership, MAC is widely suspected by British police to have been behind the bombing of the Clywedog dam construction site in 1966. http://www.llgc.org.uk/ymgyrchu/Dwr/CLywedog/index-e.htm In 1967 a pipe carrying water from Lake Vyrnwy
to Liverpool was blown up. Later the same year MAC exploded a bomb at the Temple of Peace and Health
in Cardiff
's civic centre, close to a venue which was to be used for a conference to discuss the Investiture
of Prince Charles
as Prince of Wales
. In 1968 a tax office in Cardiff was blown up, followed the same year by the Welsh Office
building in the same city, then another water pipe at Helsby
, Cheshire
. In April 1969 a tax office in Chester
was the next target. On 30 June 1969, the evening before the investiture, two members of MAC, Alwyn Jones and George Taylor, were killed when a bomb they had been placing near government offices exploded prematurely. On the day of the investiture, two other bombs were planted in Caernarfon
, one in the local police constable's garden which exploded as the 21 gun salute was fired. Another was planted in an iron forgery near the castle but failed to go off. The final bomb was placed on the Llandudno Pier
and was designed to stop the Royal Yacht Britannia from docking - this too failed to explode. In November 1969 John Jenkins was arrested, and in April 1970 was convicted of eight offences involving explosives and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. In an interview shown on the BBC2 4th July 2009, John Jenkins repeated his intention that the bombs were never planted or timed to hurt people but just to disrupt the ceremony. Although there were further bombings, there is no evidence that MAC were involved.
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
Welsh nationalist organisation, which was responsible for a number of bombing incidents between 1963 and 1969.
MAC was initially set up in response to the flooding of the Afon Tryweryn
Afon Tryweryn
For the flooding of the Tryweryn Valley, see Llyn Celyn.The Tryweryn is a river in north Wales which starts at Llyn Tryweryn in the Snowdonia National Park and after joins the river Dee at Bala. It is one of the main tributaries of the Dee and has been dammed to form Llyn Celyn...
valley and the flooding of the village of Capel Celyn
Capel Celyn
Capel Celyn was a rural community to the north west of Bala in Gwynedd, north Wales, in the Afon Tryweryn valley. The village and other parts of the valley were flooded to create a reservoir, Llyn Celyn, in order to supply Liverpool and The Wirral with water for industry...
to provide water for Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
. Its founders were Owain Williams, John Albert Jones and Emyr Llywelyn Jones. On 10 February 1963 a transformer at the dam construction site was blown up by three men, of whom one, Emyr Llywelyn Jones was identified, convicted and sentenced to one year's imprisonment. MAC blew up an electricity pylon
Electricity pylon
A transmission tower is a tall structure, usually a steel lattice tower, used to support an overhead power line. They are used in high-voltage AC and DC systems, and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes...
at Gellilydan on the day of his conviction. This led to the arrest and conviction of Owain Williams and John Albert Jones.
The effective leadership of the organization was later taken over by John Barnard Jenkins
John Barnard Jenkins
John Barnard Jenkins was a non-commissioned officer in the British Army , who around 1963, effectively took over the leadership of Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru....
, a non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. Under his leadership, MAC is widely suspected by British police to have been behind the bombing of the Clywedog dam construction site in 1966. http://www.llgc.org.uk/ymgyrchu/Dwr/CLywedog/index-e.htm In 1967 a pipe carrying water from Lake Vyrnwy
Lake Vyrnwy
Lake Vyrnwy Nature Reserve and Estate is an area of land in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales, surrounding the Victorian reservoir of Lake Vyrnwy. Its stone-built dam, built in the 1880s, was the first of its kind in the world. The Nature Reserve and the area around it are jointly managed by the Royal...
to Liverpool was blown up. Later the same year MAC exploded a bomb at the Temple of Peace and Health
Temple of Peace, Cardiff
The Welsh National Temple of Peace and Health, as known as the Temple of Peace, is a non-religious civic building in the civic centre of Cardiff, Wales. It was designed by the architect Sir Percy Thomas.-Location:...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
's civic centre, close to a venue which was to be used for a conference to discuss the Investiture
Investiture
Investiture, from the Latin is a rather general term for the formal installation of an incumbent...
of Prince Charles
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
as Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
. In 1968 a tax office in Cardiff was blown up, followed the same year by the Welsh Office
Welsh Office
The Welsh Office was a department in the Government of the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Wales. It was established in April 1965 to execute government policy in Wales, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Wales, a post which had been created in October 1964...
building in the same city, then another water pipe at Helsby
Helsby
Helsby is a large village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. At the 2001 Census, Helsby had a population of 4,701.-Geography:...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. In April 1969 a tax office in Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
was the next target. On 30 June 1969, the evening before the investiture, two members of MAC, Alwyn Jones and George Taylor, were killed when a bomb they had been placing near government offices exploded prematurely. On the day of the investiture, two other bombs were planted in Caernarfon
Caernarfon
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
, one in the local police constable's garden which exploded as the 21 gun salute was fired. Another was planted in an iron forgery near the castle but failed to go off. The final bomb was placed on the Llandudno Pier
Llandudno Pier
Llandudno Pier is a pier in the seaside resort of Llandudno on the coast of North Wales between Bangor and Colwyn Bay.At the pier is the longest in Wales and the fifth longest in England and Wales. A British Tourist Authority report in 1975 said of it: '.... It zooms out of the sea.... in a...
and was designed to stop the Royal Yacht Britannia from docking - this too failed to explode. In November 1969 John Jenkins was arrested, and in April 1970 was convicted of eight offences involving explosives and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. In an interview shown on the BBC2 4th July 2009, John Jenkins repeated his intention that the bombs were never planted or timed to hurt people but just to disrupt the ceremony. Although there were further bombings, there is no evidence that MAC were involved.