The Welsh government have announced an audit into commemorative place names under review; with Caerphilly’s Churchill Park and Chepstow’s Nelson Park among those under scrutiny.
In the ‘audit of commemoration’, there are in fact 31 Nelson and 15 Churchill commemorations that may changes. When asked for comment, leader of the Welsh Conservative Party Andrew RT Davies spoke of his disdain for the audit, telling Gair Rhydd that it was “really important to learn from history and not obliterate it.”
When it comes to Churchill, the audit claims name changes are necessary due to the “hatred for his actions as Home Secretary”, referencing his role in the Rhondda Valley industrial dispute. After 25,000 miners came out on strike, the Chief Constable of Glamorgan requested military support yet Churchill did not launch deployment until after violence broke out in Tonypandy which saw one killed and sixty three shops damaged.
Churchill’s decision to delay deployment of troops was praised by the Manchester Guardian, who claimed the decision had “saved many lives.” Even George Isaacs, who would go on to become chair of the Trade Union Congress, said “looking back it is difficult to see what else a resolute Home Secretary could have done.” Yet such facts appear forgotten, for some now see Churchill as the architect of suppression and an enemy of the miners.
This is brought into question when one considers it was during Churchill’s tenure as Home Secretary that the government introduced the Mines Accident Act, a Bill which offered first aid free of charge and the introductions of fire precautions in mines. Aside from Nelson and Churchill, the audit also calls for a review into Gandhi commemorations due to his racially motivated remarks.
The review into Gandhi is intriguing for two reasons; the first being that First Minister Mark Drakeford’s predecessor Carwyn Lloyd attended the unveiling of Cardiff Bay’s statue of Gandhi in 2017 and the second being the audit omitting Gandhi’s Nazi sympathies as being part of the justification, such as his belief that Hitler was “not the monster described by his opponents.”
Perhaps a reason for this being omitted is it would force one to question why Cardiff’s Roald Dahl Plass or Lloyd George Avenue are not up for review, given the former stated “even a stinker like Hitler didn’t pick on them for no reason” in reference to Jewish persecution and the latter labelled Hitler the “saviour of Germany.” Given the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill going through Westminster which would require residents themselves to vote on renaming proposals, the divisive debate is destined to continue in both Wales and across the border.