Rebels

The Tonypandy Riots of 1910-11 were a series of violent confrontations between coal miners, the police and army. They were the culmination of an industrial dispute between workers and mine owners who were working together to control wages; setting income by productivity rather than by the hour, transferring to the miners the cost of more difficult coal seam extraction. The novels Cwmardy and We Live by Lewis Jones (1897-1939) paint a graphic portrait of the casual exploitation, poverty, tragedy, hope and humanity of local communities. Jones grew up in Clydach Vale, just west of Tonypandy. Cambrian Colliery, where most of the Tonypandy rioters worked, was situated in its base. The Cambrian Colliery Memorial is within the Cwm Clydach Countryside Park. Follow the footpaths up to the mountain following the trails available here. This is the place of Jones' childhood wanderings and provides excellent views of the colliery scars and Tonypandy itself.

1910 photograph - copyright Pontypridd Museum 
Cwm Clydach Countryside Park photographs - copyright Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council