50 YEars of hUrT laUnChED bY pElE fifTY YEars on -
sTrikE ThrEaT To wElsh
GaMEs rEvEalED
The welsh competitors considered
going on strike just before the
1958 Empire Games held in Cardiff
– and also came within a whisker
of seriously injuring the Duke of
Edinburgh.

it may be 50 years after the event, but it
seems now the true stories can at last be
told – the tales which would have been
massive front page news if they had been
revealed at the time.

that is particularly true of the strike
threat by the amateur sportsmen and
women who were upset the english team empire games team, back row, left to right, roger maunder, John evans and John mccombe. front row left to right malcolm collins,
were on better expenses during the
Don Braithwaite, David Pritchard and Roger Pleace with the Welsh flag carried at the opening ceremony in 1958 by Collins.
games than the welsh. only a last minute
increase averted the danger.
flag at Cardiff Arms Park for the opening “one of them was when roger put on
members of the successful 1958 wales ceremony. a display with one of the australians for
empire games team met up at the welsh the duke of edinburgh.
sports hall of fame dinner at city hall in “in my lifetime i have had three great
Cardiff and the stories flowed of how the occasions. first was getting married, the “during the display he ran off the piste
duke of edinburgh was in great danger best occasion i have ever had, next was and almost decapitated the duke of
at the fencing and how the wales team my daughters being born and the biggest edinburgh. it was a pretty scary moment.
had to brave the pigeons at the emotion- honour i had after that was carrying the
packed opening ceremony. flag in my own country,” he said. “we got to cardiff and met at the
empire pool, another of my treasured
the strike threat was revealed by boxer fencer John mccombe, who won a moments was when the pole vaulter
don braithwaite. “we were going to go bronze in the foil team, remembers the arrived with his bamboo pole on the
on strike, just before the games, though i opening ceremony for different reasons. roof of his father’s car.
am glad we did not because it would have
spoiled it,” he revealed. “the biggest moment was marching into “they took the pole off, his father went
cardiff arms park behind the welsh back up the valleys, but he could not get
“the captain got us extra money because flag in front of the Welsh crowd. If I talk his pole on the team bus and someone
we found out english boys were having a about it too much now I’ll fill up again, said they would have to cycle with it
lot more money than us. even fifty years on,” he said. strapped across the handlebars to get to
where we were staying. it showed those
“we were amateurs but we used to get “we were standing in one part of the were the days when we really were
expenses for subsistence while we were pitch when they released around 100 amateur.
away with the team and it was all thanks pigeons and they did their business over
to the captain and team manager mrs our heads – we were not amused about “Then we won the first medals of the
llewellyn who got us a rise.” that.” games and the three of us stood on
what can only be described as a big
wales team captain malcolm collins fellow fencer John evans remembered orange box as a little Welsh flag the size
1958 Commonwealth
laughed at the memory, but preferred to his teammate roger maunder of a hankerchief came down and there
look back at the remarkable atmosphere performing outside of competition. were tears in our eyes – it was a special
SW
of competing in front of a home crowd “some of the best memories are not moment to be the first.”
after the privilege of carrying the welsh about the sport,” said evans.
11

sportingwales
junetwothousand&eight
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