A book launched this week sheds new light on the life and career of one of the most famous twentieth century Welsh writers.

Pris Cydwybod: T H Parry-Williams a Chysgod y Rhyfel Mawr Dby Dr Bleddyn Huws provides a detailed look at the experiences of T H Parry-Williams, who went on to be Professor of Welsh at Aberystwyth University, as a conscientious objector during the Great War.

Dr Huws, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Welsh and Celtic Studies, also discusses how he was persecuted during the months after the War, when he was a candidate for the Welsh Language Chair at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, in 1919.

According to Dr Huws, the appointment to the Chair was deferred because of the extent of public objection to his nomination.

“Some people wanted to see his colleague Timothy Lewis appointed because he volunteered to serve in the army during the first War”, said Dr Huws.

“Parry-Williams decided to turn his back on his post as lecturer and registered as a first year science student. His intention was to study medicine at the Barts Hospital medical school in London. However, when the Welsh Language Chair was re-advertised at Aberystwyth, Parry-Williams put his name forward a second time and was appointed”, he added.

The book also deals, for the first time, with his three brothers’ experiences during the War.

“I was very fortunate to use brand new material from the Parry-Williams family archive and to learn more about his brothers’ careers in the army. While Parry-Williams was excluded from being conscripted, his three brothers served as volunteers”, said Dr Huws.

Another facet of Parry-Williams’ life that is disclosed for the first time in print is the story of his courtship of the GP from Trawsfynydd, Dr Gwen Williams.

In 1935, after fifteen years as Professor of Welsh, Parry-Williams applied to study at the University of Wales Medical School in Cardiff, but withdrew his application.

The medical books that he read in preparing to change his career are discussed in detail, with brand new information about his involvement in the Red Cross ambulance classes during World War II disclosed.

“Having examined the breadth of the new information about Parry-Williams’s interest in medicine, I believe he regretted not having gone ahead with his original intention to become a doctor in 1919”, said Dr Huws.

“By 1935, and nearing his 50^th, it was too late in the day to change the course of his career and spend more years studying medicine and qualifying as a doctor. It is the opinion of some that his decision not to proceed was a loss to medicine. He could have made his mark as a doctor”, he added.

Pris Cydwybod: T H Parry-Williams a Chysgod y Rhyfel Mawris published by Y Lolfa and was launched at Old College on Wednesday 24 October 2018.

Photo: Dr Bleddyn Huws

An appeal for information has been launched to find the person who dumped a blind puppy among trees in the Llanerch area of Llanelli yesterday.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s dog warden service was called into action after the puppy was found by a member of the public.

He is thought to be around 10-weeks-old, has a rare condition known as microphthalmia and has no eyes. He is also likely to be deaf.

He is currently being cared for by one of the council’s dog wardens who has looked after him overnight.

A foster home is being arranged through organisations the council works with.

Robert Williams, Principal Environmental Health Officer, manages the dog warden service.

He said: “This dog had been dumped in trees in Llanerch Field and left. One of our dog wardens picked him up and took him to the vet to be checked over. Given his age and condition our warden took him home and is caring for him until we arrange a suitable foster home.

“We did have concerns that other pups in the same litter may have been born with the same condition, so we have re-visited the whole area to check if any other pups had been dumped but thankfully no other dogs have been found.”

Cllr Philip Hughes, Executive Board Member for Public Protection, added: “This is an extremely cruel case, and we’d like to know who could have done this.

“We are very grateful to Brendan, our dog warden, who has gone above the call of duty to care for the puppy overnight.

“Despite his rare condition, we hope that he will have a good life with a new owner who will give him the care and support he needs.”

• Do you have any information about who could have dumped the puppy? Call 01267 234567 or email publicprotection@carmarthenshire.gov.uk

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• Animal welfare
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A council, a fire and rescue service and a police force have been awarded White Ribbon UK accredited status.

Carmarthenshire Council, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Dyfed-Powys Police have all met the standards required to be awarded with the prestigious status.

Achieving White Ribbon UK status shows an organisation’s commitment to The White Ribbon Campaign – the largest global initiative to end male violence against women.

The award is recognition of the work which the three organisations have already undertaken in involving men in speaking out and challenging male violence against women and girls. It is also a reminder of the work that still needs to be done.

Each organisation has Ambassadors, key male figures who have received the White Ribbon training, have made their pledge never to commit, excuse or remain silent about male violence against women and will encourage other men to take the pledge.

Representatives of the three authorities attended an event on Friday, October 26, to celebrate their accreditation, raise awareness of male violence against women and explore opportunities to work together to tackle the issue.

Assistant Chief Constable Richard Lewis said: “I’m proud to say that I’m an Ambassador for the White Ribbon Campaign. It’s men who are recruited as Ambassadors to take a stand against male violence against women to ensure men are involved in this important conversation, we take responsibility and engage other men to talk about this issue.”

Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn said: “It’s been important to me to commission services for victims and survivors of domestic and sexual abuse to ensure they receive support to cope and recover from their experience, reduce the risks to them and improve their safety. This has included the Independent Domestic Abuse Service and Goleudy, a service for victims and witnesses of crime and anti-social behaviour.

“The Independent Domestic Abuse Service supports high risk victims to support them to achieve the best possible outcome through the criminal justice system. Last year, almost 550 victims got this support. 
“Goleudy is a specialist service that offers bespoke support to domestic abuse victims assessed as medium risk, as well as victims and witnesses of crime, helping them to recover from their experience.”

Cllr Cefin Campbell, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Executive Board Member for Community Safety, said: “Carmarthenshire County Council has supported the White Ribbon campaign for a number of years, but I am very proud that we have achieved White Ribbon UK accredited status this year. By working together with our partners this year, it is hoped the campaign will gain more awareness than in previous years and that anyone being abused is aware of the help and support that is out there for them.

“A number of events and initiatives will be taking place over the 16 Days of Action.

“As a council we will be flying the White Ribbon flag at County Hall and at our town hall buildings in Llanelli and Ammanford to show our support. I also hope that as many people as possible will support the annual Candlelight Walk in Carmarthen which this year takes place on November 22 from 5.15pm outside the Vue cinema in St Catherine’s Walk.”

Rob Quin, Deputy Chief Fire Officer and Director of Service Delivery, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Historically we are a male dominated service and it is good to see so many men from the Fire and Rescue Service signing the pledge to end violence against women. We have a zero tolerance for this behaviour and my wish is that we provide positive male and female role models to serve our communities – and we will be aiming to get all our firefighters to sign up to the pledge.”

Anthea Sully, Chief Executive of White Ribbon UK, said: “One in four women will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime, and a similar number will suffer from sexual assault or stalking. 
“The majority of these incidents are committed by men; therefore, it is the responsibility of men to work to prevent it.”

Individuals can join over 33,000 others who have signed the White Ribbon UK pledge and get more information on-line at www.whiteribbon.org.uk/pledge.

 Get involved…

@WhiteRibbon_UK

Scarlets had to work for their bonus point victory over Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth on Friday night with the homeside getting off to a flying start scoring a try in the opening minute and keeping the pressure on the West Walians throughout.
 
The Scarlets had to come back from behind on numerous occasions as Southern Kings scored four sensational tries of their own but the region’s grit and determination, and some fantastic individual displays in the pack, paid dividends and was enough to secure the victory. 
 
Speaking after the game on Friday night head coach Wayne Pivac said; “We saw a lot of what resembled last year’s performance out here, played in the same test window where we had something like 21 players in all unavailable for today’s game. 
 
“I thought the boys showed a lot of heart and a lot of ability to stick to what we’d trained during the week to get that result, and the way we achieved it, coming from behind on numerous occasions. I’m very, very pleased for them.”

The Scarlets were forces to make a late change ahead of the game with Marc Jones falling foul of an illness.
 
“Marc Jones was due to start, we pulled him out an hour before leaving the hotel, the two young hookers got on and scored tries and I thought did very well. Credit goes to some of the young guys today who stepped up well. Will Boyde and Josh Macleod have been immense since coming back from their injuries.”
 
Pivac went on to say; “We’re disappointed that we turned some ball over and gifted them some tries but we’re very pleased to have stayed in the fight and come away with the win.
 
“We’ll hopefully have a couple of players back next week including Kieron Fonotia back from suspension, that’ll be great. We went with a 6/2 bench tonight because we’re down on numbers really. Lewis Rawlins is not far off and Blade Thomson should be back with us next week today.
 
Hopefully we’ll go to Edinburgh with a little bit of confidence from today’s result. We know it’s going to be a big game as we’re both right up there in the mix.”
 
Scarlets take on Edinburgh at BT Murrayfield on Friday 2^ndNovember, kick-off 19:35.

The latest podcast from Phil Evans and Robert Lloyd.

The Big Cwtsh (Episode 32) is now on Soundcloud.

By Mark Jones, director of Carmarthen-based Clay Shaw Butler chartered accountants and business consultants. The Money Matters column appears in the Pembrokeshire Herald, the Carmarthenshire Herald and the Llanelli Herald newspapers.

The taxman at HMRC has announced that they achieved record enforcement results this year, identifying £15.6million of minimum wage underpayments.

The number of workers identified as underpaid was double that in 2016/17 and the highest number since the National Minimum Wage came into force.

The figures reveal:

• a record £15.6 million of underpayment identified for more than 200,000 workers
• employers fined £14 million for not meeting legal obligations
• more than 600 employers named in 2017/18 as part of ‘naming’ rounds.

The Government works hard to identify workers being underpaid since the National Minimum Wage came into force.

In every case, the Government instructs employers to repay their workers and enforces the return of the missing cash.

The rise in cases follows increased efforts by HMRC to promote compliance and improve employer awareness of the minimum wage.

The Government’s Business Minister, Kelly Tolhurst, said:

“We are dedicated to stopping underpayment of the minimum wage. Employers must recognise their responsibilities and pay their workers the money they are entitled to.

“The UK’s lowest paid workers have had the fastest wage growth in 20 years thanks to the National Living Wage and today’s figures serve as a reminder to all employers to check they are getting their workers’ pay right.

“Over the past year, 56 employers took advantage of a HMRC pilot scheme where employers were encouraged to come forward outside of an investigation. This resulted in nearly £250,000 in arrears being declared for just under 700 workers.

“The year also set a new record for penalties issued by the government, with £14 million in fines issued to employers.

‘More than 600 employers who were found to have underpaid their workers the minimum wage were named in 2017/18. This is the largest number in any single year since the scheme began in 2014.

‘This year, the social care, retail, commercial warehousing and gig economy sectors have been prioritised by HMRC for enforcement of the minimum wage. This is alongside employment agencies, apprentices and migrant workers. These sectors are where non-compliance with National Minimum Wage is believed to be more widespread.’

Penny Ciniewicz, HMRC Director General of Customer Compliance, said:

“HMRC is committed to ensuring that workers receive the wages they are legally entitled to, irrespective of their employer’s size or business sector, and today’s figures highlight our success over the last year.

‘If anyone thinks they are not receiving at least the minimum wage, they can contact the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100 in confidence or submit a query online through our complaints form.”

Low Pay Commission Chairman Bryan Sanderson said:

‘All workers are entitled to be paid at least the minimum wage, so it is good to see increased focus on enforcement bearing fruit and securing more arrears for more workers.

‘Awareness of the minimum wage is vital for workers and employers alike, and strong enforcement is critical to its success.”

Funding for minimum wage enforcement has reached record levels, rising to £26.3 million in 2018/19 from £20 million in 2016/17.

For more information about your pay, or if you think you might be being underpaid, get advice and guidance at the following website -www.gov.uk/checkyourpay.

Link to Government website – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/record-156-million-underpayment-identified-for-workers-on-the-minimum-wage

In other news, Budget Day is here again.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, has announced that the Budget will take place on Monday, October 29.

Breaking with the tradition of a Wednesday in November, perhaps in a bid to avoid the ongoing Brexit negotiations, the Government is expected to set out its plans ‘to build a stronger, more prosperous economy, building on the recent Spring Statement and last year’s Budget’.

The Government announcements are expected to include updates on draft legislation and consultations, and proposed tax rates and reliefs.

As always, the team at Clay Shaw Butler will keep you up-to-date with the Budget news when it happens.

You can find out more about money matters on the Clay Shaw Butler website (under our news for business section) – http://www.clayshawbutler.com/news/latest-news-for-business

We have a strong and experienced team with great local knowledge all geared-up to helping you get the very best from your finances – whether that is as an individual or as a business.

We stay ahead of the game by putting great store by continual professional development for our staff.

With Investors In People status at Clay Shaw Butler, we care passionately about making sure our staff have all the tools they need to serve you, our customers.

Weblink – http://www.clayshawbutler.com

The team at Clay Shaw Butler can be contacted on 01267 228500.

The team at Clay Shaw Butler are on Twitter. Look for @clayshawbutler.