A  CARDIFF CONSTABLE WAS THERE 

WHEN:-

In 1607 the great flood lifted the River Taff (which flowed where Westgate Street is now) to record levels and undermined the old St. Mary's Church. (Image can be seen in brick at rear of Prince of Wales in Great Western Lane)

In 1648 when Oliver Cromwell marched through Cardiff.

In 1794 when the first barge carrying iron came down the new Glamorgan Canal from Merthyr. The canal was to provide officers with a lot of work over the years with numerous drownings and incidents.

In 1836 when Thomas Guest became the first mayor of Cardiff. This was after the 1835 Act of Parliament which gave Borough's powers to set up their own Police Service.

In 1859 when Cholera killed 374 Cardiff citizens.

In 1886 when the Cardiff Coal exchange opened in Mountstuart Square within 20 years to become the busiest coal dealing space in the world and the tugboat 'Rifleman' blew up near Pier Head resulting in multiple deaths.

In 1894 Constables attended a 'Glove Contest' at the Ivor Street Hall, Newtown where Mike Sullivan and Tom Jenkins were fighting. The officers stepped into the ring during the third round to stop the fight. Both men were bleeding and quite exhausted.

In 1896 General Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, packed out the Wood Street Congregational Church for three Christian meetings.

In 1896 when the first film show was shown in Cardiff presented by the Lumière brothers. It was presented at the new Empire Theatre.

In 1899 when Cathays Park opened to the public on land given by the Marquess of Bute.

In1901 to walk the beat as the Cardiff Fish Market opened in the Hayes.

In 1903 when street fighting between groups of seamen at Cardiff Docks. 18 men received prison sentences with hard labour.

In 1908 when David Lloyd George received Freedom of Cardiff and 'Peerless' Jim Driscoll won the Empire Games featherweight title in London.

In 1921 when the first women jurors were admitted to Assizes Courts in Cardiff.

In 1925 to provide safety and traffic organisation at the funeral cortege of 'Peerless' Jim Driscoll funeral. It was two miles long and the estimate was 100,000 people lined the streets.

In 1929 as the crowds flocked to see the first 'talkie', 'The Jazz Singer' at the Queen's Cinema and a Cardiff Canada service was inaugurated by Canadian Pacific Liner 'Montrose' from the Docks.

In 1930 when 3 men were tragically killed when the scaffolding collapsed as they were painting Clarence Road Bridge.

In 1941 when 156 people were killed and 427 seriously injured in Lutwaffe bombing raids in Cardiff. Many of the victims buried in communal graves.

In 1942 when the first trolley buses entered service in Cardiff which in a decade would replace the trams completely.

1944 The Merchant Navy Club in Wood Street opened by American Ambassador with donations from American trade unions

In 1945, Victory in Europe celebrations on the 8^th May and a street march was held on the 13^th May throught the streets of Cardiff.

In 1951 when 20000 people flocked to the opening of the Cardiff Speedway Circuit.

In 1956 when the very old Cardiff firm of Neale and West, based at the West Dock closed as their last catch of fish was unloaded. They had been trading since circa 1885. During their 70 year existence there had been a number of accidents involving the trawlers including many fatalities. Most of the fish was taken to the fish markets and had to be sold with days in the winter and hours in the summer months.

In 1959 when a light aircraft crashed near Maindy Stadium. Four men were killed.

In 1970 just one year after the end of the Cardiff City Police local officers saw the last single decker bus trundle up from the Pier Head along Bute Street to the Monument and Mill Lane.

***************************************************************