My son recently did a school history project on his great-great uncle, who was killed in the First World War. The uncle in question was a member of the Territorial Army in Swansea (then called the Territorial Force) before the war, and when the war started the TA were among the first to be called up. (They actually had a choice as to whether they served or not, but most if not all did.) They were formed into the 6th Battalion of the Welsh Regiment, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Ninian Crichton-Stuart, after whom Ninian Park was named. Before leaving for the front, the battalion were presented with a goat as a mascot by Swansea Town Football Club (below). It’s a small episode in the life of the club, which I hadn’t heard of before my son did this project.
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Although I haven’t lived in Swansea for 30 years, I still get to as many Swans games as I can, and my two children (both born and raised in London) are committed Jacks. They took some ribbing for it when they were small but they kept the faith!
By Steve Crabb
100 Years of Swansea City FC 