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Pick up some tips in our guides. </p> <ul><li> <a href="/wales/history/sites/themes/society/family_04_furthersources.shtml" class="standardBullet">Research sources</a> </li> <li> <a href="/wales/history/sites/themes/society/family_03_welshnaming.shtml" class="standardBullet">Welsh naming</a> </li> </ul></div> <div class="contentBlock "> <h2><a class="defaultLink" href="/wales/history/sites/themes/ww2.shtml">WWll and Wales</a></h2> <a href="/wales/history/sites/themes/periods/ww2_women.shtml"> <img class="promo-image-146x82" width="146" height="82" alt="Factory worker" src="/staticarchive/19a3e73df09012de994e5fa24a9c16cceb3c72f2.jpg"></a> <h3> <a href="/wales/history/sites/themes/periods/ww2_women.shtml">Wartime women</a> </h3> <p class="intro"> Welsh women joined the war effort in factories, farms and the forces. </p> <ul><li> <a href="/wales/history/sites/themes/periods/ww2_women.shtml" class="watch">Read the article</a> </li> <li> <a href="/wales/history/sites/themes/periods/ww2_daily_life.shtml" class="standardBullet">Daily life during World War Two</a> </li> </ul></div> <div class="contentBlock blog"> <h2><a href="/blogs/waleshistory/">History blog</a></h2> <p></p><p>Explore the celebrated and lesser-known incidents in Welsh history, watch rare clips from BBC Wales' own archive, find out about history events in Wales. </p> <div class="blogpromo"> <img src="/staticarchive/2f13cc481b199a48827d5b7a90647eef127c464b.jpg" width="55" height="55" alt="Phil Carradice"><div class="blogpromoinfo"> <h4><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/waleshistory/2012/07/july_1942_enemy_action_over_pwllheli.html">July 1942: enemy action over Pwllheli</a></h4> <p>Britain might have been totally unprepared for war in 1939 but within ... </p> <p class="base"><cite>By: <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/waleshistory/phil_carradice/">Phil Carradice</a></cite></p> </div> <div style="clear:both;"></div> </div>  <ul><li><a class="standardBullet" href="/blogs/waleshistory/bbc_wales_history/">Wales History</a></li> </ul></div> <div class="contentBlock "> <h2><a class="defaultLink" href="/cymru/hanes/">Hanes</a></h2> <a href="/cymru/hanes/safle/themau/llechi/streic_penrhyn1.shtml"> <img class="promo-image-146x82" width="146" height="82" alt="Llechi" src="/staticarchive/6322730a86bb8491f6ba897aafe5d1a34d9c8efd.jpg"></a> <h3> <a href="/cymru/hanes/safle/themau/llechi/streic_penrhyn1.shtml">Creithiau'r llechi</a> </h3> <p class="intro"> Hanes y cymunedau a dyfodd o amgylch gweithfeydd llechi'r gogledd. </p> <ul><li> <a href="/cymru/hanes/safle/themau/diwydiant.shtml" class="standardBullet">Diwydiant</a> </li> </ul></div> </div><div class="homepage-block"> <div class="hp-mainpromo-container"> <div id="mainpromo" class="mainpromo" style="display: block">  <div class="imgcont"> <a href="/go/wales/hp/int/mainpromo/ti/-/blogs/waleshistory/2012/06/llantwit_major_seat_of_learning.html"> <img src="/staticarchive/e3715201f8d7ba5d9cc6edfdc48c23d11ab29f59.jpg" width="626" height="300" alt="Llantwit Major (Photo:Kati Elizabeth)"></a> </div>  <div class="mpBlock mpOpacityMedium">  <h3><a href="/go/wales/hp/int/mainpromo/ti/-/blogs/waleshistory/2012/06/llantwit_major_seat_of_learning.html">Llantwit Major: seat of learning</a></h3> <p>Phil Carradice explores the history of Llantwit Major which was once a seat of learning unrivalled anywhere in the western world.</p> <p>Besieged by Vikings, it suffered at the hands of invading Normans, until its monastery was finally destroyed in 1539.</p> <p style="font-size:0.8em">(Photo: Kati Elizabeth)</p> <ul class="mpBlocklist"><li> <a href="/go/wales/hp/int/mainpromo/ti/-/blogs/waleshistory/2012/06/llantwit_major_seat_of_learning.html" class="mpbullet">Read Phil's article</a> </li> <li> <a href="/go/wales/hp/int/mainpromo/ti/-/blogs/waleshistory/phil_carradice/" class="mpbullet">More articles by Phil Carradice</a> </li> </ul></div> </div> <div id="mainpromo1" class="mainpromo" style="display: none">  <div class="imgcont"> <a href="/go/wales/hp/int/mainpromo/ti/-/blogs/waleshistory/2012/05/family_history_filing_labelling_photographs.html"> <img src="/staticarchive/04ada3dd77f416397b6f2ea6c02dd6241d22d049.jpg" width="626" height="300" alt="arthur_ridley_cottam"></a> </div>  <div class="mpBlock mpOpacityMedium">  <h3><a href="/go/wales/hp/int/mainpromo/ti/-/blogs/waleshistory/2012/05/family_history_filing_labelling_photographs.html">Spring cleaning reveals unclaimed momentos</a></h3> <p>Genealogist Cat Whiteaway is appealing for your help to return a photograph of fisherman Arthur Ridley Cottam and a quirky postcard from Lil back to the families where they belong.</p> <p>Can you help Cat?</p> <ul class="mpBlocklist"><li> <a href="/go/wales/hp/int/mainpromo/ti/-/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/waleshistory/2012/05/family_history_filing_labelling_photographs.html" class="mpbullet">Read Cat's article</a> </li> <li> <a href="/go/wales/hp/int/mainpromo/ti/-/blogs/waleshistory/cat_whiteaway/" class="mpbullet">More articles by Cat Whiteaway</a> </li> </ul></div> </div> <div id="mainpromo2" class="mainpromo" style="display: none">  <div class="imgcont"> <a href="/go/wales/hp/int/mainpromo/ti/-/programmes/p00mlrq9"> <img src="/staticarchive/c35bbe896b61554a532944875b976cf9bfe9fc13.jpg" width="626" height="300" alt="Huw Edwards "></a> </div>  <div class="mpBlock mpOpacityMedium">  <h3><a href="/go/wales/hp/int/mainpromo/ti/-/programmes/p00mlrq9">The Story of Wales</a></h3> <p>If you enjoyed The Story of Wales, take a look at some exclusive behind-the-scenes clips.</p> <ul class="mpBlocklist"><li> <a href="/go/wales/hp/int/mainpromo/ti/-/programmes/p00mlrq9/clips" class="watch">Clips from the series</a> </li> </ul></div> </div> <div> <ul id="promo-carousel"><li title="Llantwit Major"><a class="selected" href="index.shtml?promo=1">Llantwit Major</a></li> <li title="Cat Whiteaway"><a href="index.shtml?promo=2">Cat Whiteaway</a></li> <li class="end" title="The Story of Wales"><a href="index.shtml?promo=3">The Story of Wales</a></li> </ul></div> </div> <div id="twocolumn1"></div><div id="column2"> <div class="contentBlock "> <h2><a class="defaultLink" href="/wales/history/sites/themes/castles.shtml">Welsh castles</a></h2> <a href="/wales/history/sites/themes/castles.shtml"> <img class="promo-image-146x82" width="146" height="82" alt="Harlech Castle" src="/staticarchive/44c0e67dd42551b8afbf2294dd65fe89bb2a7d2a.jpg"></a> <h3> <a href="/wales/history/sites/themes/castles.shtml">Famous fortresses</a> </h3> <p class="intro"> Start exploring these Welsh strongholds. </p> </div> <div class="contentBlock "> <h2><a class="defaultLink" href="/wales/history/sites/themes/language.shtml">Welsh language</a></h2> <a href="/wales/history/sites/themes/society/language_civildisobedience.shtml"> <img class="promo-image-146x82" width="146" height="82" alt="English langauge road signs" src="/staticarchive/9aeacc69bde41d4df271d96c259697e51d47650b.jpg"></a> <h3> <a href="/wales/history/sites/themes/society/language_civildisobedience.shtml">Civil disobedience </a> </h3> <p class="intro"> How it was used to campaign for the Welsh language. </p> <ul><li> <a href="/wales/history/sites/themes/society/language_civildisobedience.shtml" class="standardBullet">Read the article</a> </li> <li> <a href="/wales/history/sites/themes/language.shtml" class="standardBullet">Welsh language</a> </li> </ul></div> </div><div id="column3"> <div class="rhQuote quotebox"> <h2><a href="/blogs/waleshistory/2011/12/william_madocks_the_cob_porthmadog.html">Your comments</a></h2> <div class="comment"> <div class="commenttop"> <blockquote> <p> <a href="/blogs/waleshistory/2011/12/william_madocks_the_cob_porthmadog.html">I'm afraid we're a bit ambivalent about Madocks in our family as he helped put Dafydd Rhisiart, my great great grandfather, out of business. </a></p> </blockquote> <cite><strong>David Morris Jonesl</strong> commenting on William Madocks the man who built the Cob</cite> </div> </div> <ul><li> <a href="/blogs/waleshistory/2011/12/william_madocks_the_cob_porthmadog.html" class="standardBullet">William Madocks and the Cob at Porthmadog</a> </li> <li> <a href="http://twitter.com/bbcwaleshistory" class="standardBullet">Follow us on Twitter</a> </li> </ul><div class="commentbottom"></div> </div> <div class="contentBlock "> <h2><a class="defaultLink" href="/wales/history/sites/themes/celts.shtml">The Celts</a></h2> <a href="/wales/history/sites/themes/society/celts_thepeople.shtml"> <img class="promo-image-146x82" width="146" height="82" alt="Celtic cross - www.istockphoto.com" src="/staticarchive/c6b8d98abbd431ed6dc67c1490bc47d39491c401.jpg"></a> <h3> <a href="/wales/history/sites/themes/society/celts_thepeople.shtml">The people</a> </h3> <p class="intro"> Wales' story begins with tribes collectively known as the Celts. </p> <ul><li> <a href="/wales/celts/" class="standardBullet">History for kids: Iron Age Celts</a> </li> </ul></div> </div><div id="twocolumn2"></div></div> <div class="fullwidth"> </div> <div class="homepage-bottom-block "> </div> <div id="fullwidth2"></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="blq-mast" class="blq-rst blq-default-domestic blq-new-nav" lang="en-GB"> <div id="blq-sign-in"> <div id="id-status" class="blq-id-v4"> <div class="id-out id-gel"> <h2 class="blq-hide">BBC iD</h2> <a href="https://ssl.bbc.co.uk/id/status" id="blq-idstatus-link"> <span class="id-icon"> <span></span> </span> <span id="blq-idstatus-text"> BBC iD </span> <span class="id-spinner"></span> <span class="blq-dropdown-arrow"> <span></span> </span> </a> </div> <div id="id-status-nav"> <div class="id-in blq-rst"> <ul><li> <a name="idDash" class="blq-nogo has-ptrt idDash" href="https://ssl.bbc.co.uk/id/settings"> Settings </a> </li> <li> <a name="idSignout" class="blq-nogo has-ptrt idSignout" 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