Former Secretary of State for Wales Lord Morris of Aberavon will recall his role in the formation of the Farmers' Union of Wales when he meets the union's Meirionnydd county branch officials, members and staff tomorrow (Tuesday September 25).
"The great significance of his visit will be the opportunity to reminisce about the time he was actively involved with the formation of the FUW as the union's legal adviser and deputy general secretary between 1956 and 1958," said current FUW Meirionnydd county executive officer Huw Jones.
An account of this period is included in Lord Morris' book "Fifty Years in Politics and the Law" published last year by University of Wales Press.
"One chapter is devoted to this time when he recalls how he came home to Wales for Christmas in 1955 when 'all hell had broken loose in the agriculture community' and a strong case had been set to justify an independent union in and for Wales," said Mr Jones.
"Lord Morris founded and edited the early editions of the union's newspaper Y Tir and travelled thousands of miles setting up branches and giving legal advice throughout Wales. He recalls that he often stayed overnight on farms in Meirionnydd."
Lord Morris’ period as Secretary of State for Wales was absolutely crucial in the formation and development of the FUW. His foreword in "A Family Affair" - Handel Jones' book about the FUW between 1955 and 1992 - reveals that at the Welsh Office in 1974 one his many aims was the granting of recognition to the FUW on the basis of satisfaction of its representation.
Stating that the decision from April 1 1978 was his alone, he wanted to ensure it was taken while there were joint ministers in charge of Welsh agriculture and he ensured the announcement was made jointly by Agriculture Minister John Silkin and himself on March 23 1978.
"This was an incredibly important date in the FUW history and Lord Morris’ visit will no doubt be considered by the county branch as an important milestone in the history of the FUW in Meirionnydd," Mr Jones added.
"It will be a unique opportunity to discuss the inner workings of the British Government and Welsh politics. Of particular relevance to Meironnydd will be his recollection of the crucial meeting on Friday May 11 1956 at the Free Library in Dolgellau which, as assistant general secretary, he attended with the union’s general secretary at the time J B Evans and the late Lord Geraint Howells, chairman of the provisional county executive committee in Cardiganshire.
"We will be visiting the Free Library to take photographs outside the building where a plaque was installed on May 11 2006 when the county branch celebrated 50 years since its formation.
"Lord Morris will also visit FUW life member Richard ap Simon Jones, of Ysguboriau, Tywyn, who was present at the first meeting on May 11 1956. Mr Jones was FUW national vice president between 1976 and 1980, an immensely important period in the FUW’s development.
"Mr Jones recalls sitting alongside John Silkin’s Private secretary during the FUW AGM in 1978 and, when asked about his knowledge of the FUW, he stated that 'what satisfies him most is the fact that the FUW is made up of family farms’."