John Barnard Jenkins
Encyclopedia
John Barnard Jenkins was a non-commissioned officer in the British Army
(medical corp), who around 1963, effectively took over the leadership of Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru
.
He masterminded the bombing campaign to try to disrupt the Investiture of The Prince of Wales in Caernarfon Castle
on 1 July 1969.
On 30 June 1969, the evening before the investiture, two members of MAC, Alwyn Jones and George Taylor, were killed when a bomb they had been intending to place outside Government offices in Abergele exploded. Although many believe the actual target was the railway line at Abergele, a claim that has always been denied by the leadership of MAC. In actuality, at the time the bomb was being placed, the Royal Train had already passed Abergele
and was parked at a guarded remote site. On the day of the investiture: Two other bombs were planted in Caernarfon, one in the local police constable's garden which exploded as the 21 gun salute was fired. Another was planted in a iron forgery near the castle but failed to go off (this bomb was later exploded as a child stood on the bomb as they retrieved a ball). The final bomb was placed on the Llandudno Pier
and was designed to stop the Royal Yacht Britannia from docking - this too failed to explode.
In November 1969 after a tip off, John Jenkins was arrested, and in April 1970 was convicted of eight offences involving explosives and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. In a BBC2 interview shown on 4 July 2009, John Jenkins repeated his assertion that the bombs were never planted nor timed to hurt people but just to disrupt the ceremony.
Whilst in prison, he gained a degree in social sciences
from the Open University
.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
(medical corp), who around 1963, effectively took over the leadership of Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru
Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru
Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru , abbreviated as MAC, was a paramilitary Welsh nationalist organisation, which was responsible for a number of bombing incidents between 1963 and 1969....
.
He masterminded the bombing campaign to try to disrupt the Investiture of The Prince of Wales in Caernarfon Castle
Caernarfon Castle
Caernarfon Castle is a medieval building in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. There was a motte-and-bailey castle in the town of Caernarfon from the late 11th century until 1283 when King Edward I of England began replacing it with the current stone structure...
on 1 July 1969.
On 30 June 1969, the evening before the investiture, two members of MAC, Alwyn Jones and George Taylor, were killed when a bomb they had been intending to place outside Government offices in Abergele exploded. Although many believe the actual target was the railway line at Abergele, a claim that has always been denied by the leadership of MAC. In actuality, at the time the bomb was being placed, the Royal Train had already passed Abergele
Abergele
Abergele is a community and old Roman trading town, situated on the north coast of Wales between the holiday resorts of Colwyn Bay and Rhyl, in Conwy County Borough. Its northern suburb of Pensarn lies on the Irish Sea coast and is known for its beach, where it is claimed by some that a ghost ship...
and was parked at a guarded remote site. On the day of the investiture: Two other bombs were planted in Caernarfon, one in the local police constable's garden which exploded as the 21 gun salute was fired. Another was planted in a iron forgery near the castle but failed to go off (this bomb was later exploded as a child stood on the bomb as they retrieved a ball). The final bomb was placed on the Llandudno Pier
Llandudno Pier
Llandudno Pier is a pier in the seaside resort of Llandudno on the coast of North Wales between Bangor and Colwyn Bay.At the pier is the longest in Wales and the fifth longest in England and Wales. A British Tourist Authority report in 1975 said of it: '.... It zooms out of the sea.... in a...
and was designed to stop the Royal Yacht Britannia from docking - this too failed to explode.
In November 1969 after a tip off, John Jenkins was arrested, and in April 1970 was convicted of eight offences involving explosives and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment. In a BBC2 interview shown on 4 July 2009, John Jenkins repeated his assertion that the bombs were never planted nor timed to hurt people but just to disrupt the ceremony.
Whilst in prison, he gained a degree in social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
from the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
.