September 28, 2026 - 208 views
A £15,000 appeal has been launched to bring one of the most controversial episodes in modern Welsh history to the opera stage.
Fflamau Penyberth, a new Welsh-language opera marking 90 years since the 1936 arson attack at RAF Penrhos near Pwllheli, is being produced by OPRA Cymru.
The production tells the story of Saunders Lewis, Lewis Valentine and D J Williams, who set fire to buildings at the site chosen for an RAF bombing school before travelling to Pwllheli police station to give themselves up.
The three men were later sentenced to nine months in prison at the Old Bailey in London.
Their actions became an important moment in the history of Welsh nationalism and prompted widespread debate about the use of the Penyberth site, which had been a culturally significant farmhouse and meeting place for generations.
The campaign to raise the final £15,000 needed to stage the opera has received support from former Plaid Cymru president Dafydd Wigley and internationally acclaimed harpist Elinor Bennett.
Elinor Bennett said she first heard about the Penyberth incident from her father, who was among those who welcomed the three men after their release from prison.
She said that while her father recognised that the men had committed a criminal act, he believed the incident was significant and had far-reaching consequences.
The story also has a strong connection with the North Wales coast. Lewis Valentine was born in Llanddulas, near Colwyn Bay, while Saunders Lewis was raised in Wallasey and D J Williams came from Carmarthenshire.
The Penyberth site had been the home of generations of patrons of Welsh poets and was also associated with pilgrims travelling to Bardsey Island.
Plans to establish the RAF bombing school there sparked protests across Wales, with campaigners objecting to the destruction of the historic site. Other locations in England had also been considered.
The resulting fire caused relatively little physical damage, but the incident became a powerful symbol of Welsh opposition to the decision to locate the bombing school at Penyberth.
Fflamau Penyberth has been composed by Anglesey-based composer Gareth Glyn, who was born in Machynlleth and brought up in the Mold area, where he attended Ysgol Maes Garmon.
The libretto has been written by OPRA Cymru founder Patrick Young, from Llan Ffestiniog, with assistance from Caernarfon author and historian Arwel Vittle.
The opera is set across three acts and begins with one of the three men in a prison cell, with the events leading up to the arson attack revealed through a series of flashbacks.
OPRA Cymru says the production will cost around £170,000 and expects to have a £15,000 shortfall.
Patrick Young, a former opera director at the Royal Opera House in London, said the company wanted to bring opera to audiences across Wales through performances in the Welsh language.
The company was founded in 2008 and has previously staged Welsh-language versions of works including Carmen and commissioned Gareth Glyn to compose an opera based on Caradog Pritchard's novel Un Nos Ola Leuad.
Fflamau Penyberth will receive its world premiere at Neuadd Dwyfor in Pwllheli on November 19 before touring Wales.
The tour will visit Theatr y Stiwt in Rhosllannerchrugog on November 20, Pontio in Bangor on November 24, Taliesin Arts Centre in Swansea on November 26, Memo Arts Centre in Barry on November 27, Theatr Brycheiniog in Brecon on November 28 and Theatr y Werin in Aberystwyth on December 3.
The tour will return to Neuadd Dwyfor in Pwllheli for its final performance on December 5.
People wishing to support the appeal can make a contribution through OPRA Cymru's fundraising campaign, while tickets for performances are available through the individual theatre box offices.
