Gelligroes Mill & adjacent houses near Pontllanfraith 1911

Description

Gelligroes Mill & adjacent houses, near Pontllanfraith 1911. Standing above the water wheel is believed to be William Moore, father of Arthur "Artie" Moore. Behind the advertising hoarding is the tree used by Artie for his amateur radio aerial. Arthur "Artie" Moore was born in 1887 and died in Jan 1949. A keen amateur radio enthusiast, famous for intercepting the Italian government's Declaration of War on Libya in September 1911. He also reported picking up the distress calls from the Titanic in April 1912. This picture was one of a series taken by A.J. Lewis in Oct 1911 and used by the Daily Sketch reporting the Italian declaration of war and "Artie" Moore's interception. The glass plates were were discovered by a member of Barry Camera Club, when the widow of the club's president was clearing out her house. T.J. Lewis, the photographer was a member of the Barry Camera Club in the 1920s and a trophy bearing his name is still awarded at the Annual Competition. Image scanned from the original T.J. Lewis glass plate in 2008