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A new opera will tell the story of a Wallasey-born dramatist and Welsh nationalist responsible for setting fire to an RAF base 90 years ago.
Saunders Lewis was born into a Welsh-speaking family in Wallasey and was one of three Welsh nationalists who carried out the arson attack at RAF Penrhos near Pwllheli on September 8, 1936.
Later, Lewis, DJ Williams and Lewis Valentine handed themselves in to police. They were sentenced to nine months in prison at the Old Bailey in London for the crime.
At the time in Wales, they were met with a hero's welcome when they came home. This was because burning the site down was considered resistance to the British government. The government built the RAF base on the treasured cultural site of the 16th-century farmhouse in Wales, despite objections from locals and other Welsh people.
The attack helped energise the emerging Welsh nationalist movement and contributed to the development of Plaid Cymru, or the Party of Wales.
Now, with strong routes to Wallasey, the events are being retold in a new opera called Fflamau Penyberth (Flames of Penyberth). The opera was commissioned by OPRA Cymru to mark the 90th anniversary of the event.
Composing the opera is Gareth Glyn, who has written the music, while the libretto was created by OPRA Cymru founder Patrick Young with author and historian Arwel Vittle.
The story begins with Lewis Valentine in prison, and tells the story through flashbacks. Some events have been shortened and slightly changed artistically, but the story is said to be historically accurate.
Mr Young said the production would explore the story of "three God-fearing men who set fire to an airbase before they hand themselves in to police".
The cast includes tenor Robyn Lyn Evans and baritones Emyr Wyn Jones and Robin Gruffudd Hughes, alongside six other performers.
Fflamau Penyberth will tour Wales as part of the 90th anniversary commemorations. Details of the tour and tickets are available through OPRA Cymru.
