The story of the Welsh in Patagonia
A documentary film for St David 's s Day with narration by Sir Huw Wheldon
On 28 May 1865, the schooner Mimosa sailed from the Mersey with some 160 Welsh emigrants on board. They were bound for a new life in a distant place, but not in any of the English-speaking countries which were then attracting most of the many migrants from the British Isles. The destination of the Welsh was the uninhabited wilderness of the New Bay in Patagonia.
Why they made such a bizarre choice and what became of them after they had disembarked on that empty shore was the subject of a recent series in Welsh, Plant y Paith. Tonight's film, in English, follows that series.
Film cameraman TOM FRISWELL Sound recordist TED DOULL Film editor JOHN BREWSER
Produced by SELWYN RODERICK BBC Cymru/Wales