Tonfanau
| Tonfanau | |
|---|---|
 The Station Masters old house and Tonfanau Quarry | |
  Tonfanau Tonfanau shown within Gwynedd | |
| OS grid reference | SH565035 |
| Community | |
| Principal area | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | TYWYN |
| Postcode district | LL36 |
| Dialling code | 01654 |
| Police | North Wales |
| Fire | North Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | |
| Welsh Assembly | |
Tonfanau is a coastal village in the Llangelynnin community in Gwynedd, Wales. It is 20 miles (32 km) north of Aberystwyth.
During the Second World War an army base was created near the village. Around 600 men were stationed at the camp, which specialised in training personnel in anti-aircraft artillery.
All Arms Junior Leaders' Regiment
From May 1959 until August 1966 the camp was the home of the All Arms Junior Leaders' Regiment (A.A.J.L.R.).[1]
PYTHON site
From 1968 the camp was one of the designated sites for plan PYTHON, the plan for continuity of government in the event of nuclear war. It was only the temporary PYTHON site for Wales and Aberystwyth University became the designated site soon after.
Refugee Camp
In 1972, eight years after closing in 1966, the base was reopened and used as a refugee centre. Over 3,000 Ugandan Asians, fleeing from persecution by Idi Amin, were housed there for six months before being settled elsewhere.[2][3]
The village is served by Tonfanau railway station and there is also a one mile long racing circuit named after the village which is mainly used for motorbike races.[4]
References
- ↑ The Tonfanau Camp Archived 2013-08-21 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Brief mention of the centre on the BBC website
- ↑ "40th Anniversary for Ugandan Asian refugees in Wales". itv.com. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ↑ Circuit website