Society wants blue plaque tribute on Sir Tasker’s former home
A TRIBUTE to “one of the finest Welshmen of the 20th century” could be set up in the area of Cardiff where he lived for 50 years.
War hero Sir Tasker Watkins could be commemorated with a blue plaque at St Andrews in Llandaff’s High Street if Cardiff council gives permission.
The plaque would mark the now Grade II listed house where Sir Tasker and his family lived from 1945 to 1955.
Sir Tasker was awarded a Victoria Cross – the highest British award for bravery in the face of the enemy – for his service in Normandy in the Second World War.
He was also a prominent lawyer and became deputy Lord Chief Justice before serving as president of the Welsh Rugby Union from 1993 to 2004.
The Llandaff Society, which is behind the plans for the blue plaque, has told Cardiff council it hopes to hold an unveiling ceremony conducted by Lady Mair Griffiths Williams, Sir Tasker’s daughter, on Friday, August 18 to mark 75 years since the Normandy Landings
Sir Tasker, who died in 2007, is also immortalised in a 9ft bronze statue outside the entrance to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
In a planning application to Cardiff council, the Llandaff Society said: “Sir Tasker Watkins VC was a resident of Llandaff for over 50 years. He was awarded a VC for his extraordinary feats of valour with the Welch Regiment at Bafour, Normandy, on August 16, 1944, during World War II. After his wartime service, Sir Tasker resumed his career in the law, rising to become Deputy Lord Chief Justice.
“Llandaff Society wishes to commemorate Sir Tasker’s long association with Llandaff with a blue plaque on the house where he and his family lived from 1945-1955 – St Andrews, High Street, Llandaff – one of a pair of distinctive former minor canonries.”
The blue plaque would be bilingual and feature a gold cap badge of the Welch Regiment.
The Llandaff Society said it had agreed with wording of the plaque with Sir Tasker’s family, had permission from the owners of the house and would ensure the work was done to a high standard.
The application says: “A blue plaque is the most sensible way of explaining the connection between St Andrews and Sir Tasker Watkins VC. There are many precedents for blue plaques being placed on listed buildings.”