If I understood it correctly, this message concerned the removal of the Welsh name of "Bangor-is-y- Coed" by the local Council from all bilingual signposts replacing it with "Bangor-on-Dee" only (the English version of the name). This community is located on the Welsh-English border in North Wales but has been populated mainly by Welsh-speaking people for centuries. Until recently it was always known as "Bangor-Is-Y-Coed" and is referenced in historical records going back to the 15th century. I feel this issue of changing place names in Wales merits the interest of everyone on this list so am replying in Welsh first (somewhat fractured, I'm afraid) then English: Dweudodd Geraint Jones am 8 Dec: "Bangor is y Coed (o gologn 'Testun Trafod' papur bro Maelor "Y Clawdd," Tachwedd 1994 Siom oed gweld fod Cynghorwry Cyngor Cymuned Bangor-is-y-Coed wedi penderfynu peidio mabwysiadu teitl dwyiethog i'w Cyngor..." Fe ddangosais i y neges hwn i fy nghwr, cymro cymraeg. Ydyn ni'n werw iawn gyda'r gwaith y Cyngor bro sydd yn newid yr enw Bangor-Is-Y-Coed i Bangor-on-Dee. At beth? Rydyn ni'n byw yn Connecticut gerllaw Pawcatuck. Pan awn ni fynd i'r traeth fe awn ni i Misquamicut. Rydyn ni'n defnidio'r heol Poquonnock Road. Oherwydd fod yr ardal hwn wedi derbyn y Saeson yn yr ganrif 17, does'na ddim son ar newid yr enwau Indian ar bob le. Oes'na ychedig Indians yma heddiu ond mae'r enwau yn atgofion ni am eu hanes. Yr peth mwyaf pwysig, bodd mae'n rhaid i rhoi enwau'r lefydd yn Gymru yn ddwy iaith? Mae bobol sais yn mynd oll gyfan y byd heb newid enw y trefydd. Mae nhw hawdd i fynd i Ty Ddewi neu Tregroes a mynd i Roma neu Bruxelles neu Munchen heb arwyddiau dwyeithog! Beth ta'r cymry eisiau cael arwyddiau dwyeithog i'r lefydd sais? Yr engraifft byddai "Buckingham Palace" yn ddangos gyda'r enw cymraeg "Plas Mochyn Neidio?". Neu beth am "Little Piddling" yn gymraeg...?4 Mae'r pwnc yn ddoniol ond hefyd yn bwysig iawn. Mae'r sais yn cadw ar ei taith o GLADDU'R IAITH A'R HANES Y CYMRY trwy destrwyio'r enwau trefydd. Mae'r hanes Cymru hefyd yr hanes Prydain. Dylai fod yn cael ei chammol gyda'r saison hefyd, dim ond wir? Translation: I showed the message from Geraint Jones to my husband, also a Welsh-speaker. We are both upset with the decision of the local Council to change the name of Bangor-Is-Y-Coed to Bangor-on-Dee only. What for? We are living in Connecticut, when we got to the beach we go to Misquamicut, along Poquonnock Road. Although the English conquered the Indians in this area in the 17th century there is no demand to change the place names. There are not many Indians here today but the places names remind us of their history. A more important point. Why is there a need to show place-names in Wales in English as well as Welsh? The English people manage to find their way all over the world without changing the names of towns. Isn't it just as easy to go to Tyddewi (St. David's) or to Tregroes (Whitchurch) as it is to go Roma or Bruxelles or Munchen without bilingual road signs? What if the Welsh were to ask the English to translate their place-names into Welsh? Buckingham Palace would become in Welsh "Plas Mochyn Neidio" and what about "Little Piddling"...? It's absurd but it is also a serious matter. The English are continuing their efforts to bury the Welsh language along with the history of the Welsh people by obliterating Welsh place-names. But the history of Wales is also the history of Britain. Shouldn't it be cherished by the English also?