Abergavenny Gay Witch Hunt: 4200 web views of the picture of the Coliseum Cinema Abergavenny

Author's Blog : 20 August 2014. The Coliseum Cinema, Abergavenny (and a dark tale from history) Last week I submitted a photograph of the Coliseum Cinema, Abergavenny ( the centre of George Rowe’s reign of power in 1939-1942) to the site “ Forgotten Abergavenny”. A note was posted with it as follows” “ This is an old photo of the Coliseum Cinema, in Lion Street - in its heyday in the 1980s. Today it is a pub, but back in 1942 the cinema was a bustling social place and also at the centre of a homosexual scandal involving the cinema manager, George Rowe. The case led to the arrest of two dozen youths and men in and around the town and heavy jail sentences for vice. It brought the wrong attention to fall on Abergavenny. This controversial chapter in the town's history is revisited in a new book ‘The Abergavenny Witch Hunt’ by Newport Author, William Cross. This book is a really worthwhile read for anyone interested in the history of the town and profits from the book will go to an Abergavenny Charity in memory of Lewis Matthews: a promising 19-year- old who committed suicide during the case. The book can be bought at the Abergavenny Book Shop in High Street for £12. Thanks to William Cross for the image and for writing this superb new book about a dark chapter in Abergavenny’s history.” The photograph resulted in 153 people clicking the “Like” button and 43 comments [ curiously, NONE of these visitors making reference to the war time scandal. It kinda well supports my earlier comment on this blog of the town's reluctance to mention the homosexual scandal or be IN ANY WAY associated with it. I did write to one man who posted a comment of being an attendee of the cinema from the early 1940s, but had no response.] The web Co-ordinator of Forgotten Abergavenny write “ Thanks so much everyone for all your likes, views, shares and comments - this post has had 4,200 views! wow! If you have any other old pics of the cinema you would like to share please email them to: forgottenabergavenny@gmail.com”