News

Captain Kirk’s Talbenny landing

Published

11 years ago

August 20, 2015

Tom Sinclair

Any contraband?: Police search Kirk’s plane before allowing him to
take off

THE SOUND of birds chirping at a very sunny Talbenny Hall Farm was interrupted on Saturday afternoon by the roar of a low flying aircraft circling, looking for somewhere to land. The plane was a 1943 WW2 Piper Cub, believed to have been previously flown by General Patten after June 6 1944 D-Day landings. It’s pilot, just two years younger than the plane itself, was 70-yearold Maurice Kirk. Kirk is a colourful character, who says his life is dominated by his legal actions as a ‘chronic litigant’. He claims that his nightmarish harassments by police in Somerset, Guernsey and South Wales are due to him being assumed to be smuggling drugs with his aeroplanes.

TOUCHING THE CHIMNEY POTS

Raymond Stoddart, owner of Talbenny Hall Farm, explained to The Herald how the unexpected events unfolded at the weekend: “I went for an afternoon snooze in my deck chair in the garden when I noticed a small plane flying very low. It was virtually touching the chimney pots. It circled a few times looking to land. I looked over the hedge after it came down and said ‘are you alright’ to the pilot, who replied ‘yes I am fine but I could do with a cup of tea!’

Mr Stoddart added: “Mr Kirk introduced himself and told me that 45 years ago he landed on Talbenny airfield, damaged the wheel of his plane, and couldn’t take off. He was returning to the spot where that incident happened all that time ago. Of course, there is no airfield now, just grass.”

“When Kirk landed this time, someone contacted the emergency services. The fire brigade and police arrived.”

Speaking on the telephone, Maurice Kirk told The Herald: “I was flying to meet a camera crew in Solva to document my last flying time in the UK before my trip to South Africa. I don’t know if I will every make it back. I could not contact the camera crew, and had to land somewhere. I remembered there was an airstrip in RAF Talbenny, so headed that way.”

He added: “The police turned up, and the officer who dealt with me handled matters spectacularly. Then more police showed up with guns, and searched me, and they accused me of being unfit of flying. After a bit of a stand-off and being searched by the armed officers, I was allowed to get on my way.”

As he took off Kirk said to the police: “You handled the case very well, must congratulate you on your professionalism.”

After a quick flight to the nearby, Dawn Till Dusk Golf Course, where Kirk landed on the green, he came back to Talbenny Hall Farm in his 72 year old plane and stayed the night.

Raymond Stoddart said: “We had a hell of a night, that evening and Mr Kirk polished off all my wine.”

CHEQUE IS IN THE POSTERIOR

In 2010, Kirk has to be stopped from pulling a £7,500 cheque out of his BOTTOM in court when he was on trial for allegedly selling a working machine gun to a collector. He asked the judge if he could give a cheque to his sister to hire a lawyer. Judge Paul Thomas QC asked if it was in his pocket, but Kirk replied: “It’s three inches up my rectum, your honour”

Judge Thomas answered: “In that case your sister probably won’t want it. At the appropriate time you can retrieve it but not in my presence.”

PRESIDENTIAL VISIT

In 2008, Kirk was held after landing his plane near US President George Bush’s ranch. But he insisted that he did not go into restricted airspace. Maurice Kirk, who was a vet until he was struck off the roll in 2002 for his ‘bad boy attitude’ and ‘disgraceful behaviour’, was held in a psychiatric unit after sheriffs detained him minutes after he landed in a field. In February that year he had to ditch his 65-year-old aircraft Liberty Girl in the Atlantic ocean off the Dominican Republic, when he was rescued by US coastguards.

Mrs Kirk said her husband wanted to thank Mr Bush for his rescue from the shark-inhabited waters and said he was adamant he did not stray into the prohibited zone around the ranch.

According to his Facebook page, Kirk’s favourite quote is from Dreyden , a Poet Laureate: “There is a pleasure sure in being mad, that only mad men know.”

News

Reform reveals west Wales candidates for Senedd battle

Published

1 hour ago

March 25, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Monkton councillor tops Pembrokeshire list as party confirms Carmarthenshire names and includes Haverfordwest councillor in unwinnable Swansea spot

REFORM UK has unveiled its full list of candidates for the 2026 Senedd election, setting out its challenge across west Wales including Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire.

The party has named Susan Claire Archibald, a sitting councillor for Monkton on Pembroke Town Council, as its lead candidate for the Ceredigion Preseli, Mid and South Pembrokeshire regional list.

Speaking to The Herald, Archibald said: “I am honoured to represent Reform UK and Wales.” She added that a fuller statement outlining her priorities would be released in due course.

The remaining candidates on the Pembrokeshire regional list are Paul Marr, a former prison officer, Michael Allen, Elisa Randall, Peter John and Bernard Holton.

Carmarthenshire candidates named

Reform has also confirmed its list for the Caerfyrddin and Llanelli region, with Gareth Beer placed first, followed by Carmelo Colasanto, Sarah Edwards, Christopher Brooke, Alan Cole and Michelle Beer.

The announcement forms part of a nationwide rollout of candidates as the party seeks to establish itself as a credible electoral force ahead of the 2026 vote.

Thorley listed in Swansea region

Among the names included elsewhere is Scott Thorley, a Haverfordwest-based councillor and the first Reform representative elected to Pembrokeshire County Council.

Thorley appears on the party’s list for the Gower and Swansea West region, where he is placed sixth.

Under the Senedd’s proportional representation system, candidates placed lower on regional lists are significantly less likely to be elected, meaning his position is widely viewed as a paper candidacy to complete the slate.

Election framing

Reform Wales leader Dan Thomas said the party was offering voters a stark political choice.

He said: “After a hundred years of failure, Labour are finished in Wales. The choice at this election is what comes next — common sense and a fresh start with Reform, or independence by stealth with Plaid Cymru.”

The Herald understands that further announcements, including candidate profiles and policy details, are expected in the coming weeks as the campaign begins to take shape.

Crime

Man bailed after serious assault in Fishguard town centre

Published

2 hours ago

March 25, 2026

Tom Sinclair

POLICE are appealing for witnesses following a serious assault in Fishguard that has left a man in hospital.

The incident happened on Main Street at around 11:00pm on Saturday (Mar 21), when the victim was reportedly punched, sustaining head injuries. He remains in hospital receiving treatment.

A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm (GBH) and has since been released on bail while enquiries continue.

Dyfed-Powys Police are urging anyone who witnessed the incident, or who may have information that could assist the investigation, to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police quoting reference: 26*227686.

Information can be provided online via the Dyfed-Powys Police website, by emailing [email protected], by calling 101, or by sending a direct message on social media.

Alternatively, information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or via crimestoppers-uk.org.

News

Childcare funding boost announced in Wales

Published

3 hours ago

March 25, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Hourly rate to rise as costs increase

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has confirmed an increase in the hourly rate paid to childcare providers under its Childcare Offer, following a review of funding levels.

The Minister for Children and Social Care, DAWN BOWDEN MS, announced that the rate will rise to £6.67 per hour from April 6, 2026. The increase of 4.18% comes after feedback from childcare providers and sector data gathered during 2025.

The Welsh Government said the change is designed to help providers cope with rising costs, including increases to the National Living Wage.

The Herald understands the review drew on responses from the Childcare Offer’s Annual Survey, as well as information from Care Inspectorate Wales’ Self-Assessment of Service Statement (SASS).

The move follows a policy shift announced last year to review the rate annually, rather than every three years, in a bid to make funding more responsive to pressures facing the sector.

As part of the update, the maximum charge for meals will also increase by 4.18%, which ministers say is intended to balance affordability for both providers and parents.

Dawn Boden said the Welsh Government remains committed to supporting the long-term sustainability of childcare services, adding that officials will continue working with the sector to explore further improvements.