Aberdare Remembrance Sunday 2008

Photos of this year’s Remembrance Sunday Parade in Aberdare are now available to view in the Gallery.

Photographs courtesy of John Rees Photography (Aberdare) – Full Set of Parade Photos Available to Buy

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Restoration of Mountain Ash War Memorial

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council provide an Update on the restoration of Mountain Ash War Memorial after vandals stole precious plaques recently…

Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has nearly completed temporary restoration plans put in place for Remembrance Day, following the mindless vandalism of Mountain Ash war memorial.

Outrage was caused when the bronze plaque on the memorial was stolen earlier this year, leading to concern and upset about the use of the sacred monument on November 11.

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Ynysybwl Cenotaph Photos

After far too much procrastination we have finally uploaded photos of the Ynysybwl Cenotaph war memorial.

Click here to see the Full set of Photos
of Ynysybwl Cenotaph

The memorial is in the centre of the village, near the Post Office. The cenotaph is made of portland stone with a bronze relief (see photo on left) on front face depicting a soldier and sailor in a graveyard. A sword of sacrifice is carved on two faces of the cenotaph.

HRH Prince of Wales re-dedicated the Cenotaph in a ceremony that took place in May 2006.

St Mary’s Church, Welshpool

St Mary’s Church, Welshpool gives a splendid vantage point over the town of Welshpool. You can see the lush green rolling hills beyond the town from the Church.

Welshpool War Memorial is situated within the grounds of St Mary’s Church, a 20ft memorial built of sandstone.

See the Full Set of Photographs here (on Flickr)

Veterans Day Parade in Aberdare

A Veterans Parade was held today in Aberdare celebrating the contribution made by all those who have served in the Armed Forces.

Plans for a Veterans Day were announced in February 2006 by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, who said the aim was to ensure that the contribution of veterans was never forgotten. Every year since then, Veterans Day has provided a focus for the community to recognise the part played by veterans of all ages in conflicts both past and present.

Photos courtesy of John Rees Photography (Aberdare)

Click on the thumbnail for a larger photo.

Machen War Memorial

Added Machen War Memorial to the Gallery here.

John Rawlins maintains a website dedicated to those who lost their lives in the Great War. From his website he writes : “Machen is a small village in South Wales that is situated half-way between the larger towns of Caerphilly and Newport

In 1914, the Parish of Machen comprised the villages of Upper and Lower Machen and Rhyd-y-Gwern. The combined population of the Parish was around 2,500. Like many similar villages in Wales, the impact of the Great War on the village of Machen must have been enormous. By mid 1916 there were over one hundred and fifty local men in the armed services, by the end of the war the figure would have been far greater. The loss of the 29 men who died was a massive blow to a small village community. It is to their memory that this site is dedicated.”

In the Corner of a Valleys Village

It’s not too difficult to drive past the Cilfynydd ‘Pillar’ War Memorial and completely miss it!

The Memorial lies on the hillside on the edge of Cilfynydd, a small village nearby Pontypridd.

The Welsh word cil in Cilfynydd can mean nook, or retreat, or corner, or recess, {insert favourite synonym here}.

It’s a good choice of name for the village which itself seems to nestle and retreat into the mountain-side.

The busy A470 Merthyr to Cardiff road runs parallel to the village and a few feet from the Memorial.

The Finest Backside in Cardiganshire

Mario Rutelli’s War Memorial at Aberystwyth is the most spectacular Welsh war memorial.

There is a collection of photos of the Memorial in the Gallery. Judge with your own eyes, or better still visit it yourself.

Who was the model ? Answers on a postcard if you know, please.

Welsh historian Gwyn Williams described it vividly : “I know people who still go round the point on which it stands to view once more what is thought to be the finest backside in Cardiganshire“. (‘The Land Remembers’, Futura, London 1977).

Spot on Mr Williams.

Caerphilly War Memorial

Photos from Caerphilly war memorial are now available in the Gallery.

The memorial is situated in the town centre, near a busy junction.   It has the spectacular backdrop of Caerphilly Castle.

The memorial was unveiled in 1922 by the Earl of Plymouth.

In the photograph : an unusual bronze relief which forms part of the war memorial

We Shall Remember Them

As it is Remembrance Sunday today many people will have spent precious moments this morning at their local war memorial remembering those who have lost their lives in war.

This Blog includes photographs of War Memorials taken across Wales including photos from Aberdare, Llwydcoed, Hirwaun, Lampeter, Carmarthen, Merthyr Tydfil, Blaenrhondda and other places. With many more photos to follow including those from Cardigan, Aberystwyth, Fishguard and beyond.

Why Welsh War Memorials in an Aberdare Blog ? Good question. Perhaps it was the memories of walking on parade through Aberdare Town as a Cub Scout years ago. And being a part of a ceremony with such a serious purpose. The cold winds of the Autumn, the striking colours from wreaths, poppies and Standards, the fantastically old soldiers and the younger ones that seemed like giants especially those that barked parade orders, that eerie two minutes silence that seemed to last forever in the middle of Aberdare near the Cenotaph, and a lone bugler playing the Last Post and Reveille, echoing throughout Victoria Square…

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We shall remember them

Lampeter War Memorial

So what does Lampeter War Memorial have in common with the Valleys town of Aberdare ? There is a clue in the photograph. The memorial was sculpted by the eminent Welsh sculptor Sir William Goscombe John.

Goscombe John designed the Lampeter War Memorial and it was unveiled in 1921. A year earlier his statue of the conductor Griffith Rhys Jones – known as ‘Caradog’ – was unveiled in Victoria Square Aberdare.

Goscombe John designed a number of war memorials situated in Wales, including one at Penarth, Llandaff, and Carmarthen (photos published on Aberdare Blog previously here).

Carmarthen County War Memorial

Carmarthen County War Memorial has a distinct link with the Caradog statue in Victoria Square, Aberdare.

Both were sculpted by William Goscombe John.