"Lost, Forgotten, Found" by Frances Marshall
November 15, 2017
The Powys War Memorials Project Officer would like to thank Frances Marshall for writing the article "Lost, Forgotten, Found" about war memorials in Llandrindod Wells, Powys.
"Lost, Forgotten, Found" by Frances Marshall (July 2017)
The Powys War Memorials Project Officer presented Frances with a framed copy of her article yesterday.
Poppy-making workshop
October 16, 2017
The Powys War Memorials Project would like to thank everyone who came to the free poppy-making workshop at the Welfare Ystradgynlais yesterday.
The workshop was delivered by Wonderwool Wales.
People at the workshop made textile poppies for the Curtain of Poppies. The Curtain of Poppies will consist of 887,858 textile poppies. The poppies will commemorate each person from the UK who died during World War 1.
The aim is to display the Curtain of Poppies at the Wonderwool Wales festival in 2018.
Thanks again to everyone who came to or helped with the event.
Imaging the Bible in Wales database
October 12, 2017
The Powys War Memorials Project would like to thank the Imaging the Bible in Wales project for their support.
Biblical Artwork from Wales 1825–1975
The images included in this on-line collection have been collected as a research database for the Imaging the Bible in Wales Project (2005-8).
Many of the images were photographed specifically for the project and include artworks from places of worship in Wales. In addition, further images have been included from public and private collections.
Search the Imaging the Bible database here
October 10, 2017
Monday 16th October 2017
10am-5pm
Drop in session with no booking needed
Welfare Hall, Ystradgynlais, Powys
Information about free poppy making workshop
Talgarth (near Brecon) QR code World War 1 walk
October 08, 2017
The Powys War Memorials Project has worked with History Points to create a QR code walk for the World War 1 walk around Talgarth near Brecon (Powys).
Link to Talgarth World War 1 QR code walk information
The First World War took a heavy toll on Talgarth, where the local war memorial lists 25 men who died. Two days after war broke out, a meeting was held at the town hall to encourage local men to enlist. About 20 young men rushed forward to give their names.
By 1915 the school headmaster’s roll of honour listed 95 of his past pupils who were serving in the war. Two men who were known and respected locally as preachers were killed. One had been rejected by the army several times because of a childhood leg injury but he eventually got his way, and was killed only a week or so after reaching the Western Front.
Talgarth’s postman was quick to enlist. His bravery on the field was rewarded with the Military Medal but he died in 1917. Side by side in Talgarth’s churchyard are the war graves of a brother and sister.
Now you can discover how the war affected Talgarth by following our self-guided trail. Simply scan the QR codes with your smartphone at any of the featured places to start. When you’ve read the text for that location, click “Next” to see the text and map for the next place on the trail. Eventually you’ll return to your starting point.
Talgarth World War 1 QR code walk information
October 04, 2017
The Newtown Remembers partnership, led by Newtown Town Council is leading a project to commemorate the impact of the First World War on the town.
Activities during 2015 included free trips for local people to visit exhibitions, museums and the National Memorial Arboretum in Stafford and then use these experiences to highlight how Newtown and the local population were affected by the war.
Newtown Remembers project website
Holy Trinity Church, Llandrindod Wells
October 02, 2017
If you're in Llandrindod Wells (Powys), the Holy Trinity Church is well worth visiting. There are several World War 1 memorials in the church, including a memorial chapel and this memorial stained glass window.
FREE POPPY MAKING WORKSHOP !!
September 28, 2017
FREE POPPY-MAKING WORKSHOP
Monday 16th October 2017
10:00am - 5:00pm
The Welfare, Ystradgynlais, Powys
Free refreshments
Everyone welcome
No booking needed
Would you like to come to a free workshop, delivered by Wonderwool Wales, to make a textile poppy for the Curtain of Poppies?
The Curtain of Poppies will consist of 887,858 textile poppies. The poppies will commemorate each person from the UK who died during World War 1.
The aim is to display the Curtain of Poppies at the Wonderwool Wales festival in 2018.
http://www.wonderwoolwales.co.uk/sh…/curtain-of-poppies.html
Funded by the Powys War Memorials Project:
www.powyswarmemorials@powys.gov.uk
Grants of up to £5,000 to repair or restore World War 1 memorials in Powys
September 14, 2017
Grants of up to £5,000 to repair or restore World War 1 memorials in Powys
The Powys War Memorials Project can provide grants of up to £5,000 to repair or restore World War 1 memorials in Powys.
- Any type of war memorial is eligible, e.g. obelisks, crosses, stained glass windows, boards or benches.
- World War 1 memorials with World War 2 additions are also eligible.
- Grants are also available to improve war memorial settings or surroundings, e.g. railings, gates or lighting.
- Allocating grants on a first come, first served basis so advisable to apply as soon as possible.
- Application process is quick and easy.
Please contact the Powys War Memorials Project Officer for more information:
Warmemorials@powys.gov.uk
07973 973 687
Email the Powys War Memorials Project Officer
World War 1 memorials in Powys
September 07, 2017
One of the outcomes of the project is to find, record and map all the World War 1 memorials in Powys.
We currently know of about 350 World War 1 memorials in Powys. Here is a list of the memorials that we currently know about:
World War 1 memorials in Powys
If you know about a World War 1 memorial in Powys that is not on the list, please contact the Powys War Memorials Project Officer (warmemorials@powys.gov.uk). Similarly, if you notice that any of the information about a war memorial is incorrect or if you have any other information about a war memorial (including photographs), please contact the Powys War Memorials Project Officer.
It has been suggested that there could be about 1000 World War 1 memorials in Powys. In other words, it is likely that we do not yet know about all the World War 1 memorials. Why is this? Some memorials may have been located in hospitals or schools that have since closed down; others may have been in places of work that moved premises.
Email the Powys War Memorials Project Officer about a memorial in Powys
FREE World War 1 play "Between the Crosses": Friday 17th November 2017, 7:30pm, Welfare Ystradgynlais, Powys
August 23, 2017
Between the Crosses
By Will Huggins
Flying Bridge Theatre Company
FREE ENTRY (booking required)
Friday 17th November 2017
7:30pm
The Welfare Ystradgynlais (Powys)
Funded by the Powys War Memorials Project.
Edgar Huggins, World War One veteran and the last surviving member of the Durham Light Infantry, gave an incredible audio interview to the Imperial War Museum in the 90’s about his life and wartime exploits. Now, his great nephew Will unpacks and stages the interview using his own memories, family memories, military records and furiously drawn diagrams on a huge blackboard, to try and find the hidden truths buried by a sense of duty and terrible trauma.
Edgar talks about how he joined up wanting to work with horses, but found himself on the frontline. The accounts of Ypres and the Somme are honest, shocking and direct, while the story of his relationship with his trusty horse “Captain” is heart-warming and moving.
Like so many veterans of the Great War in life Edgar held his tongue for national security and to spare his family the horror, but in this entertaining, moving and informative production, the full true story is laid bare, for the first time…..
Please visit the Flying Bridge Theatre Company's website for more information about the play:
Would you like some *free* training like Llangammarch Wells History Society?
August 23, 2017
The Powys War Memorials Project funded free website development training for members of the Llangammarch Wells History Society.
The main aim of the training was to provide members of the History Society with the knowledge, skills and confidence to update and maintain their website.
Here is a direct link to the World War 1 pages of the History Society's website:
Llangammarch Wells History Society World War 1
Sue Lilly, Chairman of the History Society, provided a summary of the training.
Please contact the Powys War Memorials Project Officer for more information about the free training available through the project.
"Lost, Forgotten, Found" by Frances Marshall (16th July 2017)
August 06, 2017
Frances Marshall, a volunteer with the Powys War Memorials Project, wrote this emotive article about war memorials in Llandrindod Wells, Powys:
Lost, Forgotten, Found
What is a memorial? If someone had asked me that question eight years ago I’d probably say a statue with some names and words inscribed on it, recording people long gone from this world. Shadows trailing behind us, the nagging thoughts at the back of our minds, ghosts, who wail from beyond the grave, hoping for us to listen to their stories. And why should we? Sadly, that is what most of my generation of internet-dependents probably believe as well.
When I first volunteered to help the project locate and record memorials, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Llandrindod Wells is a small town and the only memorial I had been aware of was the one standing near its centre.
So imagine my surprise when I was informed there were possibly eighteen memorials in Llandrindod rather than one, all waiting for me to find them.
I guess there is a good side to technology after all.
To date, I have learned memorials can come in a variety of forms; brass plaques, stone obelisks, wooden Rolls of Honour and can be located in even the most obvious and sometimes overlooked places such as community churches.
Personally, I find it unfortunate to see the past hidden in a place of sanctuary. But then again where does one go when you are forgotten?
Of all the memorials I have seen so far, the planted oak trees at The Lakeside, the war graves in the town’s cemetery and the cenotaph outside Llandrindod High, I found the stained glass windows in Trinity Church the most outstanding, not simply because of its enlightening display, but for its metaphorical representation. It is fragile like the bodies of the soldiers as they clambered over the trenches, avoiding bullets and missiles. Yet, it lets in the light and stands as a protection against the terrifying truths of the world. The colours; pieces of the souls reassembled by the hands of those they fought and died to protect.
And I suppose that is what all memorials are. Our way to preserve the soul, to anchor the men and women whose final thoughts were torn and shattered by the howling of air sirens and whistling of bombs, to assure them that they are home now and that they are safe.
The dead can’t say much anymore. Which is why it is up to the living to step in.
Memorials are not just stone statues and glass windows, they are a physical representation of our ability to be selfless.
No one wants to be forgotten or left behind.
Frances Marshall
July 2017
"Lost, Forgotten, Found" by Frances Marshall (16th July 2017)
Would you like some *free* training like Llangammarch Wells History Society?
August 23, 2017
The Powys War Memorials Project funded free website development training for members of the Llangammarch Wells History Society.
The main aim of the training was to provide members of the History Society with the knowledge, skills and confidence to update and maintain their website.
Here is a direct link to the World War 1 pages of the History Society's website:
Llangammarch Wells History Society World War 1
Sue Lilly, Chairman of the History Society, provided a summary of the training.
Please contact the Powys War Memorials Project Officer for more information about the free training available through the project.
"Lost, Forgotten, Found" by Frances Marshall (16th July 2017)
August 06, 2017
Frances Marshall, a volunteer with the Powys War Memorials Project, wrote this emotive article about war memorials in Llandrindod Wells, Powys:
Lost, Forgotten, Found
What is a memorial? If someone had asked me that question eight years ago I’d probably say a statue with some names and words inscribed on it, recording people long gone from this world. Shadows trailing behind us, the nagging thoughts at the back of our minds, ghosts, who wail from beyond the grave, hoping for us to listen to their stories. And why should we? Sadly, that is what most of my generation of internet-dependents probably believe as well.
When I first volunteered to help the project locate and record memorials, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Llandrindod Wells is a small town and the only memorial I had been aware of was the one standing near its centre.
So imagine my surprise when I was informed there were possibly eighteen memorials in Llandrindod rather than one, all waiting for me to find them.
I guess there is a good side to technology after all.
To date, I have learned memorials can come in a variety of forms; brass plaques, stone obelisks, wooden Rolls of Honour and can be located in even the most obvious and sometimes overlooked places such as community churches.
Personally, I find it unfortunate to see the past hidden in a place of sanctuary. But then again where does one go when you are forgotten?
Of all the memorials I have seen so far, the planted oak trees at The Lakeside, the war graves in the town’s cemetery and the cenotaph outside Llandrindod High, I found the stained glass windows in Trinity Church the most outstanding, not simply because of its enlightening display, but for its metaphorical representation. It is fragile like the bodies of the soldiers as they clambered over the trenches, avoiding bullets and missiles. Yet, it lets in the light and stands as a protection against the terrifying truths of the world. The colours; pieces of the souls reassembled by the hands of those they fought and died to protect.
And I suppose that is what all memorials are. Our way to preserve the soul, to anchor the men and women whose final thoughts were torn and shattered by the howling of air sirens and whistling of bombs, to assure them that they are home now and that they are safe.
The dead can’t say much anymore. Which is why it is up to the living to step in.
Memorials are not just stone statues and glass windows, they are a physical representation of our ability to be selfless.
No one wants to be forgotten or left behind.
Frances Marshall
July 2017
"Lost, Forgotten, Found" by Frances Marshall (16th July 2017)