Commemorating the Great War

One hundred years ago, our nation was on the eve of that cataclysmic event in our history, the outbreak of the First World War. 2014 will be the centenary of this tragedy which left its mark on almost every town and village in the country and the Prime Minister wants us to commemorate this.

On Saturday, February 9, Dyfed Archaeological Trust, along with Planed, held an open meeting at the Picton Centre, Haverfordwest, to discuss the Great War in Pembrokeshire and to launch an appeal for information: WW1 and its aftermath have been little studied in Pembrokeshire. There was much interest and a large number turned up for the event.

Dyfed Archaeological Trust's Project

Ed Davies, of Dyfed Archaeology, opened proceedings. He stated that CADW has funded a scoping project to assess the impact of the war in this region. It is an attempt to find out what remains are still visible, the location of the camps, the impact on our agriculture and industry. Dyfed Archaeology is looking at the physical remains, while the NLW is collecting documentary evidence. Planed is coordinating events.

This is a project that we in the Pembroke and Monkton Local History Society are becoming involved in, hoping that if any of you can supply information you will get in touch with us. I am hoping too that Dyfed Archaeology will stage an event here in Pembroke which will give you the opportunity to discover more and contribute.

The legacy

Military historian Charles Griffiths then gave a talk on the legacy of WW1. He first asked if anyone knew of anything from the war that affects life today. Some facts to emerge were surprising, eg. public licensing which was introduced so that workers did not turn up drunk to work in the factories. Daylight saving came in purely to give workers and extra hour of daylight and to bring us in line with France. A wrist watch is something most of us wear today, but it only came about because the watch fob proved useless in warfare, catching on clothing. Hence the invention of the practical wrist watch; luminous dials following shortly afterwards.

There are many sayings in popular use today which stem directly from trench warfare 'down the wire' and 'head above the parapet'. 'Cup of tea and a chat' has an interesting origin. Chat is an abbreviation of chattels or goods. The soldiers were plagued with lice and the only thing they actually owned was a louse, their 'chats'. Getting rid of them became a social occasion, taking their clothes off around a brazier and brewing up - hence the saying.

Everyone knows songs from the period, even the words 'Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag', 'It's a long way to Tipperary', 'Keep the home fires burning', 'Mademoiselle from Armentieres, parlez vous', to name a few. These all date back 100 years to WW1.

There were far reaching social consequences too, not the least in the woman's role. The suffragettes had been long campaigning but it was the First World War which really brought about social change with women for the first time taking over men's roles.

Of course there are the war memorials, sadly a feature of all towns and villages; 70 in Pembrokeshire so we were informed. And there are memorial plaques in churches, council buildings, police stations, hospitals, memorial halls: memorials everywhere and these are excellent resources for research on our doorsteps.

A changing army

Mr. Griffiths gave a succinct account on the organisation and evolution of the British Army which in 1914 had seen many changes. Following the Boer war, the army was deemed not fit for purpose and totally restructured. With the talk of a continental war, it was realised that a large strike force of 66 Battalions would need to be sent, but our military capability fell far short in numbers. Britain at that time had forces employed all over the world and it would take a long time to get them home while many battalions were under strength.

On August 4, Britain declared war and called up army reserves, special reserves and began a recruiting campaign: the call went out for volunteers and Kitchener's iconic poster 'Britain Needs You' appeared for the first time. Over one million men answered the call by December 1914: men from all walks of life and an eventual result of this was that Britain was to become a less class conscious society. Later, for the first time, conscription was introduced.

I'll keep you posted as to any forthcoming events and hopefully we will be able to gather in some information for this project.

Shown here are photographs dating from WW1 given to me by Peter Hurlow-Jones whose aunt Dorothy Stephens was a nurse in the Llanion Military Hospital, Pembroke Dock, which once stood in the former hut encampment, a site now occupied by the present Wilkinson's and adjacent industrial estate.

Society News

On Friday, we held our third annual general meeting at Monkton Priory Church Hall. Besides electing the officers and committee, the AGM is an opportunity to report on the years successes and I am glad to report that we have some new people voted on board - anyone wishing to join us is very welcome. Take a look at our website to see the range of work we are engaged in. Also agreed by the AGM was the introduction of a membership of £3 per year for those who wish to join.

Having got the boring bits over with, we were pleased to introduce Simon Hancock who came to talk to us about 'The last man hanged in Pembrokeshire'. The tale of William Roblin hanged in Haverfordwest is fairly well-known, but Simon told us about an astonishing discovery made about two years ago, when he came upon an eyewitness account buried in old newspapers. This gave a rather different take on the story. Roblin's end came on April 24, 1821, executed by the High Sheriff of Pembrokeshire, Joseph Harris. Apparently, there were 18 applicants for the post of executioner, but the identity of the man who did the deed was never made known. His body was anatomised and dissected then buried within the prison grounds without Christian ceremony. But even then, he was not allowed to rest in peace. His body was dug up and the skeleton sold. After passing through several hands, most of it was lost - except the skull. And that, dear readers, now lies in a box in Pembroke Castle. How it got there remains a mystery.

Contact

If you have any stories, photographs or feedback for this column, please contact me, Linda Asman, on 01646 622428, email [email protected]">[email protected] and visit our website http://www.pembrokeandmonkonhistory.org.uk">www.pembrokeandmonkonhistory.org.uk

Next events

Friday, March 1, 7.30 pm, at Monkton Church Hall: Dewi Sant evening to celebrate St. David's Day. Supper of Welsh fare (bring a bottle if you wish) and there will be entertainment as well. Tickets £3.50, followed by Saturday, March 2, 10.30 am, coffee morning with exhibition and old film show.

All proceeds of these two events will go to Monkton Priory Church - please give your support to help keep the doors open of this wonderful, ancient church.