[:en]Since the autumn of 2015, the project Welsh Memorials to the Great War has been preparing to investigate the range of First World War memorials in Wales. Generously funded by the Living Legacies Engagement Centre, this project aims to begin to fill a gap in our knowledge and appreciation of ‘unofficial’ war memorials in Wales. Although a lot of work has been done on commemoration of the war in Wales, the tendency has been to focus on the ‘official’ memorials. The available databases do a good job of listing these, what you might call the ‘village green’ memorials, but they are very patchy when it comes to memorials that were set up by chapels, workplaces, schools and societies.
As well as creating and sharing a database, the project will also explore different ways in which these memorials can be analysed by researchers. The database could be used to facilitate:
– a ‘micro-history’, focussing in closely on one memorial and doing a biographical analysis of the names listed.
– a study of the distribution of the memorials, and how there are different patterns of commemoration across Wales
– a study of the iconography of the memorials, and again how this differs across regions
– looking at patterns of inclusion, for instance by examining those memorials that list women as well as
men.
As we work to get the project up-and-running, I have continued to gather images of chapel memorials. I find these very enlightening as to the attitudes of people and communities across Wales to the war. Of course, prior to August 1914, these institutions were strongly anti-militaristic, but we can see how that was transformed by studying the Roll of Honour in Adulam Baptist chapel, Bon-y-maen (north Swansea).
This Roll of Honour lists (as many chapel memorials do) all of those who served in the War, not just the fallen: in this case, 48 men. The number of names is not surprising: other Baptist chapels in the north Swansea area have 81 (Caersalem Newydd, Treboeth), 99 (Seion, Morriston) and 52 (Soar, Morriston). In 1914, Adulam had 231 members (a smaller membership than the other three chapel mentioned above) so one can be sure that the majority of young Adulam men who were eligible did join up.
This Roll of Honour is interesting and unusual in that its creator has signed it (T. Lewis of Morriston), with the date 1917. Therefore this was a ‘live’ document, added to as the war dragged on and more Adulam men were called up. One can see from the spacing at the bottom of the document that some of the names were squeezed in. Also, the names of battles were added to the pillars on either side, including a battle fought in 1918.
The design of this memorial is different to all those I have studied previously, though many of the features are familiar. The two red dragons in the top corners of the memorial is a feature seen in Penuel chapel, Loughor. The collection of Allied flags in the centre of the roll can also be seen in the Roll of Honour at Bethel, Llanelli. The pillars flanking the list of names are also a feature of the two memorials in Mynydd Bach chapel. One unexpected aspect I have never previously encountered is the image of Kitchener, just beneath the flags. It is indeed surprising to have a picture of a warrior like Kitchener, not known for his sympathy for the ideals of Welsh Nonconformity, in a Welsh chapel.
The wording of this memorial is also significant. ‘Rhestr yr Anrhydeddus’ (literally ‘List of the honourable ones’); ‘Aelodau’r Eglwys a’r Gynulleidfa sydd yn gwasanaethu eu Duw, eu Brenin a’u Gwlad’ (‘Members of the Church and the Congregation who are serving their God, their King and their Country’). Many Welsh chapel memorials will have wording that declares that the men fought for ‘Rhyddid’ (‘Freedom’) and ‘Anrhydedd’ (‘Honour’) but it is not common to have such an explicit declaration that they were fighting for ‘Duw’ (God’).
The key question which we must be careful in answering is whether we can infer from this memorial that the chapel accepted the argument that this was a just war. We cannot say for sure that the whole congregation was committed to fighting the war to the end, whatever the cost, but it is clear that the chapel’s leadership did adhere to the line that this was a war for right against might. I believe the fact that the memorial was commissioned in 1917 is significant: by then any illusions that people might have had early in the war that it would be over quickly had long since disappeared. Britain was not winning the war in 1917, but losing a constant stream of men in battles that did not appear to bring victory any closer. Yet this document still declares that the cause is just, for if God is on the Allies’ side, there can be no question about whether or not we are in the right.
Supporting evidence comes from the pages of the local newspapers, the Cambrian Daily Leader and the Herald of Wales. Searching the online database of the tremendous resource Cymru1914.org it is easy to come across reports of well over a dozen of the servicemen being honoured by the chapel when they returned home on leave, or were demobbed at the end of the war. (See, for example, the reports on Gwilym Leyshon and Willie Martin ).
Thus this single memorial contains a wealth of information that can help us understand how this community reacted to the war. The aim of the project is to share the details of a few hundred Welsh memorials, giving us the opportunity to examine how people and communities across Wales responded to the challenges of this unprecedented war, and thus a better idea of how the Welsh nation as a whole was scarred by the experience.
Dr Gethin Matthews, Swansea University
[:cy]Ers yr hydref 2015 mae prosiect Cofebion Cymreig i’r Rhyfel Mawr wed bod yn paratoi ar gyfer ymchwilio’r ystod o gofebau ar draws Cymru i’r Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf. Wedi’i ariannu’n hael gan y Living Legacies Engagement Centre, bwriad y prosiect yw dechrau’r gwaith o lenwi’r bwlch yn ein dealltwriaeth o gofebau ‘answyddogol’ i’r Rhyfel Mawr yng Nghymru. Er i lawer o waith gael ei wneud ar sut y coffawyd y rhyfel yng Nghymru, rydym wedi gweld tuedd i ganolbwyntio ar y cofebau ‘swyddogol’ – hynny yw, y rhai sy’n amlwg yng nghanol y dref neu’r ddinas. Mae’r rhain yn cael eu rhestru ar gronfeydd data, ond ni chynhwysir nifer o gofebau eraill, a sefydlwyd gan gapeli, gweithleoedd, ysgolion a chlybiau.
Yn ogystal â chreu a rhannu cronfa ddata, bydd y prosiect yn archwilio’r amrywiaeth o ffyrdd y gellir dadansoddi’r cofebau hyn gan ymchwilwyr. Gellir defnyddio’r gronfa ddata i hwyluso:
– ymchwiliad manwl o gofeb unigol, gan ddadansoddi bywydau’r dynion a restrir arno
– astudiaeth o ddosraniad y cofebau, a sut y ceir patrymau amrywiol o goffáu ar draws Cymru
– astudiaeth o’r delweddau a ddefnyddiwyd, eto gan edrych ar y gwahaniaethau ar draws ardaloedd Cymru
– edrych ar y patrymau o bwy sy’n cael eu cynnwys ar y cofebau, er enghraifft gan astudio’r cofebau sydd yn rhestru merched yn ogystal â dynion
Wrth i ni baratoi seiliau’r prosiect, rwyf wedi parhau â’r gwaith o gasglu lluniau o gofebau mewn capeli. Rwy’n credu bod y rhain yn siarad cyfrolau am agweddau pobl a chymunedau ar draws y wlad at y rhyfel. Wrth gwrs, cyn mis Awst 1914 roedd y sefydliadau hyn yn gryf yn erbyn militariaeth, ond fe allwn weld sut gafodd y sefyllfa ei thrawsnewid wrth astudio Rhestr Anrhydedd Adulam, eglwys y Bedyddwyr ym Môn-y-maen (gogledd Abertawe).
Fel nifer o gofebau capeli eraill, fe restra hon nid yn unig y rhai a syrthiodd, ond pob dyn a wasanaethodd. Nid yw’n fawr o syndod fod 48 enw ar y rhestr: ymhlith capeli eraill y Bedyddwyr yng Ngogledd Abertawe mae 81 o enwau ar gofeb Caersalem Newydd (Tre-boeth), 99 ar un Seion (Treforys) a 52 ar un Soar (Treforys). Ym 1914 roedd gan Adulam 231 o aelodau (ychydig yn llai na’r tri chapel arall a enwyd) ac felly fe allwn fod yn sicr bod y rhan fwyaf o ddynion ifainc Adulam a oedd yn medru ymuno â’r lluoedd arfog wedi gwneud.
Mae’r Rhestr Anrhydedd hon yn ddiddorol ac yn anghyffredin oherwydd mae’r un a’i lluniodd (T. Lewis o Dreforys) wedi rhoi ei enw, a’r dyddiad 1917. Felly roedd hon yn ddogfen ‘fyw’, gyda mwy o enwau yn cael eu hychwanegu wrth i’r ryfel rygnu ymlaen a mwy o ddynion ifainc Adulam yn cael eu recriwtio. Wrth sylwi fod y gofod rhwng y llinellau ar waelod y ddogfen yn newid, gwelwn fod rhai o’r enwau wedi’u gwasgu i mewn. Hefyd, fe ychwanegwyd enwau brwydrau i’r pileri ar y naill ochr, gan gynnwys brwydr a ymladdwyd ym 1918.
Mae cynllun y gofeb hon yn wahanol i bob un arall a welais, er bod rhai nodweddion yn gyffredin. Mae dwy ddraig goch yn y corneli ar ben y ddogfen, sydd yn debyg i’r hyn sydd ar gofeb Penuel, Casllwchwr. Mae casgliad o faneri gwledydd y Gynghrair yn y canol, yn debyg i gofeb Bethel, Llanelli. Ceir pileri ar naill ochr y rhestr o enwau, sy’n debyg i’r cofebion yng nghapel Mynydd Bach. Ond un nodwedd na welais erioed o’r blaen yw’r darlun o Kitchener o dan y baneri. Mae’n rhyfedd gweld llun o ryfelwr fel Kitchener, nad oedd yn adnabyddus am ei gydymdeimlad ag egwyddorion Anghydffurfwyr Cymru, mewn capel Cymraeg.
Awgrymaf fod geiriad y gofeb hon yn arwyddocaol. ‘Rhestr yr Anrhydeddus – Aelodau’r Eglwys a’r Gynulleidfa sydd yn gwasanaethu eu Duw, eu Brenin a’u Gwlad’. Mewn nifer o gapeli Cymru ceir cofebau sydd yn datgan bod y dynion wedi ymladd dros ‘Rhyddid’ ac ‘Anrhydedd’, ond nid yw’n gyffredin i gael datganiad plaen fel hwn bod y dynion yn ymladd dros Duw.
Cwestiwn allweddol y mae’n rhaid bod yn ofalus yn ei gylch yw: A ydym yn gallu dod i’r casgliad bod prawf yn y gofeb bod y capel yn derbyn y ddadl bod hon yn rhyfel cyfiawn? Nid ydym yn gallu dweud i sicrwydd bod y gynulleidfa gyfan wedi’i hymrwymo i ymladd y rhyfel hyd y diwedd, beth bynnag y gost, ond mae’n amlwg bod arweinyddiaeth yr eglwys yn cyd-fynd â’r casgliad mai brwydr oedd hon rhwng y da a’r drwg. Credaf fod y ffaith bod y gofeb hon wedi’i chreu ym 1917 yn arwyddocaol: erbyn hynny roedd pawb yn ymwybodol bod hwn yn rhyfel hynod o ddrudfawr a dinistriol. Nid oedd Prydain yn ennill y rhyfel ym 1917, ond yn hytrach yn colli niferoedd torcalonnus o ddynion yn barhaus mewn brwydrau nad oedd yn arwain at unrhyw obaith o fuddugoliaeth fuan. Ond ceir datganiad plaen yn y ddogfen hon bod yr achos yn un cyfiawn, oherwydd os ydi Duw ar ochr y Cynghreiriaid, ni all fod unrhyw amheuaeth ynglŷn â phwy sydd ar ochr cyfiawnder.
Fe ddaw tystiolaeth bellach o dudalennau’r papurau newydd lleol, y Cambrian Daily Leader a’r Herald of Wales. Wrth chwilio’r ar wefan hynod o ddefnyddiol Cymru1914.org gallwch ddod o hyd yn hawdd i adroddiadau am dros ddwsin o’r dynion ar y rhestr yn cael eu hanrhydeddu gan y capel pan ddychwelasant adref, naill ai dros dro yng nghanol y rhyfel neu ar ôl i’r tanio dawelu. (Gweler, er enghraifft, yr adroddiadau ar Gwilym Leyshon a Willie Martin).
Felly mae’r gofeb unigol hon yn cynnwys cyfoeth o wybodaeth sydd yn gallu ein cynorthwyo i ddeall ymateb y gymuned hon i’r rhyfel. Bwriad y prosiect yw i rannu manylion rhai cannoedd o gofebau Cymreig, sy’n rhoi’r cyfle i ni astudio ymateb pobl a chymunedau ar draws Cymru i her eithriadol y Rhyfel Mawr. Felly cawn weld yn well y creithiau a adawodd y rhyfel hwn ar ein cenedl.
Dr Gethin Matthews, Prifysgol Abertawe
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Fantastic post.Really thank you! Much obliged.