[:en]One of the patterns that has become clear as we gather material from around Wales for the ‘Welsh Memorials’ project is that patterns of memorialisation can be local. That is, particular communities in certain areas will have the same kinds of memorials to those who served in the First World War.
One example can be seen in the nonconformist chapels of Morriston. Another blog post looks at these in more detail – look at how similar the various chapel memorials are.
These five memorials have all been designed by the same man, and they all have an image of the chapel building to the fore, flanked by the Union flag and the Welsh dragon.
Another patch of Wales where a number of interesting chapel memorials have survived is the Pontypool area. Below are five examples of memorials from Baptist chapels in the area which, although different in design, share some important features.
The memorial in Ebenezer Baptist chapel, Griffithstown (south of Pontypool), was designed by Mrs K. Davies, the minister’s wife, and was unveiled in March 1919. It lists the names of 78 men and then ten women who served, and then names the ten men who died on active service. (The final woman on the list is F. Muxworthy: this is almost certainly Frances Muxworthy of Kemeys Street, Griffithstown, who served with Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps. This also suggests that two of the men listed are her brothers, Arthur and William Muxworthy).
In Merchant’s Hill Baptist chapel, Pontynewynydd, a Roll of Honour was unveiled in 
October 1919, naming five men who died, and 47 men and one woman who served.
There is also in this chapel a memorial which names six men and one woman who died.
Moving north of Pontypool to Talywain, there is Pisgah chapel. Here the memorial is in marble, and it lists three men who were killed in action, and then gives the names of 44 men and four women who served.
Just down the road in Abersychan there is the High Street English Baptist chapel.
The list here is alphabetical (unlike the list in the others mentioned here) and it contains 85 names, including seven women. Eight of the men were killed in the war.
On prominent display in the chapel there is also a marble tablet celebrating the peace that came at the war’s end.
A stone’s throw away from High Street chapel is Noddfa, yet another Baptist chapel. The memorial here lists seven men who died and then the names of 53 other men who served and six women.
In visual terms, this is obviously the most striking of the five. The memorial, designed by William Benjamin John of Abertillery, has some very strong symbolism. The central figure is an angel; above is a lion with chains in its mouth; at the bottom is a slain dragon. This is probably the most vivid image of a chapel memorial so far collected by the ‘Welsh Memorials’ project.
Having noted the differences in the appearance of the four memorials described, it is also worth dwelling on their similarities. All of these memorials honour those who served, as well as mourning those who died. (Around a half of the Welsh chapel memorials so far gathered are Rolls of Honour which list all who served). All of these memorials name the women who served (mainly as nurses, but also in units such as the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps) – whereas in general only around a third at most of Welsh chapel Rolls of Honour include the names of women.
Perhaps there is a case of imitation here, or maybe we could even say competition. The chapels were proud of their communities’ contribution to the war effort and they wanted to demonstrate it. Thus as well as the clear motivation of honouring those who served in the war, there was also an element of pride in both the execution of the memorial and in the length of the list of chapel members who had ‘done their duty’.
[:cy]Un o’r pethau a ddaeth yn amlwg wrth inni gasglu defnyddiau o bob rhan o Gymru ar gyfer prosiect ‘Cofebau Cymru’ yw y gall y patrymau o goffáu fod yn ddewis lleol. Hynny yw, mae gan gymunedau mewn rhan o’r wlad yr un fath o gofebau i’r sawl a wasanaethodd yn y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf ag sydd gan eraill o’u cwmpas.
Gwelir un enghraifft o hyn yng nghapeli Anghydffurfiol Treforys. Mae blog arall yn edrych yn fanylach ar y rhain – sylwch pa mor debyg yw cofebau’r eglwysi gwahanol.
Y mae’r pum cofeb hyn wedi eu cynllunio gan yr un person, ac mae ganddynt lun o’r capel yn y canol gyda Jac yr Undeb a Draig y naill ochr.
Ardal arall yng Nghymru lle goroesodd nifer o gofebau diddorol yw Pont-y-pŵl. Isod gwelir enghreifftiau o bum cofeb o gapeli’r Bedyddwyr o’r un ardal sydd yn rhannu llawer o’r un un nodweddion er ar gynllun gwahanol.
Cafodd cofeb Ebenezer, capel y Bedyddwyr yn Griffithstown (i’r de o Bont-y-pŵl) ei chynllunio gan Mrs K. Davies, gwraig y gweinidog a’i dadorchuddio ym mis Mawrth 1919. Mae’n rhestru enwau 78 o ddynion ac yna deg o ferched. Oddi tano enwir deg a gafodd eu lladd yn y Rhyfel. (Y ferch olaf a restrir yw F. Muxworthy: mae’n debygol iawn mai hi yw Frances Muxworthy o Kemeys Street, Griffithstown, a wasanaethodd gyda’r Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps. Fe awgryma hyn fod dau o’r dynion a restrir yn frodyr iddi, sef Arthur a William Muxworthy).
Yng nghapel y Bedyddwyr Merchant’s Hill, Pontynewynydd, dadorchuddwyd y Rhestr Anrhydedd ym mis Hydref 1919, gan enwi pum dyn a fu farw, a 47 dyn ac un fenyw a wasanaethodd.
Hefyd yn y capel ceir cofeb i chwech dyn ac un fenyw a fu farw.
I’r gogledd o Bont-y-pŵl mae capel Pisgah Talywain.
Yno mae’r gofeb mewn marmor yn rhestru tri o ddynion a laddwyd mewn brwydr ac yna enwir 44 o wŷr a phedair merch a wasanaethodd yn y Rhyfel.
Saif capel y Bedyddwyr Saesneg, High Street, ychydig i ffwrdd yn Abersychan.
Yno rhestrir yr enwau yn nhrefn yr wyddor (yn wahanol i’r cofebau eraill a enwir yma) ac mae’n cynnwys 85 o enwau yn cynnwys saith merch. Lladdwyd wyth o’r dynion yn y Rhyfel.
Mewn man amlwg yn y capel gwelir tabled marmor yn dathlu’r heddwch a ddaeth ar ddiwedd y Rhyfel.
Nid nepell i ffwrdd o gapel High Street mae gan y Bedyddwyr gapel arall, sef Noddfa. Mae’r gofeb yno yn rhestru saith o ddynion a fu farw a 53 o ddynion a chwech o ferched a wasanaethodd.
O ran ei ymddangosiad, hon yw’r gofeb mwyaf trawiadol o’r pump. Lluniwyd y gofeb gan William Benjamin John o Abertyleri ac mae’n gyforiog o symbolau cryf. Angel yw’r ffigwr canolog; uwchben darlunir llew â chadwyni yn ei geg; ar y gwaelod mae draig a laddwyd. Mae’n debyg mai hon yw’r mwyaf trawiadol o’r delweddau ar gofebau capeli a gasglwyd gan brosiect ‘Cofebau Cymru’ hyd yn hyn.
Wedi nodi’r gwahaniaethau yn y pedair cofeb a ddisgrifiwyd, mae’n werth aros gyda’r tebygrwydd sydd rhyngddynt. Mae’r pedair yn anrhydeddu y sawl a wasanaethodd yn ogystal â galaru’r sawl a fu farw. (Rhestrau anrhydedd y sawl a wasanaethodd yw tua hanner cofebau’r capeli Cymraeg a gasglwyd hyd yn hyn.) Y mae rhain i gyd yn enwi’r merched a wasanaethodd (fel nyrsus yn bennaf, ond hefyd mewn unedau tebyg i’r Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps) ond, a siarad yn gyffredinol, rhyw un o bob tair o Restrau Anrhydedd y capeli sy’n cynnwys enwau merched.
Efallai fod yr eglwysi hyn yn copïo ei gilydd, neu hyd yn oed yn cystadlu â’i gilydd. Roedd y capeli’n ymfalchïo yn y cyfraniad a wnaeth eu cymunedau i’r Rhyfel ac am ddangos hynny. Felly, yn ogystal ag anrhydeddu’r sawl a wasanaethodd yn y Rhyfel, yr oedd balchder hefyd yn y ffordd y lluniwyd y gofeb, ac yn hyd y rhestr o enwau aelodau’r capel a ‘wnaeth eu rhan’.[:]