Conserving our war memorials

War memorials across Wales are a poignant part of our heritage and continue to play an important role in the commemoration of the First World War. They are an expression of loss, grief and pride shared by communities and a focal point for commemoration, and their location often directly reflects that public role. They are found everywhere across Wales reflecting that nearly every community sent people off to fight, with so many suffering death and injury.

There are up to 5,000 war memorials in Wales and they do not always take the obvious form of plaques or pieces of sculpture; there are many memorial parks, hospitals and village halls, built by public subscription, all of which form part of the legacy of remembrance for communities. At the start of the commemoration period, Cadw published new guidance aimed specifically at helping communities to care for their memorials offering practical advice and guidance for their conservation and repair. Cadw also launched a grant scheme in 2014 offering financial support for conservation work. The aim of both the guidance and grants scheme was to safeguard our war memorials, helping communities to bring them back to a good state of repair and keeping them that way, to ensure they retain a living role in the future. Cadw awarded 41 grants totalling almost £230,000. Caring for these memorials is a way of honouring the memory of the thousands of ordinary Welsh men and women whose lives were touched by war and there have been a number of recent listings of war memorials, in recognition of their significance. Here are just three examples of newly-listed war memorials in Wales.

Images left and right: Penyrorsedd War Memorial © Crown copyright: Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales

Above: Twyn y Garth Gun, Powys © Crown copyright (2018) Cadw, Welsh Government

TWYN Y GARTH GUN MEMORIAL

The Twyn y Garth Gun Memorial was listed in November 2018 for its special architectural interest as a rare and very unusual example of a war memorial. It is one of only a handful of war trophies in the UK with a well-documented and interesting back story. The Gun is a German First World War Artillery piece placed on its dramatic hillside spot in Powys in 1920 in memory of Christopher Williams-Vaughan and other local men who were killed during the war. It is thought that the gun had been acquired from the British War Office as a trophy gun by the sister of Williams-Vaughan. It was transported up the steep slopes of Twyn y Garth by the local communities of Erwood and Llandeilo Graban in 1920. By 1999 the condition of the gun had deteriorated due to its exposed location. It was restored by Painscastle Community Council as a millennium project and reinstalled in October 2000. PENYRORSEDD WAR MEMORIAL

Penyrorsedd War Memorial, Nantlle, Gwynedd was listed by Cadw in June 2018. It is unusual for its specific testimony to the importance of the slate industry in this community, which is given visible expression in the memorial’s fine carvings. The large slate panel was erected to commemorate the quarrymen from Penyrorsedd Quarry killed during the First World War and comprised panels depicting quarry work along with a battlefield scene.

WENVOE WAR MEMORIAL

Wenvoe War Memorial is in a small memorial park at the centre of Wenvoe village in the Vale of Glamorgan. It was listed in 2017 for its special architectural interest as a well preserved and unusual war memorial displaying fine craftsmanship and particularly interesting use of local materials with the stone from the Wenvoe quarry. It is unusual for recording the names of all those who served in the First World War, not just those who were killed. Julie Osmond www.cadw.gov.wales