When Dai Became Tommy

The coal miners of Wales were among the first to answer the call to war in 1914. Usually socialist, radical and non‑conformist, miners could be sceptical about appeals to patriotism. Like many other men at the time however, they were swept away by the initial enthusiasm for the war and flocked to join up. Tough men, used to the daily hardship and danger of mining, they would find their talents and courage severely tested.

The When Dai became Tommy exhibition looked at the personal stories of miners who went to war, with a particular emphasis on those miners who served as ‘tunnellers’ on the Western Front – a largely forgotten part of the war where the Welsh played a prominent role. Welsh soldiers fought on every battlefield on which British forces were engaged and wherever Welsh soldiers fought, there were miners amongst them. This exhibition was held at the Big Pit National Coal Museum February to September 2015 before moving to the National Wool Museum from September 2015 to January 2016.

Left: Leather purse presented by the officials of Forge Slope Colliery to David Evan Williams on attaining a commission as a Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers, April 1916. © Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales