Poem: My Living Soul by Mari Wyn Jones

My Living Soul

Expect terror, expect death, Expect Injury and viciousness; After hours of misery A bloody battle approaches inevitably. Losing confidence and faith, Losing my hopes and aspirations As the enemy approaches over the hill While I stand alone and in shock.

Feel the blood and feel the madness Feel the anxiety which will bring oblivion; The arms roaring until the dawn: I know that hell is now my world… Remembering the boys, remembering my friends, Remembering the nightmare of suffering; I myself gained the grace of God –But dead will be my living soul.

Mari Wyn Jones (translated from Welsh)

2019

The Armistice was declared in 1918, but the quest for peace continued and the impact and consequences of the war resonated for many years thereafter. Reflecting this, the activities of Cymru’n Cofio Wales Remembers 1914‑1918 continued into 2019, with the emphasis shifting to the effect of war on individuals, communities and the nation as a whole, ranging from local events such as the disturbing race riots in Cardiff and elsewhere in South Wales, to David Lloyd George’s role at the Paris Peace Conferences and the international ramifications.

Right: Captain Richard Lloyd George, Mrs Owen Thomas, Prime Minister David Lloyd George, his wife Margaret and BrigadierGeneral Owen Thomas at Llandudno after the Great War speech given by the Prime Minister © IWM (Q 54471)