Candlelit vigil to commemorate the outbreak of war

At 11pm on 4 August 1914, Great Britain officially declared war on Germany. To mark this centenary, the then First Minister of Wales, Rt Hon Carwyn Jones AM, led the national commemorations at a candlelit vigil at Llandaff Cathedral. He was joined by senior political, military and faith leaders from Wales and their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. The service offered an opportunity for reflection and remembrance of all those who had lost their lives during the First World War − at home or on the battlefield.

The service included the reading of ‘Rhyfel’, written by the poet Hedd Wyn who lost his life at the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917, along with a Message of Peace by youth members of Urdd Gobaith Cymru. The service concluded with the lighting of a candle by a Pastor from the German Lutheran Churches. At 11pm the cathedral bell tolled to mark the sombre moment war was declared 100 years before.

Left: © Welsh Government