Introduction
Slaughter
The First World War (often called the Great War) started in August 1914 and lasted until November 1918. The actual causes of the war are complicated and still debated by historians to this day.
There are now no survivors who fought in World War 1 to tell the story of the horrors of trench warfare in an age where modern mechanised forms of killing such as the machine gun had recently come of age. The figures for those killed are still debated to this day. Approximately 10m were killed and 31m wounded. The UK lost a total of just over 1m killed with a further 2m wounded. In many cases families and villages lost an entire generation of young men. Approximately a further 250,000 were killed from the Commonwealth countries including 75,000 from India, 65,000 from Canada, 62,000 from Australia and thousands of others from across the Commonwealth including African and the Caribbean Islands.
The First World War had a massive impact on 20th Century history. The war ended a period of prosperity and progress, contributed to the great depression in the late 20s and early 30s and ultimately, along with the terms of the peace agreement in 1919, was one of the major factors that resulted in the Second World War. The period was also significant in terms of social change of the class system and freedom for women.
It is difficult to comprehend the scale of the slaughter and suffering experienced by troops in the First World War. Trench warfare meant living in mud plagued by rats and lice.
The British Armed Forces have sadly lost approximately 3,500 killed in action in all wars since 1945 including Korea, Falkland’s, Iraq and Afghanistan. By comparison on the first day of the battle of the Somme on the 1st July 1916, British and Commonwealth troops suffered 60,000 casualties including 20,000 killed in a single day. This is highest number of casualties ever sustained by the British Army in one day, 20,000 is the liberty Stadium at full capacity.
City & County of Swansea: Swansea Museum Collection
The Thiepval Memorial, France bears the names of 72,000 British and Commonwealth dead who fell in the Somme battle and whom have no known grave.
The 14th (Service Battalion), The Welsh Regiment were part of the 38th Welsh Division. The Battalion were known as the “Swansea Pals” and consisted of 1,200 men from Swansea and the surrounding towns including Neath and Port Talbot.
Life in Swansea The war would have affected the majority of the population of Swansea in one form or another. Many families would have lost loved ones. Much of the population not serving in the armed forces would have served the war effort as munitions workers, nurses or in other voluntary capacities, particularly women. Many Swansea seamen also died serving in the merchant navy, running the gauntlet of U boats bringing essential supplies to Britain.
By Morrall, J B Š Imperial War Museum Collection
On the 7th July they found themselves in one of the deadliest battles of the war, Mametz Wood, in which almost 100 of them were killed and 300 more injured. Mametz Wood was part of the Somme Battlefield. By the end of the war in 1918 more than 600 of the Swansea Pals had given their lives for King and Country.
City & County of Swansea: Swansea Museum Collection
Events and Exhibitions A series of events across the city have also been arranged as part of the centenary commemorations. Events include exhibitions from Swansea Museum and the West Glamorgan Archives Service, concerts from Swansea Male Choir, poetry at the Dylan Thomas Centre and book readings from Swansea Libraries, just to name a few. Catrin Collier, “The Long Road to Baghdad” Book Signing Saturday 22 March Discovery Room, Swansea Central Library Displays on the history of the First World War Summer 2014 Swansea Central Library WW1 Workshop with Lucy Donald Thursday 24 July Swansea Museum WW1 Workshop with Ruth McLeese Thursday 31 July Swansea Museum
Swansea and the Great War Tuesday 22 July – Sunday 18 January 2015 Swansea Museum WW1 Workshops August Glynn Vivian Art Gallery
Events and Exhibitions (Continued) Dr John Alban – “Belgian Refugees and Swansea’s Belgian Community” Saturday 2 August Swansea Central Library WW1 War Horse Puppets with Lucy Donald Saturday 2 August, 10am – 1pm, 2pm – 4pm Swansea Museum
WW1 Cartoon Workshop with Lucy Donald Thursday 7 August Swansea Museum World War 1: Remembering our Heroes 20 October – 17 November West Glamorgan Archive Service World War 1: Some Things we Forgot to Remember 20 October – 17 November West Glamorgan Archive Service Swansea WW1 book launch by Bernard Lewis Wednesday 22 October West Glamorgan Archive Service Swansea in The Great War, Bernard Lewis Saturday 15 November Swansea Central Library
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Cyflwyniad
Y Gyflafan
Dechreuodd y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf (y Rhyfel Mawr fel y’i gelwir yn aml) ym mis Awst 1914 gan barhau tan fis Tachwedd 1918. Mae gwir achosion y rhyfel yn gymhleth ac yn dal i gael eu dadlau gan haneswyr hyd heddiw.
Nid oes unrhyw un o oroeswyr y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf bellach yn fyw i adrodd hanes erchyllterau ymladd mewn ffosydd mewn oes pan oedd dulliau mecanyddol modern o ladd, fel gwn peiriant, newydd ddechrau cael eu defnyddio. Mae’r ffigurau ar gyfer y rhai a fu farw’n dal i gael eu dadlau heddiw. Lladdwyd oddeutu 10m ac anafwyd 31m. Cafodd dros 1 filiwn o bobl y DU eu lladd a 2 filiwn arall eu hanafu. Mewn sawl achos, collodd teuluoedd a phentrefi genhedlaeth gyfan o ddynion ifanc. Lladdwyd tua 250,000 arall o blith gwledydd y Gymanwlad gan gynnwys 75,000 o India, 65,000 o Ganada, 62,000 o Awstralia a miloedd ar draws y Gymanwlad gan gynnwys Ynysoedd Affrica a’r Caribî.
Cafodd y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf effaith enfawr ar hanes yr 20fed ganrif. Daeth cyfnod o ffyniant a chynnydd i ben oherwydd y rhyfel, cyfrannodd at y dirwasgiad mawr ddiwedd yr 20au a dechrau’r 30au ac yn y pen draw, ynghyd â thelerau’r cytundeb heddwch ym 1919, roedd yn un o’r prif ffactorau a arweiniodd at yr Ail Ryfel Byd. Roedd y cyfnod hefyd yn arwyddocaol o ran newid cymdeithasol i’r system ddosbarth a rhyddid i fenywod.
Mae’n anodd dirnad maint y gyflafan a’r dioddef a brofwyd gan filwyr y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf. Roedd ymladd mewn ffosydd yn golygu byw mewn mwd a oedd yn llawn llygod mawr a llau.
Yn drist, mae Lluoedd Arfog Prydain wedi colli oddeutu 3,500 o filwyr wrth ymladd ym mhob rhyfel ers 1945, gan gynnwys Corea, Ynysoedd Falkland, Irac ac Affganistan. I gymharu â diwrnod cyntaf brwydr y Somme ar 1 Gorffennaf 1916, cafodd 60,000 o fyddin Prydain a’r Gymanwlad eu hanafu a lladdwyd 20,000 mewn un diwrnod. Dyma’r nifer uchaf o anafiadau i’r Fyddin Brydeinig mewn un diwrnod. 20,000 yw’r nifer sydd yn Stadiwm Liberty pan yn llawn.
Dinas a Sir Abertawe: Casgliad Amgueddfa Abertawe
Mae Cofeb Thiepval, Ffrainc yn nodi enwau 72,000 o filwyr Prydain a’r Gymanwlad a fu farw ym Mrwydr y Somme sydd heb fedd hysbys.
Roedd 14eg Bataliwn Gwasanaeth y Gatrawd Gymreig yn rhan o 38ain Adran Cymru. Gelwid y Bataliwn yn “Swansea Pals” ac roedd yn cynnwys 1,200 o ddynion o Abertawe a’r trefi cyfagos gan gynnwys Castell-nedd a Phort Talbot.
Bywyd yn Abertawe Byddai’r rhyfel wedi effeithio ar y rhan fwyaf o boblogaeth Abertawe mewn un ffordd neu gilydd. Byddai llawer o deuluoedd wedi colli anwyliaid. Byddai llawer o’r boblogaeth nad oeddent yn gwasanaethu yn y lluoedd arfog wedi cynorthwyo yn ystod y rhyfel fel gweithwyr cynhyrchu arfau rhyfel, nyrsys neu mewn ffordd wirfoddol arall, yn arbennig menywod. Bu farw llawer o forwyr Abertawe hefyd wrth wasanaethu yn y Llynges Fasnachol, yn gwneud y gwaith anodd o hwylio cychod U i ddod â nwyddau hanfodol i Brydain. Gan Morrall, J B © Casgliad yr Amgueddfa Ryfel Ymerodrol
Ar 7 Gorffennaf, roeddent yn rhan o un o frwydrau mwyaf angheuol y rhyfel, sef Coed Mametz, lle lladdwyd bron 100 ohonynt ac anafwyd 300 ohonynt. Roedd Coed Mametz yn rhan o faes y gad y Somme. Erbyn diwedd y rhyfel ym 1918, roedd dros 600 o’r Swansea Pals wedi aberthu eu bywydau dros eu brenin a’u gwlad.
Dinas a Sir Abertawe: Casgliad Amgueddfa Abertawe
Digwyddiadau ac Arddangosfeydd Mae cyfres o ddigwyddiadau ar draws y ddinas wedi’u trefnu i goffáu’r canmlwyddiant hefyd. Bydd y digwyddiadau’n cynnwys arddangosfeydd gan Amgueddfa Abertawe a Gwasanaeth Archifau Gorllewin Morgannwg, cyngherddau gan Gôr Meibion Abertawe, barddoniaeth yng Nghanolfan Dylan Thomas a darlleniadau o lyfrau yn llyfrgelloedd Abertawe, i enwi ychydig yn unig. Catrin Collier, Sesiwn Llofnodi Llyfrau “The Long Road to Baghdad” Dydd Sadwrn 22 Mawrth Ystafell Ddarganfod, Llyfrgell Ganolog Abertawe Arddangosfa’r Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf Haf 2014 Llyfrgell Ganolog Abertawe Gweithdy’r Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf gyda Lucy Donald Dydd Iau 24 Gorffennaf Amgueddfa Abertawe
Gweithdy’r Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf gyda Ruth McLeese Dydd Iau 31 Gorffennaf Amgueddfa Abertawe Abertawe a’r Rhyfel Mawr Dydd Mawrth 22 Gorffennaf – dydd Sul 18 Ionawr 2015 Amgueddfa Abertawe Gweithdai’r Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf Awst Oriel Gelf Glynn Vivian
Digwyddiadau ac Arddangosfeydd (Parhad) Dr John Alban – “Ffoaduriaid Belgaidd a Chymuned Felgaidd Abertawe” Dydd Sadwrn 2 Awst Llyfrgell Ganolog Abertawe
Pypedau Ceffylau Rhyfel y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf gyda Lucy Donald Dydd Sadwrn 2 Awst, 10am – 1pm a 2pm – 4pm Amgueddfa Abertawe Gweithdy Cartw ˆ n y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf gyda Lucy Donald Dydd Iau 7 Awst Amgueddfa Abertawe Y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf: Cofio ein Harwyr 20 Hydref – 17 Tachwedd Gwasanaeth Archifau Gorllewin Morgannwg Y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf: Rhai pethau rydym yn anghofio eu cofio 20 Hydref – 17 Tachwedd Gwasanaeth Archifau Gorllewin Morgannwg Lansio Llyfr y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf yn Abertawe gan Bernard Lewis Dydd Mercher 22 Hydref Gwasanaeth Archifau Gorllewin Morgannwg Abertawe yn y Rhyfel Mawr Bernard Lewis Dydd Sadwrn 15 Tachwedd Llyfrgell Ganolog Abertawe