November 11th - The Lost Of The War

I thought for this Veterans Day/Remembrance Day I would share a poem I wrote when I was 15. I rediscovered this on my visit to England, it was packed away in boxes in a friends attic. I was inspired to write the poem when our school visited the World War 1 and 2 memorials in France and Belgium. I still vividly remember the row upon row of graves, memorials and headstones.

I thought about editing the poem but decided I would leave it here as my own piece of family history.

There they lay in their thousands,
Each one with a story,
All died for their nation,
Whilst fighting for glory.

Only a gravestone,
With which to remember,
Those soldiers who fought,
To win us our splendour.

Red roses, pink roses,
All of them given,
To each one of those fighters,
Who now live in heaven.

Heads bow in silent respect
Our thoughts on the dead,
Who died for our peace,
Their last days living dread. 

Lampeter War Memorial - Contribution To The Honor Roll Project

I recently visited Lampeter, Wales. It's just a small town so when I saw a local war memorial I took some photographs so I could add it to the Honor Roll Project in time for Nov 11th (Remembrance Day/Veterans Day) I wanted to make sure that in the future these people could be easily found by all.

The site is well looked after, but it was difficult to get a picture of the whole thing due to the angle and the direction the road took in front of it. This is a view of the main obelisk.

There is a small plaque just as you enter the site, with an explanation of how it was first created and who it was for. Since the town is in Wales, the words are in both Welsh and English.

An overview reads:

"To the immortal memory of the men of Lampeter and of nurse Richards who died in the Great War 1914-1919. Nobly they did their duty and sacrificed their lives defending their homes and the honour of their country.

Mewn angof ni chant fod."  (We will not forget them.) 

Each side of the obelisk then has a list of names. I have provided a picture and transcribed them as best as I can. The last few names on the last image have faded somewhat. I have put a ? where something was too difficult to translate perfectly.

Rsm Watkin Llewelyn Evans - Kings Royal Rifle Corps
Lieut. Denis Noel Tyrrell Creen - Royal Sussex Regiment
Lieut. John Henry Harford - South wales Borderers
A.B Seaman Lewis James Herbert - S.S. Arab
Pte Jenkin Oliver Howells - Machine Gun Corps
Sub Lieut. John Henry Howell - Royal Naval Reserve
Naval-Cadet John Stanley Jenkins - Anson Battalion Royal Naval Division
Cpl David Robert Jones - Pembroke Imperial Yeomanry
Pte James Mayberry Jones - South Wales Borderers
2nd Lieut. John Lewis Jones - Welch Regiment
Pte James John Simon Jones - Manchester Regiment
Cunner Leon Jones - Cardigan Sattery Royal Field Artillery
Pte Thomas Lloyd Jones - Royal welch Fusiliers
Pte William Alfred Jones - South Wales Borderers
Cpl David Lloyd - Royal Field Artillery

A.B Seaman Richard Cray Morgan - Mercantile Marine Reserve
Gunner Arthur Oakes - Royal Field Artillery
Cpe James Pocock - Welch Regiment
Pte Timothy Richards - Lincolnshire Regiment
Pte Thomas Cyril Roberts - Welch Regiment
Gunner David Sturdy - Royal Garrison Artillery
Sgt Harry Sturdy - South Wales Borderers
Pte David Roderick Thomas - Royal Army Service Corps
Pte Evan David Williams - Welch Regiment
Pte Evan Davies Williams - Royal Army Medical Corps
Gunner Rhys Rees - Royal Garrison Artillery

Nurse Ella Richards - ? British Red Cross Society
Sgt Major Anelay - 9th Lancers
Cap/Sgt David John Rees Davies - Australian Expeditionary Force
Pte David Rees Hanlyn Davies - Royal Welch Fusiliers
Pte John Davies - Gloucestershire Regiment
2nd Lieut John Charles Edmunds Davies - Royal Welch Fusiliers
Sapper John Worthington Davies - Royal Engineers
Pte Nathaniel Davies - Welch Regiment
Pte Tom Davies - Welch Regiment
Sgt? - Watkin Jones-Davies - Pembroke Imperial Yeomanry
? William John Davies - Welch Guards
? Mechanic David Clarence - Royal Air Force
Sgt Benjamin Evans - Welch Regiment
? Evan Charles Evans - Welch Regiment
Pte John Walter Evans - Royal Welch Fusiliers

It is my hope that we'll see more blogs about memorials throughout small towns in Britain.