A busy month

July has been quite an eventual month for the project.  On Thursday 19th, the second study skills session was held at Ceredigion Archives , led by archivist Helen Palmer,  and was well attended by those volunteers who were unable to come to the first session in June. 

Ceredigion Archives Reading Room

As well as general hints and tips about how to go about researching the First World War sources held at the Archives, Helen produced a vast array of fascinating items, including some very heavy shrapnel and a Queen Mary Christmas Box. These were given out at Christmas 1914 to everyone who was serving and contained cigarettes and tobacco for the men, and chocolate for the women.  This gesture was not repeated in the following years, presumably as everyone had expected the war to be over by Christmas!

Roll of Honour - one of the items on show

During July, a group of American students have been visiting Aberystwyth, from Queen's University, Charlotte.  The group have been helping us out with the project, looking into the records of the Comforts Fund and providing details on soldiers' addresses in Aberystwyth, which will eventually make up our online digital map. 

Queen's University group at the War Memorial

We also attended a Royal British Legion fundraising event in the bandstand on the prom on Saturday 21st July, and attracted a good deal of interest with our display board and new project badges.  The event was held to raise money for a memorial bench to commemorate the ending of the Great War.

Sian Nicholas, Project Leader, and our display board

A Penny for Llewellyn Hughes

Following on from last week's post on the Dead Man's Penny, this week one of our volunteer researchers has dug a little deeper into one of the pennies that survive in Aberystwyth.

A BBC online article of 16th October 2014 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-29633181) gave the names on two dead man’s pennies – one of these was Llewellyn Hughes, a “sailor who went down with his ship.”  Gwyn Evans, a British Legion member, was given the coins by a builder who found them during building work on a cottage in Penparcau and wanted to give them back to relatives, in collaboration with Reverend Ian Girling from Holy Trinity Church, Aberystwyth. The article notes that Llewellyn’s mother lived on Prospect Street. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission website mentions S. S. Eloby and his mother’s address: Moel y Don, Prospect Street – as shown in the screenshot:

 

Hughes had a lucky escape on Thursday 4th November 1915 when his troopship S. S. Mercian was shelled by U-38 in the Western Mediterranean, documented in a list of British merchant and fishing vessels lost or damaged during WW1
http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritishBVLSMN1510.htm

After a hospital stay, he became a wireless operator on the Liverpool registered steamer SS Eloby. By unfortunate coincidence and less than two years later, this steamer was carrying explosives to Alexandria when U-38 struck again on 19th July 1917. Eloby went down seventy-five miles SExE of Malta with the loss of 156 men, including Llewellyn Hughes, aged 27.  He is remembered on the Tower Hill Memorial, London.
http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritishBVLSMN1510.htm

Information about the Eloby and its wreck site can be found on:
https://wrecksite.eu/ https://wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?138182 

Dead Man's Penny

I had an interesting visit to the  Ceredigion Museum in Aberystwyth yesterday, to view their collection of First World War memorial plaques, or 'Dead Men's Pennies.'  Before beginning on this project, I had no idea what these were and have since discovered the fascinating story behind them. 

In October 1916, two years before the war ended, the British Government formed a committee to produce a memorial commemorating the servicemen and women whose lives were lost as a result of the war, either in action or by direct cause.  The following year, there was a competition for people to design the proposed bronze plaque, recording the name but not the rank, of a fallen British or Dominion Forces serviceman or woman. The relative named as the “next of kin” in a serviceman's Service Record was sent a form to complete as to whom the plaque and scroll should be sent.

In October 1917 it was announced in The Times newspaper that there would also be an accompanying scroll to the bronze plaque. The winning design by Mr E Carter Preston was published in the same newspaper three days later, on 23rd March.  Production didn't begin until late autumn 1918 because of problems with setting up the manufacture of the bronze plaques and the high quality printed scrolls.  From 1919, an estimated one million plaques and scrolls were issued, with over six hundred of these going to the families of women, 'She' replacing 'He' in the inscription 'He died for freedom and honour.'

Both the scroll and the plaque were typically framed or put away in drawers; some plaques were mounted on the walls of parish churches or added to memorials.  They were - sadly - so common that they they became known popularly as the Death Plaque, Dead Man’s Penny, or Widow’s Penny. 

Many thanks to Ceredigion Museum for the photographs. Further reading on the Dead Men's Pennies can be found on the websites of  The Imperial War Museum  and The Great War 1914-1918

Study Skills Session at Ceredigion Archives

We held a very successful and enjoyable study skills and sources day at Ceredigion Archives on 14th June, led by the knowledgeable and inspiring archivist, Helen Palmer.  The session began with a useful introduction on doing research, aptly entitled 'finding out about finding out.'

The sources relating to the Great War held at the archives included Naval and Military voters cards from the 1920 election, which contained the names and addresses of soldiers who'd returned from the Front; a First World War printed booklet 'Counsel and Comfort for Soldiers'; Records of the County Council and Aberystwyth Borough Council; Minutes of the Cardiganshire Police Force; Medical Officer of Health Records; Red Cross Records; and of course the newspapers, particularly the Cambrian News and Aberystwyth Observer. 

Helen and volunteer Anna examining some of the sources

There was also a box of emphemera relating to the First World War, containing items such as ration books, clothing coupons, pamphlets on growing your own food, and photographs.  All these gems were made available to use to view and handle on the day.

Helen also talked about the use of family history sites like ancestry.co.uk, which reveal people from Aberystwyth who served in the military, though not the Navy or RFC.  To use this site requires a  paid subscription but there is free access at the Archives.

The group of ten volunteers and project staff who attended the session had a tour of the archives too, not just of the reading and researching room, but also a peek into the storage bays. These were temperature-controlled and, in the present heatwave, provided us with a glimpse into how archival records are kept and a much needed blast of cool air!

Ceredigion Archives building, formerly the Town Hall

To commemorate the centenary of the Great War, Ceredigion Archives is also running a week by week blog of the Cambrian News war news, as it appeared at the time. You can follow this fascinating insight into contemporary local reporting at Cardiganshire and the Great War

There will be a second session of study skills and sources at Ceredigion Archives on Thursday 19th July, 6-8pm. If you would like to attend, please get in touch at aberww1@aber.ac.uk or phone the Archives on 01970 633698.