Ardwyn was the local co-educational county school, founded on 6 October 1896, closing in 1973 when the Comprehensive school system came into being. Ceredigion Archives holds the School book, volume 2 of which covers the WW1 years from 1913 to 1922. As well as being a school record, it also indicates how the War impacted on school life in many ways including admission of Belgian refugee children, the use of school kitchens by the Red Cross, school gardens growing food for the War effort and boys encouraged to take Cookery classes.
One of the most exciting elements in the Ardwyn School Book is the record of five Violin Recitals given to the School by the celebrated Belgian violinist M. Nicolas Laoureux, who with other members of his family, was a refugee in Aberystwyth from at least December 1915 to March 1917.
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| From left
to right: Nicolas Laoureux, Marguerite Tasnier (sitting, Nicolas' wife), Jeanne
Laoureux, sister of Nicolas, Louise Van den Heede, an aunt of Marguerite De
Guchtenaere, Marguerite De Guchtenaere (sitting) and Marcel Laoureux |
The transcriptions of the entries in the Ardwyn School book carry a recurrent theme of praise for Nicolas’s courage in pursuing his music while suffering exile from his homeland.
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| Nicolas and his son Marcel, after the prize for Virtuousity was awarded in 1905 |
The Headmaster David Samuel meticulously records the appreciation shown to Nicolas and his daughter Hilda (accompanist and piano soloist) for all the recitals they gave to the school, in glowing terms such as ‘the violinist showing his marvellous powers as an executant and interpreter’. Both the School concerts and those given all over Wales raised money for the Belgian Refugee fund and the Auxiliary Red Cross Hospital at Aberystwyth.
The entries acknowledge the difficult circumstances for their being in Aberystwyth as Belgian refugees. The Laoureux family were among 91 artists rescued from Belgium ‘on the last but one boat to get away’, through the humane offices and generosity of the sisters Gwendoline and Margaret Davies of Llandinam.
This extract from the speech of the chairman of Governors (Rev R.J. Rees M.A.) after the fourth School recital in February 1917 seems to reflect the humanitarian and artistic values of the School, and to justify the efforts of the Davies sisters to bring the best of Belgian musicianship to Wales:
“The recital was listened to by the pupils with rapt and sympathetic attention, and cheered the several pieces with delight. M Laoureux was much pleased with his reception. […] Here was a man in exile from his country who had lost much that was dearest to him; still he held the highest things, these had not been lost to him. He gave them all an important lesson which should make us independent of our circumstances, that we should have our true kingdom and empire with us. He had given them all something which was a forecast of the uniting of the nations after the war – the programme had included German, Hungarian, Polish music, and enemy as well as ally had contributed to our delight.”
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| Programme written and signed by Nicolas |
However, it is the record of the 5th Recital, during Lent term 1917, that gives us the fullest picture of how much the Laoureux family’s contribution to the musical life of our town was valued and appreciated. This would be Nicolas’s final recital before taking up a position of conductor and leader of an orchestra in Harrogate:
“Here was a man who an exile from home and country, had lost almost everything; still had one thing which no tyrant or barbarism could deprive him of – the music which was in his soul, and was a possession for ever. He promised, however, that when he revisits our town, he will also visit the school and add yet another to those wonderful recitals which will ever remain fixed in the reminiscences of those who have been privileged to enjoy them. They can never pass into nothingness.”
The violinist was presented with an address in French, executed by Eluned Gwynn Jones, a pupil of the school. The entry records the English version:
“Dear Sir – on the occasion of your fifth violin recital, we desire to offer our sincerest thanks for the great interest you have taken in our school and its welfare. Your suavity, your readiness to meet our own wishes, your giving of your very best to us – all this has touched us very deeply. We have admired the brilliancy of your playing and perfect mastery over this wonderful instrument. […] Those of us who have had these advantages will carry with them, while life lasts, the recollections of these five delightful concerts; and we can never forget their elevating and educative character. You have taught us a noble lesson. An exile from your country, you have carried with you something which no tyrant, no cruel or brutal circumstances can rob you of. How thoroughly we all appreciated your marvellous efforts has been deeply shown by the deep and attentive listening accorded to your masterly playing. […] And when the time arrives for your return to your own beautiful Brussels, we are sure that you will have pleasant reminiscences of your temporary home in the little town in Wales which we also think beautiful.”
The next steps in the research are two-fold: to find out more about the family’s activities in Aberystwyth and Wales, and what became of them after leaving Aberystwyth in March 1917. Nicolas did return to his native Brussels but he would endure yet another war affecting his homeland. He does not appear to have refugeed during WW2, but died in Belgium at the age of 82 just as that war ended.
Blog by Lynne Blanchfield, project volunteer
Blog by Lynne Blanchfield, project volunteer
“The photos of Nicolas and his family in this blog, and related biographical information, are taken from a violin tutor website (http://beststudentviolins.com/Laoureux.html) created by Connie Sunday, to whom I am indebted for permission to reproduce them in this blog.”
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