On 3rd August 1915 A Patriotic Fair was held in the Mission Room, Penparke to raise funds to purchase material for making winter garments for soldiers and sailors. The poster advertising the event was headed “ A Little Help is worth a Deal of Pity” An opening address was given by Vaughan Davies MP praised the patriotism of the sewing circle in the comforts it was able to give to soldiers and sailors, among them thirty recruits from Penparcau itself. The event was followed in the evening by a concert held in Ebenezer Chapel.
The profit made at the sale was £66 and ten shilling from a variety of stalls plus donations from people unable to attend. By this time the Sewing Circle had already dispatched 290 garments to the Welsh, the Royal Flying Corps, Motor Machine Gun Service minesweepers and the Great Eastern and Belgian field hospitals. A typical response of thanks came from Emilie Evans at the Welsh Hospital, Netley. She complimented Miss Powell Evans, the Treasurer of the circle saying, “You have organised your sewing circle to the highest point of perfection” and asked her to congratulate “your band of workers.” The event was followed in the evening by a concert held in Ebenezer Chapel which included Belgian and local artistes singing and giving recitations.
The Sewing Circle gained attention in the national press in an article in The Daily Sketch 25 September 1915 under the title “What Women are Doing” by Mrs Gossip. The sewing circle in “a tiny village” was described as “a very patriotic lot” having sent several parcels of woollies for our soldiers and sailors in response to the Daily Sketch’s appeal.
Later that year in October 1915 the Darllenfa Sewing Circle was involved in a disagreement in the town after receiving a letter from the Aberystwyth War Service Committee suggesting the need for more co-operation between the various groups who were providing comforts to the troops. The Sewing Circe was invited to a meeting and to appoint a member of the circle to serve on the committee. However, following a meeting held in Penparcau on 15th November 1915 at which 21 adults were present, the group refused to agree to have a place on the committee as it was felt that it did not have the authority of a publicly appointed body. This difference of opinion does not appear to have had any impact on the activities of the Sewing Circle and it is clear from press cuttings that they continued in their work and indeed responded to direct appeals from the War Service Committee, for example for fifty mufflers for which they were provided with wool in March 1916.
The urgent need for fund raising was constant problem and in July 1916 the Darllenfa Sewing Circle held another Patriotic Sale in aid of their funds. This time their poster was headed “If we would that Britain live, we must give and give and give" As well as the usual stalls and side shows there was a special feature – a unique collection of antiquities including what the newspaper described as “The most interesting of all Welsh pre- Reformation relics– the Nanteos cup or the Holy Grail”. This cup had been in the possession of the Nanteos family for many generations and in earlier days had been lent to invalids as it was believed to possess healing properties. The exhibition was arranged by Mr George Eyre Evans whose two volumes of the Aberystwyth War Book were also put on display, with the notice “A penny a peep”. These books are at now the National Library of Wales along with the two later volumes all of which George Eyre Evans compiled along with his sister, Miss Catherine Powell Evans. The volumes consist of a collection of press cutting concerning local events and news throughout the war and what the brother and sister themselves described as “flotsam and jetsam” – an assortment of items such as letters, leaflets and programmes of events which provide an invaluable resource for research into Aberystwyth life in the Great War.
The second sale held on 8 August 1916 was opened by Dr Roberts, Penywern who warmly praised the work of the Sewing Circle which had worked without a break since October 1914. He reported that since that time they had made 730 garments for soldiers and sailors as well as some for patients at the Aberystwyth Red Cross Hospital. Dr Roberts said that he was afraid that the war would continue for a while yet so it was extremely important that the group should be provided with funds to continue their good work. It was also reported that the sale was attended by several wounded soldiers who were given a warm welcome. This time the profit made was £55 five shillings and a penny. Donations amounted to £12 and the Museum stall raised £1 1s and 10d.
Blog by one of our project volunteers
Sources: The George Eyre Evans papers, National Library of Wales
All images reproduced with kind permission of NLW
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