Aftermath: remembering the Great War in Wales

Of the 700,000 British servicemen who lost their lives in the First World War, 35,000 are listed in the Welsh Book of Remembrance.

The decision taken in 1915 to ban the repatriation of bodies from the battlefield had far reaching consequences in the commemoration process.

The many hundreds of local war memorials across Wales reflected the desire for an immediate and permanent reminder of the dead, as communities sought public acknowledgement for their loss.

Inscriptions on memorials invoke ideals of honour, sacrifice and loyalty, and are often expressed in Welsh and English, or as at Swansea, in Latin. The Second World War prompted a new ear of commemoration.

A selection of different designs of war memorial built throughout Wales is shown in the following image gallery.

Comments (4)

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Marc Haynes Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales Staff
16 January 2018, 15:14
Thank you for spotting this, Royston; we've amended the information on that memorial.

Diolch yn fawr,

Marc
Digital Team
Royston Smith
16 January 2018, 01:59
The photograph of Brithdir Memorial on this page is in fact the memorial at the neighbouring village of Tirphil .
Sara Huws
18 October 2016, 09:37
Diolch Clive, thanks for your comment. I'll pass it on to the curator so we can amend the information.

Best wishes

Sara
Digital Team
Clive Hughes
17 October 2016, 22:34
The picture of "Bala War Memorial" on this site is in fact the North Wales Heroes Memorial Arch in Bangor, Gwynedd!