THREE years of research carried out at the Crickhowell District Archive Centre into the men from the district killed in World War I is contained in the book ‘Young Men, to Arms!’ published last year.

The research area was that of the Crickhowell Rural District Council which, prior to the administrative area changes of 1974, included eight parishes – Crickhowell, Cwmdu. Llanbedr, Llanelly, Llangattock, Llangenny Llangynidr and Partrishow. From these parishes a district total of 105 war dead were identified in the book.

However, a visitor to the district war memorial on Beaufort Street, Crickhowell today will see only 68 names listed for World War 1, alongside the 35 who were killed in World War 2.

These figures are misleading, for the loss of life in the First World War was proportionately very much greater. The prime reason for this is that whereas the Second World War district list contains 13 names from the villages of Llanelly Hill, Clydach and Gilwern of Llanelly, the parish with the highest population, no men from these villages are included on the World War 1 list.

There are recent memorials in all three villages to the local men killed in both wars, but the question remains: why are the men who died from Llanelly parish not included on the District war memorial in Crickhowell?

An answer might be found in the history of the War Memorial Hospital in Crickhowell, a project dear to the heart of Lord Glanusk, Lord Lieutenant of the county of Breconshire at the time of the First World War. He wanted at first to commemorate the sacrifice of the county’s war dead in a practical way by establishing a War Memorial Hospital for Breconshire, but there was a preference by local communities to do so with stone memorials in their villages. Unfortunately Lord Glanusk had also not promoted his cause well by selecting for the proposed hospital Ty Gunter, an isolated and now demolished mansion between Talgarth and Llangorse. Given this lack of enthusiasm for his proposal he looked instead to build a war memorial hospital in his own district, and so the Crickhowell War Memorial Hospital opened at Tower House on Crickhowell’s High Street in 1920.

Lord Glanusk was generous in support of the new hospital, notably by providing Tower House for the purpose, and the initial salary of the matron and a funding drive was initiated within the local community. However, it soon became evident that the hoped for backing for the project was lukewarm in Llanelly parish, which as we have seen included the important villages of Llanelly Hill, Clydach and Gilwern.

These, particularly the first two, benefitted by proximity to the London and North Western Railway which linked Abergavenny to Merthyr Tydfil and gave easy access to existing hospitals in Abergavenny, Ebbw Vale and Nantyglo; indeed local men employed in Ebbw Vale were making monthly deductions from their pay to support the hospital there.

They could see limited benefit from a new hospital in Crickhowell. This background provides some understanding as to why, when Crickhowell’s new War Memorial Hospital was opened, the Roll of Honour listing the war dead displayed in its board room did not list the Llanelly war dead.

The memorial board on which it was displayed was transferred with the hospital when it moved to its new site at Greenhill in 1936. Then, after the demolition of the Greenhill hospital in 1970 the board was transferred to the new War Memorial Health Centre.

The list on it was used in 1977 (with one addition) on the new stone of remembrance erected in a memorial garden at the Beaufort Street entrance to the health centre. Surprisingly, the absence of Llanelly names for World War I on the new district war memorial seems to have gone un-noticed.

It is now proposed to rectify the omission and also to incorporate others, whose names have since been added to other local war memorials, or have been uncovered by the recent research.

The consolidated and revised list of 105 names is shown here. It is planned that a new stainless steel World War I plate with the revised list will be made for the memorial. It is necessary to give the public the opportunity to consider this proposal and raise any issues which might arise, as is being done here.

Information about the men listed this can be found in the ‘Brief lives’ section in the book ‘Young Men, to Arms!’. When the World War I plate is replaced it is also proposed to undertake a general renovation of the memorial in time for the Centenary celebrations in November, using funds set aside for such work by Powys County Council. It will be noted that three names on the new list – E. Dunn, W.L. Thomas, and J. S. Rumsey – show no rank or regiment because so far it has not been possible to identify them (and also Private G. Davies of Llangattock, although his rank and regiment is known). If anyone can offer information which might help in identifying any of them, please contact Geoff Williams at the Archive Centre (01873-810922 or 01873-811 300).

n ‘Young Men, to Arms! The First World War in the Crickhowell District’ is available at £10 from the Crickhowell District Archive Centre or Crickhowell Resources and Information Centre.PROPOSED REVISION OF LIST OF WORLD WAR 1 NAMES FOR CRICKHOWELL DISTRICT WAR MEMORIALCRICKHOWELL G. BEAVIS, Pte., CANdn. Cgt. E.W.BLACKER, Pte., King’s Shrops. L.I. V.G. DAVIES, Pte., CANdn. Cgt. * E. DUNND. EVANS, Sapper, R.E. W. F. GOUGH, Dvr., R.E. * J. H. HERBERT, Pte., Oxfd & Bucks Regt. P. A. HILL, Cpt, S.W.B. D. J. JOHNS, Pte., S.W.B. W. J. JONES, Pte., New .Znd. Ctg. D. J. JOSEPH, Pte., R.A.S.C. A. J. LEONARD, Pte., New Zd. Ctg. G. D. LEWIS, Pte., R.A.M.C. E. MORGAN, Pte., New Znd. Ctg. F. L. MORGAN, 2nd Lt., Lond. Regt. W. MORGAN, Pte., S.W.B. C. B. PARSONS, Pte., M.G.C. H. S. PARSONS, Pte., S.W.B. S. S. POWELL, Dvr., AUStn. Ctg. J. H. PRICE, Gunner, R.G.A. R. J. PRICE, Dvr., AUStn. Ctg. P. PROSSER, Dvr., A.S.C. R. F. PUGH, Pte., Monmouths. Regt. * R. H. W. ROBERTSON, Pte., CANdn. I. C. G. RUMSEY, Lt.,S.W.B. D. V. RUMSEY, Gunner, R.G.A J. T. RUMSEY, Pte., S.W.B. * W. L. THOMAS J. E. S. WOODMAN, Maj., D.S.O., Lancs. Regt. CWMDU J. V. EDWARDS, Cpl, R. Glos. H. * E. FITTON, Pte., CANdn. Ctgt. I. G. FRANCIS, Pte., S.W.B. * T. C. HADLEY, Sgt., S.W.B. * C. J. POWELL, Pte., Welsh Regt. W. J. POWELL, Pte., K,R.R.C. * J. S. RUMSEY A. WARGENT, Pte., S.W.B E. W. WATKINS, Cpl, S.W.B . * C. WILLIAMS, L/Cpl., S.W.B. LLANBEDR H. R HAWKINS, Sgt., Hants. Regt. D. D. R. LEWIS, 2nd Lt., D.L.I. LLANELLY HILL * L. COLEMAN, Pte., Monmouths. Regt.* D. J. DAVIES, L/Cpl., S.W.B. * H. JONES, Pte., M. G. C * J. LEWIS, Pte., Welsh Regt. * W. J. WATKINS, Pte., S.W.B. * D. W. WHITBY, Pte., Welsh Gds CLYDACH * J. W. JONES, Pte., Somerset L.I. * D. W. LEWIS, Pte., S.W.B. * J. H. MORGAN, Pte K. Shropshire L.I. * W. H. PHILLIPS, Pte., K. Regt. (Liverpool) * T. A. POWELL, L/Cpl., R.W. Kent Regt.* W. H. PRICE, Gnr, R.H. & R. Fld. A. GILWERN * J. DAVIES, Pte., K.O.R. Lancs. Regt. P. W. A. DREW, Pte., S.W.B. * A. E. FLOWERS, Pte., S.W.B. * W. J. ISAAC, Pte., Somerset L.I. * G. JONES, Pte., S.W.B. * G. J. JONES, Pte., S.W.B. * J. JONES, Pte., S.W.B. * R. LLOYD, Shoeing Smith, R.A . * A. E. MAKIN, Pte., S.W.B. * T. G. NASH, Sapper, R.E. * T. E. G. PICKERING, Pte., S.W.B. * J SUTHERLAND, Pte., Welsh Regt. * A. E. THOMAS, Pte., Essex Regt. * A. J. WHITE, Pte., Monmouths. Regt. LLANGATTOCK HON B. M. BAILEY, Mid., R.N. HON. G. S. BAILEY, Lt., Gren. Gds. HON. J. L. BAILEY, Lt., S.W.B. J. T. BODDY, Pte., R.A.F. G. DAVIES, Pte., S.W.B. D. J. HARRIS, Pte., AUStn. Ctgt. H. HARRIS, L/Cpl., S.W.B. F. R. HERRINGTON, Pte S.W.B. G. C. B. JAMES, Lt., S.W.B. J. JAMES, Pte., S.W.B. E. JONES, L/Cpl., S.W.B. * A. PRITCHARD, L/Cpl., S.W.B. W. J. THOMAS, Pte., Ches. Regt. J. WATKINS, Pte., 1st Herefords. Regt. J. WILLIAMS, MM, L/Cpl., R.W.F. S. J. WILLIAMS, Pte., R.W.F. LLANGENNY H. P. G. COCHRAN, DSO, Lt Col, Mddx. Regt.* A. V. DAVIES, 2nd Eng., M.N. R. T. MANN, Pte., Monmouths. Regt. A. G. POCOCK, Ldg Sig., R.N. C. POWELL, Pte., Monmouths. Regt. C. J. SAUNDERS, Sgt., S.W.B. W. SMITH, Pte., S.A.L.I.G. F. WILBAND, Pte., R.F. LLANGYNIDR W. G. BEVAN, Pte., Monmouths. Regt. J. DAVIES, Pte., R.W.F. A. L. FARR, Pte., Border Regt. A. L. JENKINS, Pte., Welsh Regt. W. JONES-EVANS, Cpt, R.A.M.C. W. V. LLOYD, Pte., S.W.B. * J. LOVATT, Pte., R.A.S.C. W. J. POWELL, Pte., S.W.B. F. POWELL-JONES, Terr. Dis. Rdr. P. M. POWELL-JONES, Cpt, S.W.B. . T. S. RICHARDS, Gnr, R.G.A. H. WILLIAMS, L/Cpl., S.W.B. R. WILLIAMS, Pte., Monmouths. Regt. PARTRISHOW * T. J. BEVAN, Dvr., R.E. * Names which do not appear on today’s World War 1 list and it is proposed to add