Welsh Experiences of the Great War

About

From the summer of 2010 until the end of February 2011, 'Welsh Voices of the Great War Online' has been gathering material from the welsh public related to the experiences of the Welsh in the First World War. Through an online contribution mechanism and a series of road shows, the project has gathered thousands of items that give us a window into the world inhabited by the Welsh at the time. Both those who served on the front line and those who did their bit at home.

The talk will explore the many and varied experiences revealed by the 'new' material. One aspect that is emphasised by both the quantity of material gathered and its content is how deep the impact of the war was on some communities in Wales. There were some chapels and workplaces that provided hundreds of volunteers. With soldiers and sailors serving all over the globe, this meant that some communities had their range of contacts with the outside world transformed and expanded in a short period of time.

Another, related, aspect that is illuminated by the material is how the war changed attitudes and beliefs throughout Wales. In this context some of the most interesting material has been the letters written by those soldiers from the front line, and also the reminiscences written, often many years later, by those who survived. Again, the experiences were so varied that it's not always easy to come to a firm conclusion, but sometimes in a sequence of letters one can see the hardening of ideas, or the growth of disillusionment.

One further avenue to be explored is what was kept by the families and how they preferred to portray the story of their relatives in the armed forces. Some families have treasured an extensive collection of ephemera and memorabilia - and it seems to be greater if the individual died. Others just have a photograph and a family story that he was underage when he joined up and he died on the Somme.

The First World War changed the world forever; it also proved to be a point of rupture with the past for communities and families throughout Wales .