BARRY MEMORIALS OF THE GREAT WARIn the first of a series of articles, Dr Jonathan Hicks looks at the stories behind Barry's Memorials to the men of Barry who fell in the Great War 1914-1918.
THE LOST MEMORIAL OF GLADSTONE ROAD SCHOOLAfter the Great War ended with the signing of the Armistice in 1919, the people of Barry set about deciding how best to commemorate the men who had fallen. Whilst it would not be until 1932 that the Memorial Hall was finally completed, the schools and churches immediately began raising funds to produce wooden or stone memorials for display in their buildings. No one who has attended school or church in Barry will have failed to notice the memorial contained therein. The school memorials were raised through public subscriptions from the staff, parents and pupils, and one such memorial was that produced to hang on the wall of Gladstone School. This memorial has only recently come to light after being 'lost' for many years. It is believed that it was removed from the walls of the Boys' School sometime during the middle of the last century when the premises were taken over by the Girls' Grammar School, and lay hidden in a storeroom before being rediscovered. Plans are now underway to restore the memorial and return it to its proper place on a wall of Gladstone School.
Amongst the thirty-eight names inscribed on the stone memorial are those of the brothers Ivor and William Prince. Ivor Prince of the South Wales Borderers won the Military Medal in July 1918 before being killed in the final weeks of the War, while his brother was one of the many Barry men who enlisted with the elite Rifle Brigade and was killed during the fighting around Guillemont at the Battle of the Somme in September 1916. One of the most famous events involving Welsh soldiers during the Great War was the attack on Mametz Wood during the second week of the Battle of the Somme in July 1916. James Bolt of the 14th Bn. Welsh Regiment was one of hundreds of soldiers who attacked the Germans in Mametz Wood on the morning of 10th July. At 4.05 a.m. they left their trenches and walked forward. A survivor described what happened next; 'Machine gun and rifle fire was trained on us. Words fail me to adequately describe this stage of the attack. Many of the shells hit the trees above us, detonated and caused more casualties.' James Bolt was one of the 388 casualties sustained by the battalion that day. Percy Edwards had signed up in 1914 with the Australian Expeditionary Force, having left his home at 36 Richard Street, and emigrated to Australia. Like many others, he felt it was his duty to enlist and defend his mother country when war broke out. He had fought at Gallipoli before being sent to France to fight in the Battle of the Somme. He died of multiple gunshot wounds on 13th August 1916 aged 23. Reginald Soper of the 13th Hussars was serving in Mesopotamia in the fighting against the Turks. A fellow soldier described the conditions in September 1916 thus: 'In the blazing heat of the tropical sun we started, each man leading two horses, besides two haversack, bandolier containing ninety rounds of ball ammunition, a water bottle, and a rifle and bayonet. On and on we trekked, men falling out by the way with heatstroke, many stark mad, and men were told off to hold the poor devils down. On getting into camp we were glad to get into the tents and lie down and drink lots of iced water. Many others went sick the next few days, some of them dying.' Private Reg Soper was one of these and was buried in Basra Cemetery in modern Iraq, aged just 21. Another man commemorated on the memorial stone is Reginald Leaman of 221 Barry Road. He had enlisted in 1916 aged 18 and by 1917 he had gained a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Machine Gun Corps. His commanding officer wrote of the circumstances of his death on 6th April 1918. 'When the Germans attacked us I was very close to him. I told him they were coming so he jumped on top of the trench and was killed instantly. One of the gun team went with him and he was killed also. I do not know whether he was picked up or not but if he was it was by the Germans as we were all taken prisoner a few minutes afterwards. The place where he was killed was just in front of Bouqouy. All the men were sorry as he was a good officer.' His body was never found and he is also commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial in France. Not all of the men listed on this memorial were soldiers. Harold Chaney had served with the 1/2nd Monmouthshire Regiment before being discharged as unfit for active service. He was obviously determined to continue to help in the war effort as he gained employment as a munitions worker. He may well have worn his Silver War Badge on his lapel to signify that he had been discharged from the Army and to avoid the women of Barry handing him the white feather of cowardice, which happened on the streets of Barry many times during the Great War. On St David's Day 1918 a large explosion ripped through the munitions factory at Pembrey and Harold Chaney was killed. Another 'lost' memorial which readers may be able to help with is that which hung on the wall of the former Hannah Street School, now Jenner Park School. The current headteacher is unaware of what has happened to this Great War Memorial and if readers have any knowledge of its whereabouts, or have a photograph of it, I would be grateful if they would contact me. I am indebted to Mr John Chucas for the photograph of the memorial stone.
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