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Memorials to Servicemen in Barry There are a number of Memorials to ex-servicemen in Barry. A little known one is in Quarrella Street, and comprises a terrace of houses all named after battles in the South African War - Pardeburg, Klip Kraal, Jacobsdal, Poplar Grove, and Abrams Grove. The first building in the terrace was a small stable and coach house in which a pony and trap could be kept. This is not a memorial in the true sense of the word, but it remembers a war fought by the British Army in the 19th century. In many towns around Britain, groups of servicemen who had completed their periods of service, usually from the same regiment, and who had probably fought in the same battles, would form a Building Club. Each member would subscribe their discharge pay to enable a plot of land to be purchased on which to erect a block of houses. Some they would live in, and the remainder would be rented. Payments for the properties were made from their small pensions. Houses that were built but not required (many ex-servicemen were not married and were quite content to share accommodation) were then let out to "Tidy Tenants", giving the club 5% return on their capital. Dock workers, miners, and later some self-build associations used the same methods to obtain housing. Most building clubs liked to obtain freehold land on which to build, which in many cases in Victorian times they were granted, but in Wales many landowners were reluctant to sell the freehold. A great many returning soldiers from the First World War were not as fortunate as their counterparts in the South African Campaign, and were unable to form Building Clubs. They were mainly conscripts, and were not entitled to a retirement gratuity or a pension unless they had been incapacitated, and then their pensions were barely enough to keep them alive, let alone buy land on which to build. A common remark made by them on their return home, not to jobs that they had held before their conscription, but to the ranks of the unemployed was "That they had not been fighting for a land fit for heroes to live in, but a land in which you needed to be a hero to survive". The only recognition received was their names on a memorial tablet if they had died fighting during the war.
The first memorial cross to be erected in the Town was at St. Helen's Church. Memorial tablets commemorating the names of former pupils and members were placed in schools and chapels. Many churches erected memorial crosses in their surrounds. Barry's cenotaph was erected outside the Memorial Hall, which must be one of the finest examples of a memorial hall in the principality. It opened in 1932 and was built by public subscription. The fund was organised by Dudley Howe, and its main supporter was Lord Davies of Llandinam.
At the end of the Second World War a "Victory Parade" for servicemen was organised by the council and sponsored by the Mayor. Objections were received from a number of councillors because Merchant Seamen were going to be included in the Parade. These councillors stated that the Merchant Navy were not entitled to march, as the parade was for personnel from the three services, Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force only. A greater insult to the people of Barry could not have been made, most families having lost a member, a relation, or a near neighbour at sea during the war. These men, some as young as 15, and others as old as 68, were unsung heroes, and only through their efforts and sacrifice was Britain fed and armed, to enable it to keep fighting. Most Barry servicemen had relatives or friends who had served in the Merchant Navy, and refused to march unless the Merchant Navy were included. It was a situation reminiscent of the Luton Riots*, and if the parade went ahead without these men the same action might take place. The council backed down and quickly took another vote and included the Merchant Navy in the parade. Fred Hortop spent a great deal of time and effort in researching and publishing a list of Barry merchant seamen who lost their lives at sea during both wars. Thanks to his efforts, and the efforts of his colleagues in the Merchant Navy Association, a Memorial to these men was erected and placed in front of the Civic Offices. It took over 50 years for their sacrifice to be acknowledged.
* The Luton Riots At the end of the First World War, on a day known as "Peace Day", celebrations to mark the end of the war were to be held in Luton. These celebrations were organised by the local council and comprised a grand procession including floats led by a number of bands, and finishing with a banquet in the Town Hall, and a fireworks display. It later transpired that no ex-servicemen would be invited to the banquet. Ex-servicemen who were naturally aggrieved, decided to hold their own festivities, but were refused the use of a local park by the council. Peace Day arrived and as the parade got underway it passed a group of ex-servicemen, some with banners outside the Town Hall. The mayor stopped the parade outside the Town Hall and made a number of remarks about the ex-servicemen, to which they took objection, and showed their disapproval by throwing stones and other missiles at him. He disappeared into the Town Hall, followed closely by the crowd, who proceeded to destroy the banquet, throwing the prepared meal, chairs and tables through the Town Hall windows. The police who led the parade were unaware of what was going on and carried on marching to the music of the band. Later the same evening a large crowd gathered outside the Town Hall. The police who had been left on guard were quickly overwhelmed, and petrol that had been obtained was poured in the hall and set alight. The fire brigade on its arrival was set upon, and attempts were made to attach their hoses to a petrol pump of a nearby garage. Police reinforcements were quickly on the scene, but too late to save the Town Hall, which burned to the ground. Men who had fought in the trenches, and had advanced through hails of bullets, were not deterred by a handful of police (some of whom sympathised with them). They took out their frustration on the Town Hall, which to them was a symbol of all they disliked in the council that was running their town. At the trial, a number of men were acquitted, and fairly light sentences were passed by a sympathetic judge on the remainder.
© T. CLEMETT 2002
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