upfront
THE WAR
AND
WALES
It’s now been 100 years
since the beginning of The
Great War. Determined to
remember and respect the
history of WWI, venues
across South Wales are
hosting events to mark
the centenary. Rhonda
Lee Reali finds out what’s
on in the world of war.
T
his year marks the centenary of The First
World War, and in Wales alone there are
well over 100 events, including exhibitions,
talks, films, parades and hands-on
activities scheduled. Even ardent pacifists can get
involved, as the centenary isn’t about glorifying
or celebrating the war but about commemorating,
honouring and understanding what was supposed to
be ‘the war to end all wars’.
The Great War may seem to some to be ancient
history, but the last few veterans have just died in
the last five years and it’s a section of history that
has cemented itself in our past. This war took a huge
toll: over 37 million casualties worldwide, including
over 17 million dead (about 10 million military
personnel and about seven million civilians).
So you don’t have to be gung-ho about war to
participate, and this summer might be a good chance
to catch up on some history, especially for those who
think that Franz Ferdinand is only a band.
Perhaps one silver lining of the cloud of The Great
War was the iconic poetry and art that the turmoil
inspired. Art is, perhaps, the best record of the war’s
emotional history and it is far from forgotten as the
National Museum Of Wales, Cardiff, presents two
exhibitions.
Efforts And Ideals- Prints Of The First World War
(from Sat 2 Aug. Info: www.museumwales.ac.uk)
presents the images produced by the Ministry Of
Information, illustrating the military activities
abroad and inspiring the home front effort. The more
personal The Welsh And The War (from Sat 2 Aug)
displays portraits of people – everyone from soldiers,
BUZZ 18
sailors and airmen, to politicians and families –
whose lives were transformed by the First World War.
If you want to brush up on your facts, then they will
also be using comedy, storytelling and magic in their
historical show Condensed Histories: World War One
Shows (Sat 2-Sun 10 Aug).
Also embracing the art of war is the National
Waterfront Museum in Swansea, who are running
a Propaganda Poster Workshop (Sat 27 + Sun 28
Sept. Info: www.museumwales.ac.uk). There you can
attempt to inspire the troops with your printed press
posters. Propaganda wasn’t the only thing being
mass produced, though, as the Working For Victory –
Welsh Industry And The First World War (from Sat 11
Oct) exhibition shows by examining the contribution
of Welsh industry to Britain’s war effort.
St Fagans National History Museum will even be
letting you lurk around their archives, with the
guidance of their knowledgeable curator, in Behind
The Scenes: Postcards, Telegrams And LettersCommunication During The First World War (Thurs
18 Sept, 2 + 5pm. Info: www.museumwales.ac.uk).
Another museum taking a local look at the effects
of WWI is Caerphilly’s Winding House, in their
exhibition Our Duty To Bear (from Sat 2 Aug. Info:
www.your.caerphilly.gov.uk/windinghouse). The
exhibition has a number of local tales – from the
story of the escaped prisoner of war from New
Tredegar, to the local politician who opposed the
violence and the little girl from Tirphil asking for her
daddy to come home from the war – told through
objects, images film and sound.
Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff is hosting a
multimedia show from Berlin-based artist Christoph
Dettmeier. Entitled Happy Birthday (until Sun 21
Sept. Info: www.chapter.org), the exhibition features
a selection of epic landscapes of significant locations
in Wales during the war and a film that follows the
imagined sight lines of a WWI computer game.
The entire town of Porthcawl will be going back
in time to 1914 for Porthcawl And The Great War
Centenary Weekend (Sat 2 + Sun 3 Aug. Info: www.
porthcawlandthegreatwar.com). There will be local
traders, Morse code demonstrations, street theatre,
vintage fairs (both for clothes and cars) and reenactments.
The Memo Art Centre in Barry is, itself, a memorial
to the war and was built to commemorate the many
Barrians who lost their lives. To mark the centenary
they will be screening Hedd Wyn (Mon 4 Aug, 1 +
7pm. Info: www.memoartscentre.co.uk), a movie
which tales the story of a poet from North Wales
caught up in the wa