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Pres Brand Cemetery, Bloemfontein South Africa

Elmarie - very many thanks for these.

Whoever visited Llangefni went better prepared than me.

The headstone removes all doubt regarding his age at time of death. I am presuming the bottom line reads "Erected by his brother officers".

David.

OPPOSITE ST. TWROG'S CHURCH,
BULL STREET,
MAENTWROG,
MEIRIONETH,
GWYNEDD,
WALES.

ORDNANCE SURVEY GRID REFERENCE:SH665405.


War memorial opposite St. Twrog's Church, Bull Street, Maentwrog. The base appears to be three steps of local slate cut as a block (but I could be wrong), surmounted by a granite wheel cross.
The inscription at the bottom of the cross reads:
MUR OEDDYNT HWY
I NI NOS A DYDD"
(For us a wall night and day)

The view of the memorial from the entrance to the churchyard of St. Twrog's

The names of the men of the district who fell in war.
"TO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND IN MEMORY OF
THE MEN OF THIS PARISH
WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR, 1914-1918"
(NAMES)


Below the names of the men who fell in The Great Warwe find a casualty of the South African conflict memorialized thus:
"ALSO OF THOMAS H. GRIFFITHS, FRON OLEU (BOER WAR, 1900)

Courtesy of the website for the West Wales War Memorial Project the following background for Thomas:
"Thomas was the son of Owen and Mary Griffiths of Fronoleu, Maentwrog. He enlisted into the Welsh Regiment at Aberdareon 15th April 1898, and was posted to the 1st Battalion, Welsh Regiment. The battalion was sent out to South Africa following the outbreak of the second Boer war, and sailed on the SS Kildonan Castle arriving at Cape Town about 22nd November 1899. The 1st Welsh was employed in the central district of Cape Colony before joining the 18th Brigade in the 6th Division. The battalion took part in it's first action at Paardeberg on 20th February, attacking a Boer laager at bayonet point. On 6th March the 1st Battalion took part in another action at Poplar's Grove or Osfontein, and on 10th March took part in the Battle of Dreifontein, where the battalion again assaulted the Boer positions at bayonet point under heavy rifle and machine gun fire. Thomas was among 32 men killed and over 105 wounded during the battle that day. He was 19 years old."


For the ultimate sacrifice, 5630 Private Thomas Humphries- Griffiths was posthumously awarded the Queen's South Africa medal with clasps; PAARDEBERG/DREIFONTEIN/RELIEF OF KIMBERLEY (WO100/190).

His mortal remains were interred at Bosrand cemetery along with his fallen comrades and commemorated on monument U259 at this location )Watt 2000).

He is further honoured to be named on the Welsh National South Africa memorial at Cathays Park in Cardiff, Wales (Findmypast).

According to his attestation document for the 3rd Battalion of the Welsh Regiment (he was later attached to 1st Battalion), he was a Collier by trade and born in Maentwrog near the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog. He was a young single man and 5' 3" in height and weighing 117 lbs. His chest range was 33" to 34 1/2". He was of fresh complexion, blue eyed and fair haired. His religious denomination was recorded as"other protestant ".
He had no distinguishing marks

If visiting the Vale of Ffestiniog, well worth a slight detour from the main road. The church entrance dates from around 1897 and dedicated to Queen Victoria's jubilee.

SPION KOP,
LLANWRTYD WELLS,
POWYS.
(Formerly Brecknockshire back in the day).

ORDNANCE SURVEY GRID REFERENCE:SN864467.
ORDNANCE SURVEY EXPLORER SHEET 187.

It was not just football stadia that were named after this famous battle. Very often prominent landmarks were honoured with the name 'Spion Kop'.

This hilltop vista in the Welsh hillsides was just such a place.


Here is the location, marked by a pin of the monument/memorial.
The location is reached following a one to one and a half hour not too strenuous walk from Llanwrtyd Wells where car parking is easily gained in the public car park in the village centre.


An old postcard with the view of 'Spion Kop' from a lower elevation, the memorial building visible.


An old postcard view from the feature 'Spion Kop' showing a bare hillside, which today is now of thicket stage conifer.
The memorial can be seen here and appears to have been a circular building possibly constructed of timber with a slate roof.


View from 'Spion Kop' looking down upon Victoria Wells Hotel.



View towards Llanwrtyd Wells from the exact location of the memorial building.

The footprint of the original memorial building, which has long since disappeared.


All that remains of the original memorial building is a number of rusting threaded elongated bolts which once held the structure together.

At the time of writing, I am unaware of anyone from the village of Llanwrtyd Wells who perished during the conflict.
However, it is highly likely that men from the area did serve with one of the Welsh regiments.
If any of our fellow forummers can identify anyone who served, please let us know.

An easy day trip for a decent day - if it ever stops raining in Wales! Love the old postcards - where did you find them? David.

David,
Picked them all up on eBay for small change. I couldn't find any photographs of the location online, but there were plenty of postcards to give us an idea of what it looked like. Quite how the Edwardian lady in one of the images in her presumably white dress and parasol managed to clamber up there is a credit to her! I believe Llanwrtyd was a kind of health spa back in the day. Famed now for the world bog snorkeling championships these days, of which I do not think I will be participating!