The First World War A List of Records held at Gwent Archives Letter to Rose Curtis from Private Will O’Brien, April 1917 Gwent Archives Reference: D5963/1/4/7 A guide to the sources available at Gwent Archives for the history of the First World War in the former county of Monmouthshire and surrounding areas The Outbreak of War War was declared on 4th August 1914. On that day, Newport Police and dock officials boarded the German paddle steamer S.S. Belgia which had anchored in the Bristol Channel near Newport, and arrested the German crew. National Reservists, trained ex-servicemen, were required to report for duty. Library (LIB/289) And So to War (the Belgia Incident). 2005 (File compiled by Idris Davies, describing the capture of the German S.S. Belgia at Newport by Newport Police on 4th August 1914) D3213 Photo of Volunteers in Twyn Square, Usk Aug 1914 D25/409 Book containing names of officers and men of 1914 the no. 18 Division, National Reserve, plus insets of correspondence Pictorial/Newport/93 Photo, Parade of National Reservists, Stow Hill, 1914 Newport Refugees Belgian refugees began to arrive in Monmouthshire in September 1914. Refugee communities were established in many parts of the county. D3293/B/1 Report of the Newport (Mon.) Belgian Refugees Dec 1915 Committee and Forty other Belgian Refugees Committees in Monmouthshire & Neighbourhood (printed booklet) D314/45, 46, 47 Belgian Refugee Relief Fund, Machen. Minute 1914-1918 book, accounts and correspondence D2732/ACC2732/53 Blaenavon Co. Ltd. Correspondence file. 1915 (Includes correspondence re Belgian workers, e.g. 18/4/15 letter describing their living conditions, and 23/4/15 a copy of a notice to the workers in French) - 1 - MISC MSS 1487 Report re Belgian refugees at Mathern Palace. 1914 (Photocopy) CEA 80/6 Griffithstown Mixed School Admission 1906-1923 Register. (Includes Belgian refugees, who lived at Panteg House; main entries are dated 2nd to 7th December 1914, but entries continue until December 1915) Life at Home By the third year of the war, the Government found it necessary to control the distribution of food and the increase of food production. County war agricultural executive committees were appointed, with powers to cultivate agricultural land. A Ministry of Food was established, and household foodstuffs such as sugar, meat, butter and tea were rationed. A340/M2/1 Nantyglo and Blaina UDC, Committee for the Aug-Oct Prevention and Relief of Distress (War Relief 1914 Committee), Minute Book A120/C/219 Caerleon UDC Correspondence file re War 1916-1917 Charities A120/C/220 Caerleon UDC Correspondence file re War 1926-1927 Charities Act 1916 A510/M2/1 Abergavenny Local Food Control Committee 1917-1920 Minute Book D4264 Ministry of Food publications (The National 1917-1920 (see catalogue for Food Journal, Ministry of Food weekly bulletins, details) etc.) Also Usk Food Control Committee correspondence, etc MISC MSS 1638 Ration books, Newport 1918 MISC MSS 1639 Ration book, Newport Co-op 1918 D586/39 Food ration cards for persons at Upper House 1918-1919 Farm, Grosmont - 2 - DPA 13/88 Royal Proclamation re economy in use of grain 1917 D975/1 Newport Year Book (includes photo of 1916 ‚Distribution of Hot Pots, Christmas 1914‛). CSWBGN/M2/52 Newport Board of Guardians, Emergency 1914-1918 Committee Minute Book CSWBGN/M2/81 Newport Board of Guardians, Monmouthshire 1914 War Relief Committee, Sub-Committee Minutes A110/M23/3 Newport County Borough Council, Victoria 1915 Ward Distress Committee Minute Book D1651/30 Programme, Newport Empire, Charles Street, 1917 Newport Pictorial/Newport/ Photograph of Lloyd George at Shaftesbury 1917 90 Park, Newport Public Order D709/1 Newport Constabulary, Watch Committee 1916-1925 Report Book D709/47 Newport Constabulary, Police Order Book 1909-1919 D2113/23 Griffithstown Police, General Order Book. 1914-1918 (Home Office and War Office orders on various wartime subjects e.g. registration, reporting presence of aircraft, prohibition of photography in certain areas) D2113/57 Sergeant's Journal, Griffithstown Police. (Journal 1914-1915 of Charles Nurden referring to apprehension of deserters etc.) Also see the other journals in this series D4834/51 ‘Police Gazette’ including War Office lists of Dec. 1915 deserters and absentees - 3 - School Records School Log Books, written by the Head Teacher, are an important source of information for the events in the school and local area. Volunteers have been listing these references and it is hoped to make this information available later. Some examples are listed below. CEB11/2 Llanfair Kilgedin Church in Wales School 1899-1920 Oct 16 1917. ‚Sent 1 sack of vegetables & 1 sack of apples to the Navy.‛ Dec 4 1917. ‚Sent to Director of Propellants 4 cwt. of Horse- chestnuts.‛ Aug 6 1918. ‚The Head Teacher was absent attending a Military Camp at Porthcawl. During the fortnight there he was specially detailed for a course in bayonet work & physical training.‛ CEA52/3 St. Dial’s Boys’ School, Cwmbran 1902-1921 Sep 7, 1914. ‚Mr Hood absent having decided to offer himself, at Newport, as a recruit for Lord Kitcheners' army.‛ Sep 18th 1914. ‚Mr. Hood ordered to attend at Newport Barracks and afterwards to proceed to Ireland.‛ Dec 7 1917. ‚The attendance today is not good. Many boys absent on account of the distribution of butter at some shops, there being a great shortage of some foods.‛ CEA167/7 Blaina Boys’ School 1903-1925 11th Nov 1918. ‚School opened this morning as usual. 87% present. At 11.30 the Hooters signalled the signing of the Armistice. A continuance of fog signals on the railway emphasised the news. The boys were immediately marshalled in the front playground and cheers were given for the Army, Navy, the Prime Minister‛ (etc) - 4 - War Production During both World Wars the Blaenavon Company was involved in Government work. During World War I the works was engaged in the manufacture of shell steel as one of the Government's "Controlled Establishments". Henry White & Co. Ltd., Engineers, Pontymister, advertised themselves as manufacturers of steel, iron, phosphor, bronze and brass castings. They were on the Admiralty list, Contractors for the Crown, and Agents for the Colonies. Some employees were eligible to wear a War Service Badge showing that they were employed on work for War purposes; the badges were accompanied by a card signed by Lloyd George. War Service Badge and Certificate, Henry White & Co., Pontymister D394/B3/- Certificates authorising 23 employees of Henry 1915-1916 White & Co., Pontymister, to wear War Service badges (together with several badges) D480/67 Notice to Debenture stock holders of an issue of 1918 stock to be held by the Government as collateral security for a loan to finance extensions to the Blaenavon Company’s works (as one of the Government's "controlled establishments") A110/C/3168 Newport Borough Council Education file - 1915-1918 record of war work performed in schools - 5 - Military Service A110/C/3169 Newport Borough Council Education file - 1914-1922 Military Service (Teachers and Pupils). Includes photographs D709/57 Newport Constabulary. Correspondence file, 1914-1919 Police and Military Service D262/21 Monmouth School. List of ‚Old Monmouthians‛ 1915, 1919 serving with H.M. Army and Navy 1915. Also circular letter re proposed memorial to Old Monmouthians who fell during the War, with particulars, 1919 D1348/23 Poster giving notice of Abergavenny Borough 1915 Librarian's replacement while he was on active military service, and warning re misconduct of "lads" Letter to Mrs Humphreys of Newport from her son Percy while a prisoner of war MISC MSS 2074 Letter to Mrs. Humphreys of Newport from her 1918 son Percy while a prisoner of war in Zerbost, Anhalt, Germany - 6 - D1147/6 War Diary of 10th Service Bn. The South Wales 1915-1918 Borderers (1st Gwents) –typed copy from the library of Ebbw Vale Literary and Scientific Institute D3345/98 Free Press of Monmouthshire. Extract of account 18/12/1914 by Private O.G. Hedges, R.A.M.C., of retreat from Mons D396/329 Account (typescript) of capture, imprisonment 1915 and escape of Cpl. Lovell Jolliffe, 1st Mon. Regt., with map (Germany) and photos of Jollliffe. [He escaped to Holland, arriving at Lutte, near Oldenzaal] A320/C/314 Anonymous diary of soldier in France. (The 1914-1915 soldier may have been in the 3rd Monmouthshire Regiment. The diary describes his journey from Blaina, Monmouthshire, to the front line near Ypres - Zillebeke, etc) MISC MSS 1272/15- Personal papers of Sgt. Richard Richards of 1916-1924 19 and 1272/13 Ebbw Vale: photograph, letters from France, newscuttings, discharge and disability pension papers. Includes (MISC MSS 1272/16) letter from France, to "Jack" from "Dick" (Richard Richards of Ebbw Vale, South Wales Borderers) January 1916 describing conditions in the trenches of Neuve Chapelle. (‚Everything is mud from head to foot.‛) Also (MISC MSS 1272/13) photo of Sergeant Richard Richards in group at Heaton Park, Manchester, 1918 (elsewhere noted, wounded on 10th July 1916 at Mametz Wood, Somme, with Welsh Division) D5963 The Letters of Private William O’Brien (a former 1915-1917 police constable in Abersychan who enlisted in the Grenadier Guards) D6360 Oliver Barnes of Pontypool, gunner/bombardier c.1915-1919 in Royal Field Artillery, First World War. Postcards/photographs, barrage tables, discharge certificate etc - 7 - D6313 Audio recordings of Irving H. Jones, soldier of 1985-1987 First World War – 4 hours of recollections. (Battle of the Somme, Mametz Wood, removal from war for being under age, court martial, working reserve, return to the army) MISC MSS 2108 Photo (?) of group of British soldiers, prisoners 1918 of war MISC MSS 2142 Photocopies of Army service records of Ben 1914-1921 Augustus Jones, Welsh Regiment of Artillery MISC MSS 1626 Photos of military funeral, Newport c.1914-1918 D433A/11/1 War Office certificate (copy) re death of Hon.