Church Village war memorial

Church Village war memorial

The memorial to the men of Llantwit Fardre parish who died in the First World War takes the form of a large cast-iron tablet, displayed inside the Parish Hall at Church Village. To read their details, click on the link below.

The Parish Hall was built just eight years before the war broke out. It housed a penny library and was partly funded by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who was born in Scotland and made his fortune from industrial ventures in the USA. Near the top of the decorative front gable is the inscription: “Gorau arf, arf dysg”, which means: “Learning is the best weapon.”

When the First World War ended, members of the community set about commemorating the men from the area who had died on active service. Each bereaved family was given a carved wooden plaque from the local residents, who also honoured the men who had returned alive.

The metal tablet lists the names of 37 of the war dead, below three figures. They represent the Royal Navy and army, either side of a nurse. The nurse symbolises the heavy burden placed on medics and carers by the large numbers of injuries from the fighting, including the effects of gas poisoning and psychological disturbance. On top of this, a flu pandemic swept across Europe from early 1918, killing even more people than the war had.

Written below the names is: “The blood of heroes is the seed of liberty.”

With thanks to Adrian Hughes of the Home Front museum, Llandudno

Postcode: CF38 1PY    View Location Map

First World War