{"id":10746,"date":"2021-12-13T10:26:25","date_gmt":"2021-12-13T09:26:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=10746"},"modified":"2021-12-13T10:26:25","modified_gmt":"2021-12-13T09:26:25","slug":"a-fitting-way-to-remember-the-brave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=10746","title":{"rendered":"A Fitting Way To Remember The Brave"},"content":{"rendered":"

A FITTING WAY TO REMEMBER THE BRAVE<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Armistice Day, also known as Remembrance Day, is the day each year when we remember those who have given their lives in conflict. It is held on the 11th day of the 11th month, to mark the day in 1918 when hostilities ceased at the end of the First World War.<\/p>\n

We remember not only the British soldiers, sailors, and airmen but also those of our allies who fought alongside us not only in the First World War but also in World War II, the Falklands War, the Gulf War, and conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.<\/p>\n

All wars are terrible, and it is appropriate that younger generations see and hear about the horrors so that they grow up to realise the futility of conflict, which may help them follow the path of peace in their lives. So, it is appropriate that both young and old attend and take part in Remembrance Day church services, events and parades.<\/p>\n

\"\"This year to mark the day I met with some former army colleagues from the Royal Regiment of Wales to carry a wreath to lay at a memorial for five Canadian airmen who lost their lives on the Brecon Beacons on 6th July 1942. They were flying a Wellington bomber R1465 on a training flight from RAF Wellesbourne Mountford, which is a few miles east of Stratford-upon-Avon. The pilot Flight Sergeant John Kemp, of the Royal Canadian Air Force, had descended out of cloud to check his position when he flew at full speed into the cliffs and escarpment of Waun Ryd before he had time to pull up. The other four crew members died instantly.<\/p>\n

We met at the car park at Blaen y Glyn Uchaf (Grid Ref 055175), above Talybont at 9.00am for an early start. It is exactly an hour by car from Wenvoe. Soon we were climbing the well-laid stone steps that lead up the steep south end of the Craig y Fan Ddu escarpment. This is a great hike up alongside the waterfall of the Nant Bwrefwr stream which is just to the left of the track. Like most waterfalls in Wales, it is safe to say that if it is not in full spate \u2013 it soon will be! This route is not for the faint-hearted, as it is not just steep but long as well. Happily, it does flatten out after about thirty minutes and once you reach the top the views in all directions are splendid. On a good day, you can see the M4 bridge crossing the Severn estuary. On this day the cloud was low, so we carried on along a well-marked path where large bags of rocks and stones had been placed by helicopters. We soon came across the labourers who were employed by the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority to use those materials to improve the path.<\/p>\n

After about an hour we turned down into the valley of Cerrig Edmwnt and descended toward the crash site. In the distance, I could see the memorial coming to view out of the mists. Strewn around it is the wreckage of the bomber. There are two main piles of metal, while the engines are higher up embedded in the sandstone cliffs. There is a fine cairn which was erected in 1980 by pupils and staff of Tredegar Comprehensive School and it is a recognised Canadian War Memorial. It carries a metal plaque that lists the date of the crash and the names of the crew. They are all buried in a cemetery in Hereford.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We had taken a wreath of poppies as well as some small crosses which we attached to the memorial with wire to stop them from being blown away in the strong winds. One of our group recited a few appropriate lines and a prayer was said for the crew. We reflected on how these young Canadians, far from home, had died on a remote Welsh mountain while playing their part in the Second World War.<\/p>\n

To vary the route, we decided to walk back via Fan y Big with its famous \u2018diving board\u2019, a slab of horizontal stone that juts out of the peak and makes a great place for a photograph. Then a steep descent took us to the Roman Road which we followed to Torpantau, where we passed the site of the old railway station. Finally, we slogged up the tarmac road back to the car park. It had taken us four and a half hours, but time well spent.<\/p>\n

by Alun Davies<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A FITTING WAY TO REMEMBER THE BRAVE Armistice Day, also known as Remembrance Day, is the day each year when we remember those who have given their lives in conflict. It is held on the 11th day of the 11th month, to mark the day in 1918 when hostilities ceased at the end of the First World War. We remember […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[334],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-2Nk","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5226,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5226","url_meta":{"origin":10746,"position":0},"title":"WE WILL REMEMBER THEM","author":"Alan Williams","date":"22nd December 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"WE WILL REMEMBER THEM \u00a0 The Armistice was remembered at the church and the Village War Memorial on Remembrance Sunday. 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Ships like the SS Wenvoe, which were used to transport a variety\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Wenvoe History Group"","block_context":{"text":"Wenvoe History Group","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=40"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8495,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=8495","url_meta":{"origin":10746,"position":2},"title":"Letter From Jon","author":"Alan Williams","date":"30th October 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Letter From Jon Dear All, I am sure that we all listened to the announcement earlier today from Mr Mark Drakeford, the First Minister of Wales, with heavy hearts. 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So, yes, in so many ways, it is a solemn month,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "St Mary's Parish Church News"","block_context":{"text":"St Mary's Parish Church News","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16328,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16328","url_meta":{"origin":10746,"position":4},"title":"December Church News","author":"Alan Williams","date":"30th November 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"December Church News Nadolig Llawen. A Happy Christmas to all readers from the congregation at St. Mary\u2019s. If you cannot make it to church, join us online \u2026www.ipcamlive.com\/stmarywenvoe. A message from our treasurer Ray Harris: \u201cThe 27th of September was a disastrous day for St. Mary\u2019s, when the figure of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Items for December 2025"","block_context":{"text":"New Items for December 2025","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=428"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Church-News.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15144,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=15144","url_meta":{"origin":10746,"position":5},"title":"80th Anniversary Of VE Day","author":"Alan Williams","date":"8th February 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"THE VILLAGE GARDENER 80th Anniversary Of VE Day This year sees the 80th anniversary of VE Day. May 8th 1945 was the day the war in Europe officially ended. I\u2019ve been thinking of plants to grow to remember that time. 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