At their October meeting, Pant WI welcomed back retired naval nurse, Vic Graham, who served with the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service.
After her talk last year about her deployment to look after the hospital at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan in 2011, Vic presented a talk titled ‘Remembrance in Oswestry: Past and Present’. While studying for a Masters degree in history, Vic wrote her thesis on remembrance and, in particular, why we remember World War II differently from Word War I.
The Cenotaph (from Greek words ‘empty tomb’) in London was originally built as a temporary structure, made out of wood and plaster, to remember those who had died in the First World War. Early on in the war, a decision was taken not to repatriate the bodes of the fallen – indeed many could not be identified or had simply disappeared – but to bury them in war cemeteries near to where they fell. There were simply too many to bring home.
Designed by Edward Lutyens, the cenotaph was constructed to provide an immediate focus for the nation to share its grief and somewhere where families could visit to remember their loved ones. The memorial made such an impression on the public that there was an outcry when it was announced it would be taken down. The government agreed to replace it with a permanent structure of Portland stone, which was unveiled by King George V in 1920.
Vic then showed members slides of the various memorials built overseas. For example, the Menin Gate in Ypres, Tyne Cot on the Passchendaele Ridge, and Thiepval – the memorial to the missing of the Somme.
Closer to home, Vic told the history of the Memorial Gates in Oswestry which were dedicated in 1921. A public fund was started to pay for them; however, at the time of their construction, there was not enough money for the gates that we see today – just the sandstone pillars. The gates had still not been erected by the end of the Second World War. One reason for the missing gates was the overriding demand for metal during that conflict. Another reason was the low level of public conscription.
In 1945, the Mayor of Oswestry started the Remembrance Parade that takes place in the town each year and, with the gates still not in situ, the poppy wreaths were instead laid at the foot of the stone pillars. A local ‘Welcome Home Fund’ for war veterans was also started but, by February 1946, it was – again –poorly subscribed. This led to its committee being angered by people not donating and reporting their dismay in the local press. With many families suffering losses over two generations, both World Wars had had a devastating effect on them. They were ‘exhausted by war’, had no money and, of course, were still subject to rationing. As well as country-wide, this apathy is reflected in the number of war memorials in Shropshire: there are 5,507 remembering World War I and fewer than 2,000 for World War II. So, that’s the reason why the names of those who died in the second war were added to the Memorial Gates on white plaques on the rear side of the pillars – to save money.
As a participant each year in the town’s parade, Vic’s photographs reminded members of the importance of remembrance and how our impressive Memorial Gates are an expression of our thanks to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. With more young people joining the parade each year – whether individually or as part of the various youth groups – it was important to keep the tradition alive and everyone is looking forward to the cascade of poppies being installed at the Guildhall next month. Pride of place will be a large number made by Pant WI members.
The competition was ‘Old Oswestry – any image’. Janet Jones took first place, Eiry Roberts was second and Jane Thompson was third.
New members or anyone who is interested in coming along and finding out more about Pant WI, please get in touch at pantwi1931@gmail.com. Meetings are held on the first Thursday of every month at 7.15pm at Pant Memorial Hall. At November’s meeting, the speakers will be Amanda and Graeme Roberts who will talk about the charity The Lullaby Trust.