NEWS

The Welsh National War Memorial was erected in Cathays Park in 1928. This image is one of many photographs of war memorials now available on Coflein.

Between 2014 and 2018, the Royal Commission will take part in the centenary commemoration of the First World War. The conflict, beginning in 1914 and ending in 1918, as well as its immediate aftermath, shaped the Wales of today. One hundred years on, organisations across the nation are working to promote understanding of the conflict and the devastation it wrought, explore its impacts, and discover its legacy for modern Wales.

Over the next four years, the Commission will contribute to the national commemoration of the First World War in Wales by:

• Surveying and recording a selected number of sites with connections to the First World War and its legacy, including aerial reconnaissance work of sites such as the practice trenches at Penally, Pembrokeshire and other training areas
• Enhancing information in the National Monuments Record of Wales related to the First World War
• Continuing to enrich our knowledge of shipwrecks and U-boat wrecks located off the Welsh coastline, and other maritime losses caused by the conflict
• Providing exhibitions that highlight the history, impact and legacy of the First World War in Wales
• Working with People’s Collection Wales to enhance content relating to the First World War
• Working in partnership with Cadw, English Heritage, Historic Scotland and the Council for British Archaeology on the Home Front Legacy 1914-18 project. This unique, UK-wide community project records physical remains of sites and buildings associated with the First World War, ensuring their history, heritage and stories are recorded for future generations. (www.homefrontlegacy.org.uk).
• Taking opportunities to work in partnership with other organisations to commemorate the events of the First World War, and explore its impact and legacy for the people of Wales.

You can follow our work on the First World War by subscribing to our blog, www.heritageofwalesnews.blogspot.com and following us on Twitter at @RCAHMWales, and #walesremembers.

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales is the investigation body and national archive for the historic environment of Wales. It has the lead role in ensuring that Wales’s archaeological, built and maritime heritage is authoritatively recorded, and seeks to promote the understanding and appreciation of this heritage nationally and internationally.