Papurau Newydd Cymru
Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru
4 erthygl ar y dudalen hon
WITH THE I - BARMOUTH TERRITORIALS…
WITH THE I BARMOUTH TERRITORIALS AT CAMBRIDGE. Cambridge, April 20th. On the Wednesday previous to Good Friday our Battalion held their prelim- inary sports, the victors in the various events being chosen to represent the Battalion in the Divisional sports, which were held on Easier Monday, in ideal weather and on an ideal ground. Pte. R. B. Jones, of Nc. 2, Marine Parade, was first in the sack race, and so was chosen for the same event on Monday, in which, having run away in his beats, was unlucky enough to stumble in the final, when leading. Services were held in the Church on Good Friday,, the soldiers marched to the various Church Parades in the morn- ing, led by their bugle bands, they also took a large part in all the celebrations of the day. The great feature of Good Friday in Cambridge—a feature they say not met with in any other town in England—is the skipping on Parker's Piece. Large crowds assembled there in the morning with skipping ropes, and enjoyed their harmless and healthy sport until the rain drove them indoors. The soldiers entered with heartiness 'nto all the fun. A party of us have been to North- ampton for an advanced musketry course. The weather was all against good shooting, King Boreas being in his element the whole time which was al- alowed us for shooting. It was a cheeky wind too, for instead of going round us it went through us, thereby numbing our fingers. On coming back we found our Company under a new Captain, Mr 0. Madoc Jones being the one appointed. Humour has been current in the town that the whole of the Welsh Division was to be moved away from here, but up to the time of writing we are still here. But on our Orders on Sunday it states that our Battalion has been chosen for service overseas. When and where we will be going is known only to the gods. We should have been away on service long before this, only for the fact that our reserves are not up to the strength required. There is room, I believe, for over two hundred men in our Reserve Battalion. I should like to point out to many of the men who up to now are on Home Service that they would be protecting their homes quite as much, if not more, by signing on for Overseas Service. I am not belittling their patriotism in the least, far from that, but it is rather hard lines on us—who have signed from the beginning for Imperial Service-that we should be kept back on account of an insufficiency of reserves. There are others who have not yet volunteeed their services for King and Country. Let them remember that delay is dangerous. It is solely a matter for them to consider whether it is their duty or not. The more the men enlist the sooner will French polish the Germans off. I might say that at the chief place of amusement—The Hippodrome at North- arnpton the week we were there, Mr Cbas. Elstree took a leading part, and was warmly" applauded by a crowded house. We also met Capt Griffith Wil- liams, of Beach Road. He was on a visit to his daughter, who has made her home in the capital of the boot trade. What has struck us lately is the effect of music on muscles, for when we are fatigued on the march, and wearily rolling along, the band will strike a tune, and our muscles seem to lose all their stiffness and puts vim afresh in our strides. Music hath charms they say, I know it charms our stiffness away when on the march. In the next letter it is likely I will be able to give more news of our projected visit abroad. We all hope it will not end in disappointment, such as attended our proposed visit to India in November. While other regiments are winning glory at the front, we the Royal,"Welsh Fusiliers are stuck at Cambridge. K.ii.Jti. f
ICORRESPONDENCE.
CORRESPONDENCE. We do not hold ourselves responsible foi the opinions of our coi-respoi dents. To the Editor. Dear Sir,— May I through the medium of your valuable paper ask the Barmoutb people if the majority of them honestly thinls that they are doing the town any good and benefiting themselves much indivi- dually by continuing to import Belgians in the wholesale way they are now doing. Nobody can benefit materially by taking in and feeding people at 10- ahead weeky, especially as they are not the type of people who will have the means at their disposal to patronize the local shopkeepers except for small and absolute necessaries and against that there is the risk that what might prove a good season for Barmoutb may fall exceedingly flat, if during the next few weeks, when a number of better class visitors come to this neighbourhood (for the purpose of selecting furnished houses and rooms for a later date) they find that Barmouth is apparently no longer a Welsh watering place, but a bad imitation of a Continental town ? Personally, it is nothing to me if Barmouth has a good or a bad season, except that I cannot help feeling sorry that the great number of landladies, who bad such a bad season last ynar should again have their chances of what promises to be a good season jeopar- dized. We all wish to do whatever we can for the Belgians, and Barmouth has more than done her share by accepting and looking after her- present responsi- bilities, but we must be just as well as generous, and do the greatest good to the largest number, and it is greatly open to doubt if the present policy is a wise and far seeing one. Yours faithfully, OBSERVER. BARMOUTH AND THE WAR. I To the Editor. I Sir.—As a visitor to Barnouth after an absense of eight months I am struck with amazement at the placidity with which the district is behaving itself during this time of the greatest struggle in history. I read with interest and admiration of the young men who have so gallantly come forward, but am surprised to see so many young fellows still going about cheir usual peace-time advocations, though in numerous cases there can be no sufficient cause to bold them back from national service. The other evening I particularly noticed several young fellows of suitable age and good physique walking very amicably together. One was in uniform, the others wore civilian clothing. In Birmingham, where I came from, the numbers would have probably been reversed, and of the other man it might j have been almost safely' assumed that be suffered from some physical unfit- ness or was concerned in the output of those war munitions that we need more urgently even than men. I cannot believe that Gallant little Wales is thus deliberately belying her ancient reputation, but rather that lack of ability to realise the true state of affairs is the cause of the apathy that certainly exists in many instances. Is it that the sound of the guns is too distant to pierce even our imaginations ? What if the shells were bursting over Dolgelley or Dyffryn or Llwyngwril. What if every train that entered Bar- mouth Junction were freighted with shattered and bleeding fellow country- men? I feel convinced that there would then be no need to call on.the stalwart young fellows of the district to take their share in the great cause. And yet such things are in other places and might well be here, were it not for the efforts of our own men in holding back, week by week, and month by month, the foe along the thin line whose position remains so much the same as the weary time goes by. ■-Mi' Austen Chamberlain repeated in Birmingham last Friday week the great truth that Our frontier is in France and Belgium." Are he and all other respon- sible statesmen in a conspiracy to frighten us merely when they tell us this and emphasise the terrible need of men and of war material ? Our young men are 11 waiting I am I' told for conscription, which is much like a man standing on the quay-side and watching his comrades drown while he expresses his readiness to help them if only somebody will push him in I would say to all such-" Well, possibly we shall have conscription, but you won't gather much respect and honour in the circumstances. If and when we get conscription what sort of a figure will you cut when you are sent to join the fighting regiments? Will they open their arms to welcome you, do you suppose, or will their feeling be: "Wewould not die in that man's company, Who fears his fellowship to die with us!" I would most earnestly implore all those young men who stand thus vacillating upon the brink of great and honourable adventure to pay a visit to any of our great working towns which have caught the sense of the importance of hich bangs upon onr efforts as a nation. There in the day time one is never far from the sound of the drum and the tramp of marching feet; and in the nights factory after factory looms out ablaze with light, and men are working up to their strength limit, aye, and beyond it, to supply our soldiers "ith weapons. I know a work's manager; whose position entails the wear and tear of heavy responsibility, who since tbp war began has bad one half-day's holiday—on Christmas Day- exactly that and no more Young men without dependents had need to possess tough consciences if becoming aware of these things, they can sleep comfortably in their beds while they leave the stress and strain of the labour and the fighting to their fellow men, numbers of whom are leaving wife and family and positions of responsibility to do their share in the great business. For every man that hangs back now from that business-the hard, work and the conflicb-some other man be sure, yields up his life and some woman loses her husband or her son or her lover or some child his father. Think of this, young men of happy peaceful little Wales This mountain- land of yours bred a race of heroes in tirnesl.past as you may read in any history book. See to it that the record over- leaf shall be as glorious. To-day one of your own fellow-countrymen stands in the forefront of the stress and struggle. You may agree with him or disagree on other points and at other times, but just now strengthen his hands, as all Britain strengthens his hands for the work of the nation, and if you cannot fight for the cause, at least work for it. I am, sir, faithfully yours, MARY RILEY. Briar Bank, Barmouth.
Advertising
Forthcoming Events Free insertions tinder this column to all those who bring in their Prinin on all Forth-coming Events. MAY. 5tb-Sale of Household Furniture at Mr Walter Lloyd Jones' Auction Room 6th.-Public Auction at Tynyllwyn, near Barmoutb, by Mr Walter LI. Jones. lotb.-singing and Competitive Meet. ing at the Wesleyan Chapel. AUGUST. l I th.-Flower,Pruit & Vegetable Show at Llwyngwril. Lieutenant-General Granville George, Chetwynd Stapylton died in London, on Tuesday, at the age of ninety-two.
IFrom the Papers.
I From the Papers. Flight-Lieutenant Stephen Medlicotfc and Air-Mechanic Henry Hughes have been killed in a seaplane accident at Calshot. Recruiting for the Reserve Battalion of the Welsh Guards is proceeding satis- factorily, and it was stated on Monday that the authorities are very gratified at the number who are coming forward. On the 6th May, a recruiting party of 200 men from the Royal Welsh Fusiliers statisned at Llandudno are due to spend the night at Bangor, on the way back to Llandudno on a recruiting march. The death occnred on'Tuesday of Mary Roden, rged seventy-two, who bad been an inmate of Ellesmere (Salop) Work- house for sixty-three years, and who had cost the guardians over C650 for food alone. Tired of waiting for commissions, for which they bad been specially trained, a number of members of the University College of North Wales Officers' Train- ing Corps have enlisted in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers as privates. The two Archbishops and others have formed a committee to inquire into the nature and extent of the problem regard- ing the alleged probability of an increase in the number of illegitimate births during the war. The news from the front the week- end has obviously had a good effect upon recruiting. During Monday the Central Recruiting Offices in London were crowded with young men desirous of enlisting. Before noon four contingents of 100 each were sent off to depots. An explosion of gas occurred on Mon- day at the Brayton Domain Colleries, No. 4 Pit, Aspatria, Cumberland. For- tunately there was no loss of life, but eight men were severely burned. The explosion was confined to a small area of the pit, and not much damage was done to the workings. Mr Tennant, the Under-Secretary for War, replying to Mr Hodge in Parliament on Tuesday said that in the opinion of Field-Marshall Sir John French music had a good effect upon the troops, and proposals to send bands to France were under consideration. The military authorities in Dublin have issued an order forbidding from Tuesday the supply of drink to any of his Majesty's forces by licence-holders in the Dublin Metropolitan police dis- trict. The only exception is in the case of men billeted on licensed premises. Maggie Nally, the little victim of the murder at Aldersgate Street Station, London, on Easter Sunday, was buried on Monday at the RomanCatholic Ceme- tary at Kersal Green. Amberley Road, Paddington, where the child's parents live, was thronged, as also was part of Harrow Road. There a group of Maggie schoolfellows were drawn up, many carrying bunches of flowers. The Grand Duke Michael of Russia president of the Hampstead General and North-West London Hospital, after the annual meeting on Tuesday after- noon, unveiled a memorial tablet to the late secretary, Mr Albert Edward Thomas, who as a sergeant in the Honourable Artillery Company, was shot through the head while leadingb is men at Nenve Eglise on November 25. Mr Thomas's last words were "I am done stick to it boys."