On July 10, 1916, during the Battle of Mametz, nearly 4,000 soldiers of the 38th Welsh Division were killed, wounded or declared missing.
Inspired by this important landscape in Welsh history, as well as David Jones’ seminal experimental poem, In Parenthesis, Rhondda-born photographer Aled Rhys Hughes has tried to answer the question: does this landscape have a memory of what happened here 100 years ago?
In 1937, the forest at Mametz Wood was the focus of Jones’ In Parenthesis, an account of his own harrowing experiences in the battle, which began in early July 1916 as the Somme offensive was at its height.
The fierce fighting that took place similarly inspired artists and poets who were serving at Mametz, including Jones, Siegfried Sassoon, Robert Graves and Llewelyn Wyn Griffith, to share their experiences with the world.
As well as being an acclaimed poet, Jones (1895-1974) was an accomplished artist who produced watercolours, illustrations and inscriptions. The National Library is home to a dedicated catalogue of his work, which includes manuscripts, correspondence, material relating to his artistic works, personal belongings, letters to his friends and editors and much more. This collection was deposited at the library in 1975 and was subsequently bought in 1978.
Items from this archive will be shown alongside Mr Hughes’ striking images of the scene, which even today, still bear the scars of battle.
“This exhibition is a visual culmination of the seven years I have experienced being at Mametz Wood,” said Mr Hughes. “In the annual July visits, I tried to imbue my images with what I saw, felt and heard whilst walking through the dense undergrowth, the open central ride or the angular, shell laden remains of Strip trench.
“Some of the images were made as direct responses to words and phrases from In Parenthesis, others to named places. However, they all pertain to the notion of landscape and memory, the ever-enduring theme in my work.”
The exhibition can be seen at the library until December 3. Mr Hughes will also host the discussion, Two Perspectives on David Jones, with Anne Price-Owen, secretary of the David Jones Society, on September 2 to discuss Jones’ life as an artist, soldier, and author of In Parenthesis.
Mr Hughes also hosts Welsh and English guided tours of the exhibition on October 19.
The Welsh National Opera celebrated 70 years this year with a world première of In Parenthesis, young British composer Iain Bell’s adaptation of the epic poem. A recording of this live performance of David Pountney’s period production at Wales Millennium Centre will be shown at the Library on Saturday, July 16.
The library’s commemoration programme forms a key part of the Welsh Government’s Cymru’n Cofio – Wales Remembers - 1914-1918 Programme.
Pedr ap Llwyd, the library’s director of collections and public programmes, said: “The main focus of our programme at the library in Aberystwyth and at its community partnership sites are the events of 1914-19 that had a particular Welsh impact.
“Our aim has been to support the exploration of the documentary heritage of Wales to highlight the often hidden histories of the First World War and develop a better understanding of this period of history.
“This is an important opportunity for community engagement activities aimed at all ages, exploring the multifaceted legacy of the impact of the War: on language, religion, culture, politics, art and music. We invite the widest participation in this programme.”
The library’s flagship resource for researching the First World War is The Welsh Experience of the First World War 1914-1918. This is a collection of more than 200,000 pages of newspapers, archives, photographs, and manuscripts from the archives and special collections of Wales.
Many pop-up exhibitions focussing on various elements of The Great War have also been held at the library over the last two years, with more planned for the next two years.
Wales at War: Education and Outreach Around the War Memorials of Wales is an inclusive activity for schoolchildren in Wales that enables them to develop biographies of the names listed on their local war memorials and to learn more about the impact of the First World War on Wales.
The project aims to discover more about the lives of the men and women from Wales who went to war, with a particular focus on those who are commemorated on war memorials in Wales. The Wales at War website and app also includes a timeline of the main events of the war and theatres of war reference resources.
On Friday, July 8 at 7.30pm, the film: ‘Battle of the Somme’ will be shown at the library. Shot and screened in 1916, this film was the first feature length documentary about war and changed the way both cinema and film were perceived by the public.
In the year of its release, almost 20 million people saw it, many hoping to see the image of a loved one captured on film. One hundred years later, this unique film from the Imperial War Museum’s collection, is being shown to commemorate the anniversary of The Battle of the Somme with musical accompaniment by Laura Rossi. Free admission by ticket.
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Further Information: Elin-Hâf 01970 632471 or post@llgc.org.uk
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