Hi everyone,
I am in the process of writing a history of Neath and the Great War 1914-1918, with the idea of having a book published to coincide with the centenary of the start of the conflict, in 2014.
The book will be a Memorial Volume of the men of the town and area who served, and particularly those who gave their lives. It will also tell the story of how Neath went about the task of organising the recruitment and support for thousands of its men. The geographical areas covered are reflected in the war memorials I am taking as the basis for the research. These are Neath, Melyncryddan and Briton Ferry (the Gnoll gates as well as the Briton Ferry memorial), Resolven, Seven Sisters, Crynant, Cilfrew, Skewen, Bryncoch and Cadoxton. These in themselves list nearly 700 men, and one woman from the area who gave their lives. Over the past 5 years I have been compiling a database that cross-references archival research with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission information, the Soldiers Died in the Great War database, the Census information from ancestry and the 1911 census. To that, I am adding data from the individual war diaries from the PRO. I am also trying to put as many faces to names as possible and have to date managed to get pictures of more than 60 of the men on the respective memorials. . Putting all these sources into one database is a mamoth task, but it's coming along!
Recently I 'went public' with an appeal through the Evening Post to families from the area for photographs, or information on relatives from Neath, Briton Ferry and area who participated in WW1. The response has been superb and some information has come to light that would never otherwise have done so. I am now extending that appeal to the Rootschat community for any information that you think may help advance this project. Namely, any information that could be gleaned from surviving photos, letters diaries and arefacts. Also any information on other potential sources of information. I want to make the book as comprehensive as possible and a fitting tribute to those who gave their lives. So please, if anyone out there has anything that you think may help, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
With best regards Jon
