Every Man Remembered Cardiff, 24 April - 5 May 2015
Over one million Commonwealth Service men and women were killed during the First World War. The losses were felt in almost every town and village in the UK and throughout what was then the British Empire. The Royal British Legion, working in partnership with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and with the support of Ancestry.co.uk, would like to see each and every one of these men and women individually commemorated throughout the WW1 centenary years. Every Man Remembered is an opportunity for you to be part of a great collective act of Remembrance. The inspiration for Every Man Remembered came from a 14-yr old girl who contacted The Royal British Legion following a battlefield tour of France and Belgium with her local scout group. I know that not everyone can be remembered as individuals, but I felt it was a shame for some people to have dozens of poppies and crosses while others had no one left to remember them. As the national custodian of Remembrance, The Royal British Legion will be leading the nation in honouring each and every sacrifice made. It is an opportunity for us to come together and reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that the memory of the fallen lives on. To make your commemoration visit www.everymanremembered.org
Centenary Soldier The sculpture, a collaborative piece with artist Mark Humphrey, stands at 7.5 metres high and features a detailed brass sculpture of a First World War soldier. As the national custodians of Remembrance The Royal British Legion ensures that the memories of those who have fought and died in the British Armed Forces live on through the generations. This impressive work of art which is based on the Unknown Soldier invites members of the public to remember and pay tribute to the British and Commonwealth lives lost in the First World War. The sculpture promotes The Royal British Legion s Every Man Remembered campaign www.everymanremembered.org, and forms part of the charity s Centenary activity, which asks the public to write a message of commemoration and thanks to the 1,117,077 men and women from the Commonwealth who fell during the First World War. The Sculpture was unveiled in Trafalgar Square, London, during the Remembrance period last November and Cardiff is the first stop on a four-year tour of Great Britain, visiting a number of different locations across the country.
Firing Line Museum Firing Line, Museum of the Welsh Soldier at Cardiff Castle is a World-Class museum reflecting on, and commemorating, over 300 years of distinguished history, dating from the Restoration, through the Napoleonic Wars right up to recent service in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is a range of historical information, exhibits, a programme of living history events and hands-on activities which provides our visitors with an understanding of why ordinary Welsh people are prepared to do extraordinary things and carry out outstanding acts of bravery. Alongside our permanent displays, which outline the contribution of the Welsh Cavalry and Infantry throughout the First World War; the Firing Line Museum also features a temporary exhibition programme, which will include an exhibition celebrating the centenary of the Welsh Guards (June-August 2015), as well as housing the Welsh Government funded exhibition commemorating Gallipoli in December 2015. There will also be a National Army Museum Exhibition on the Battle of Waterloo, commemorating the 200th Anniversary. For more information about how the Firing Line Museum will commemorate Waterloo, the First World War Centenary, its exhibition and education programmes or opening hours, please go to www.cardiffcastlemuseum.org.uk or contact Rachel Silverson, Museum Curator at curator@cardiffcastlemuseum.org.uk.
South Wales Borderers To commemorate the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign, the Firing Line Museum has put together a temporary exhibition on the involvement of the South Wales Borderers. The 29th Division that landed at Gallipoli included the South Wales Borderers, alongside the 1st King s Own Scottish Borderers (KOSB), 1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and 1st Border Regiment. The extract below is from the 2nd Battalion the South Wales Borderers Official War History. On 25th April 1915, the 29th Division made its historic Landing at Helles a feat of arms which could have been achieved by no soldiers in the world but seasoned British infantry. They landed in broad daylight on open beaches defended by barded wire covered at close range by rifles and machine guns. The Battalion landed their companies at S Beach on the shores of Morto Bay just inside the Straits at the comparatively light cost of 2 officers and 18 men killed and drowned and 2 officers and 40 men wounded. The Battalion served throughout the rest of the Gallipoli campaign. In the efforts to advance from Cape Helles in May and June it fought with great determination and stubbornness. In August it moved round with the rest of the 29th Division to Suvla Bay, where a new landing by five fresh divisions from England had been brought to a standstill. In a final effort here the 29th put in a most gallant though unsuccessful attack on Scimitar Hill, in which the Battalion suffered nearly 300 casualties. Brought back to Helles in October, the battalion took part in the final evacuation of the Peninsula on 8th January 1916, and was sent to Egypt. Pte. William Harry Smith who was killed in Gallipoli on 25th April 1915.
Mark Humphrey - Centenary Soldier Sculptor Mark has long been a supporter of The Royal British Legion, inspired by three generations of his own family who fought in both World Wars. Of the Every Man Remembered sculpture Mark said: The Centenary Soldier stands proud, shoulders back and head up. Full of hope, promise and strength within the Every Man Remembered obelisk. He is made from brass (representing my great grandfather s self-decorated bombshell case, which he engraved in the Somme trenches). The soldier stands in a field of poppies, the poppies flutter up and softly fall, paying tribute to each and everyone for their sacrifices made. The Centenary Soldier is a symbol of reflection living on with pride, marking one hundred years since the war. For more information about Mark and his work visit www.markhumphrey.uk
His eyes are closed, depicting internal remembrance; remembering every man and every woman who fell during the First World War. Mark Humphrey
The Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion s work is encapsulated in its motto: LIVE ON - TO THE MEMORY OF THE FALLEN AND THE FUTURE OF THE LIVING. The Royal British Legion is the nation s biggest Armed Forces charity providing care and support to all members of the British Armed Forces past and present and their families. It is the national custodian of Remembrance and safeguards the Military Covenant between the nation and its Armed Forces. It is well known for the annual Poppy Appeal, and its emblem the red poppy. www.britishlegion.org.uk WG24966 Crown Copyright 2015