A plaque commemorating Maesycwmmer’s fallen war heroes has been unveiled at a Remembrance Sunday service in the village.
Maesycwmmer didn’t have a monument to honour its war dead until the turn of the millennium, when a memorial wall and plaque was built. Even then, the memorial plaque did not bear the names of the fallen soldiers.
Eddie Griffin, chairman of the Maesycwmmer Heritage Group, said: “The names of the soldiers, sailors and airmen who died in the conflicts were not individually memorialised because, at the time, their names were not known. Research facilities were very limited – the internet didn’t exist, for example.
“However, recent research by members of the Maesycwmmer Heritage Group has uncovered the identities of no less than 19 men of the village who gave their lives in the two conflicts. Twelve of those fatalities occurred in World War I, when the village was very much smaller than it is now – the population of Maesycwmmer was only about 1,400, including men, women and children.”
A new black marble plaque has been added to the monument, with the names of the 19 soldiers from the village who died in the two world wars. The new plaque was unveiled on the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War thanks to a grant received from the Welsh Church Act Fund, which is operated by Caerphilly County Borough Council.
The new addition to the memorial was unveiled on Sunday, November 11 by Cllr Jo Rao and Sue Griffin in front of more than 100 people. Islwyn’s Assembly Member Rhianon Passmore and its Member of Parliament Chris Evans were in attendance along with members of the 2353 Ystrad Mynach Air Cadet Squadron.
After the ceremony, pupils from Maesycwmmer Primary School performed the song We Will Remember.
Copies of Maesycwmmer Heritage Group’s booklet detailing the 19 soldiers from the village who lost gave their lives can be ordered by calling Warren Hodson on 01443 814036.