| Show 1 I LETTERS TO THE TIDE EDITOR I Theis t. t I b be who bet ton bt Uy sm and toU letters t to 10 tie editor of or Th i BIT it II w rea 11 U rUbt n now nor that Ui the Ibo uto nt Wes piper li k n for foe sec M bo a delre to b be b. b lut ly ind independent p nd ot but tut ut It n U II end ind American and ind It ft willU will lOW not noL Lao U publish oo eG cc line Un that In hi i 11 J effect iff U t tb iii be good food nim um lame honor Donor or ot of Lb be United St St. State u x m oM n I bo ir N en it t th Ib Deem beta et of the taro orona sent ment THE TRAGEDY OF W WAR R. R Editor Telegram From Welsh newspapers recently to hand one can gather some somo insight into the the awful conflagration that has hall been tv aging In Europe and elsewhere for more mole th titan than t three years ears with the te end not yet in n s sight eight ht and as many men lien who thoroughly abhor war believe belleve Is better for It to be fought to a victorious conclusion by the allied armies annl's than to accept a a. peace by either compromise or negotiation The effect of ot the tragedy tragedy trag- trag edy of ot war of ot bringing it home to the p people ople was as vividly seen In a place where here so realistic a picture would be least expected This ThU was at the Royal loyal National 1 Eisteddfod of ot Wale the national festival fes- fes trial of ot the Welsh people which was held In Birkenhead near Liverpool during the first week In September i In the Liverpool district on both sides ot of the Mersey are domiciled thousands of Welsh speaking folk of ot the ancient stock as Liverpool U fa looked upon as the capital of North Wales However in 1914 1514 the the- festival was to have been held in Bangor but was postponed on account of the war war wari David Lloyd George then chancellor of ot the exchequer was one of ot tho those tho-e e who advised ad the committee to hold the festIval festival fes fes- festival so it was held In Bangor th the following following fol fol- fol- fol lowing year The war and preparations preparations' preparations for It played havoc with the choral contests notably thoe those in the tha male voice section The piece selected was Cyril Jenkins Jenkins' The Assyrian Came Down open to choirs of sixty to eighty voices voice This was eliminated but the musical committee substituted another in Its Us place open to smaller maller male mate voice choirs of thirty to forty voices As it happened at Colwyn Bay Da- twenty miles mUes away a division o othe of ot f the First Welsh army anny corps was as In training Battalions were asked to raise choirs and enter the contest against local ocal village choirs choir who had forwarded their entrance fees Tw Two welt well known n te test t pieces TV were ere selected owing to the the festival al being only si six x short weeks RW away These TheBe were Wy H r Philistia Valiant Vallant Warriors by David Da Da- vid Jenkins and the tho popular well known French chorus Comrades 1 In p Arras Arms Adams Some eight male mala el I I voice choirs competed five of or the them m j bein being composed of or boy boys in khaki j Art After a excellent very contest the first prize was awarded to a choir organized organize d I 1 I b by the Seventeenth battalion Royal j i i Welsh Fusiliers und under r the baton o of or r i Lance Corporal S S. S. S Evans second prize I Ito Ito f to the well known Llanrwst w choir and the third prize to the Six Six- Sixt I t t tenth battalion Ro Royal al Welsh elsh Fu Yu merlL About a month after the eisteddfod I the Welsh division was was' shifted from Colwyn Bay to somewhere near Folkestone Folkestone Folkestone Folke Folke- stone and the channel ports and early in 1916 was sent overseas most of ot the battalions to France and Flanders others to the Balkans some two or three battalions to join the B British expeditionary expeditionary ex ex- force in Palestine Egypt and some two to wo o or r three thres o other er battalions s to reinforce General Maudes Maude's force Inthe in inthe the tho Mesopotamia campaign Here is the sequel that brought the war home to the people assembled in tho the eisteddfod pavilion at Birkenhead Seated In tho audience and supported by a crutch was the sole survivor of the tho winning soldier boy choir of or 1915 1916 All the tho rest had either been killed or had died from wounds received in action The Seventh with the Sixteenth had been through the fiery furnace of the I battles on the Somme Gouch- Gouch Manetz wood Beaumont Hamel Coubles etc also at the Anore these regiments had bad been through the tho carnage associated with those names He thIs He-thIs this sole survivor survivor- wa was espied In the audience and was Invited onto the platform The i I wounded soldier ex-soldier maimed for tor life lite I was assisted onto the platform where an easy chair awaited him Brigadier General Sir Owen Thomas who was present was Invited In to pin a rosette white and black white to designate the untarnished record and black In memoriam for the gallant boys who had given their all nn for their countr country The sole survivor of the winning choir of 1915 1916 was the conductor now discharged from service namely Samuel Evans of y Pen-y-cae Rhosllanerchrugog Rhosllanerchrugog ne near neRr It never rains but what it pours and still another dramatic Incident awaited the assemblage at Birkenhead It was chair day or to give It its Welsh Webb name y With real this is ia the principal day of ot the festival al when hen the winner of ot the chair tt ode is announced Y for the beat best ode not to exceed 1000 lInes in to which the prize generally is 15 In cash with a a beautifully beau beau- hated hand carved caned bardic chair In solid oak Bards DardE poets poet preachers men university education compete com corn pete for this coveted prize and who- who ever er is the winner is the welsh ech hero for tor that year national The pavilion was crowded for tor the premier the Hon David Lloyd George was U present He lie will draw a full all house any O odd Jd time but he was there at that auspicious moment to speak not only as David id Lloyd Llod George the Welsh weigh patriot and Idol of or th till the army but also aJo ns RS the premier of ot the greatest empire in m the worlds world's history on which the I sun un n never Er sets lets The bards ora ora- to tors etc ere e c. c were assembled on the tho plat pat form fonn dressed in their picturesque robes The recorder blew the and for the assembly and then the came forward to announce the verdict on the chair ode Passing comment full of pithy and witty remarks some favorable others the reverse on the various compositions sent in he stated that the bard who had written under the of Fleur de was considered the best hest and well worthy of the prize Will VIII Fleur lys if It present stand up and reveal himself The audience was on tiptoe A dead tead silence when the solemnly raised his arm and announced that tho the bard had joined a higher choir and would take no more earthly chairs lIe He had paid the supreme sacrifice on one ono of the battlefields on the western front frontin in France So with tender solicitude the and another draped the vacant chair with black and there were but few dry eyes In that I vast assemblage and then somewhere I someone started the first bars Of the well known Welsh hymns o 0 to the tune of- of Babel and a wonderful soul- soul stirring rendering was given of this popular hymn and tune one of the solemn grand old minor tunes so beloved beloved beloved be be- loved by the Welsh elsh people and It was the impassioned singing of this hymn an ari item not included on the program that was the most moving and Impressive impressive impressive sive Cea features ures of ot the festival The dead bard was Ellis ElUs Evans of ot Trawsfynydd close to Harlech l North Wales ales A young man 28 years of ago age by occupation a a. shepherd the test piece was wag an ode of not less than lines on the Hero lIero He sen sent In his hla ode in July l tAft left e it mme d l ate 1 1 y r i frt In in none nn nn one nt f ot or ft the me oral drafts l r is l tAft left e it mme d l ate 1 1 y r i frt In in none nn nn one nt f ot or ft the me oral drafts l r is to fill the gap caused by casualties in one of or the battalions of ot the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and was killed In one of the actions around Messina ridge David Lloyd George made one ono of his most inspiring sp speeches in the His Hla peroration Was worthy of a 1 memorable speech When en colossal empires are at war I rejoice to attend the festival of ofa en a I small people Today small people and great people are one people people one one In hope resolve and sacrifice Please God I soon we shall be one In triumph A national or psalmody festival with some BOU soul stirring and thrilling singing of ot well known hymns wound up the and so 80 one of ot the most dramatic and stirring soul national Welsh festivals als passed ed Into history History JOHN t T MORGAN rr r xi |
