The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge is for bloggers who wish to participate, by publishing a blog post every day in April except for Sundays. Each blog post will focus on a letter of the alphabet. For example April 1 will be A, April 2 will be B, April 3 will be C, and on it goes. By the end of April, a blog post for every letter of the alphabet will have been published. Blog posts are usually on a theme, or you can choose to post each day with no theme at all. My theme for 2024 is “Haverfordwest in the News”. Haverfordwest is a town in the country of Pembrokeshire, Wales.
from: Western Mail, Friday 27 December, 1946, page 3
Welsh Show Goodwill to German P.O.W.
GERMAN prisoners of war were extended the hand of friendship, and experienced warm Welsh hospitality over Christmas. On Christmas Eve a party of 60 attended Midnight Mass at Bagillt Roman Catholic Church, and sang German carols. Before the service, four of their number decorated the church, and placed a large Christmas tree near the high altar. More than 100 prisoners sang the carol “Silent Night” in German at St. Mary’s Church, Haverfordwest, on Christmas morning. For the first time they went to the church unescorted, and some were given gifts of cigarettes and soap by members of the congregation.
The vicar, the Rev. W. Hugh Rees, addressing them in German, wished them the best kind of Christmas they could have in present circumstances. During the day, many prisoners were invited to homes in the locality. The 16 German naval prisoners at Towyn, Merioneth, received invitations from local householders to spend Christmas with them, and the men, through the Rev. Harri Williams, have expressed their gratitude for the generosity shown towards them.
Pwllheli
Poles of Penrhos Camp. near Pwllheli, spending their first Christmas in Wales, had a special dinner, community singing and a cinema show. The Mayor of Pwllheli, Alderman G. Cornelius Roberts, entertained to tea the Sand Street Sunday School children, where he has been teacher for 60 years, and on Boxing Day he gave a free cinema show to all the town’s children.
Glanamman
Heavy rain did not prevent a large number of Cwmamman folk from keeping an age old custom, the six a.m. service at the Old Bethel Chapel on the Black Mountain. The music was provided by the 110-year-old harmonium. Pembroke Nurses at Pembroke County War Memorial Hospital, Haverfordwest, presented a Nativity play to the patients in the male and female wards of the hospital on Christmas Eve and afterwards sang carols in the private wards. All child patients received gifts.
The children at Priory Mount Institution, Haverfordwest, sat down to turkey, goose, pork, and Christmas pudding on Christmas Day, and afterwards the Master (Mr. J. W. Belfield), as Santa Claus, distributed gifts from two large trees. The Mayoress of Haverfordwest, Mrs. W. I. Lloyd, visited the County Hospital and the Priory Mount Institution on Christmas Day and distributed oranges.
Please note: Punctuation and paragraphs have been added to the above transcription for ease and speed of reading.
WELSH SHOW GOODWILL TO GERMAN P.O.W., Western Mail, Friday 27 December 1946, page 3
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9 thoughts on “AtoZ Challenge: Welsh Goodwill at Haverfordwest and District”
I thought it was lovely Jill
It would be very special indeed, if it was still in existence Erin
I thought of that too Molly. I remember it was such a touching movie.
This reminds me of the Christmas truce during WWI — soldiers pressed into service by their respective governments, but left to their own devices finding their human commonality.
I wonder if that harmonium is still being played.
Makes a change from death Jill
Yes that’s surprising Anne.
Sounds a good Christmas. I am surprised the prisoners had not been repatriated by December 1946.
A caring community at Christmas time.