A new book by local man, Chris Woods explores the impact of World War One on his local community.
The publication is in commemoration and remembrance of the 31 people killed from the villages of Trefonen, Treflach and Nantmawr, and who’s names appear on the Trefonen War Memorial.
The book also contains a section on the impact of the war on the town of Oswestry, which had a considerable and strategic role to play in World War One with one of the countries largest army training camps being based at Park Hall. The camp also had a large military hospital, later to become the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, a German POW camp and a German Cemetery.
Chris said: “It is the aim of this publication to look at how the “War to end all Wars” impacted on our small rural community, and to try to shed some light on the stories of those whose names are etched into the grey Cornish Granite Cross that is the Trefonen War Memorial. Those who were killed in battle, those who died of their wounds later, those who returned broken and wounded and those who were left behind. Whilst our War Memorial has 31 names on it, its granite cross is not just a symbol to recognise, record and honour our war dead, it is a symbol that opens the book to a difficult and disturbing chapter in our history and to a sacrifice felt by our whole community and hundreds of others across the world.
The aim is to explore where and how they lost their lives, and give where possible information on their family links, work, army life on the front line and the memorials in foreign fields that represent them just like our own memorials do here”
The book can be purchased for a £5.00 donation plus £2.25 for postage and packaging by contacting Chris on 01691 654378 or emailing lightsouttrefonen@gmail.com
