Remembrance Day at The Senedd Speaks of the Veterans Work by Age Cymru Dyfed

Age Cymru Dyfed Veterans in Senedd Armistice Speech

left to right Jim Glass, Joyce Watson, Ken Skates and Owen Dobson 12.11.24

Watch video Senedd speech (Senedd.com)

In a Senedd reading in Armistice week, was an homage to Age Cymru Dyfed veterans team and the work they do with older veterans. This Plenary Statement by Joyce Watson, was a great testament to the work that Age Cymru Dyfed does with older veterans. Joyce Watson read:

"This Armistice week we remember all those members of the British Armed Forces who have given their lives in the service of their country to protect the freedoms we enjoy today.  From the First and Second World Wars to the present day, men and women of Wales have made the ultimate sacrifice.  We can also be immensely proud of all those who have served and returned home to Wales, but often living with the physical and emotional scars of wars and conflicts for the remainder of their lives.

Very recently, I was delighted to participate in the Veterans Breakfast morning organised by Owen Dobson of Age Cymru Dyfed along with the Military Veterans Club Cymru in the excellent Cwmaman Community Centre. It proved to be a wonderful event attended by 60 including the Veteran’s Commissioner for Wales, Colonel James Phillips, and we were serenaded most beautifully by the school choir from Ysgol Y Bedol.

I spoke to many veterans during the event, including WW2 veteran 98 year old Idwal Davies from Llanelli who in 1945 was with the 1st Battalion of the Queen’s Own Hussars in Northern Italy.  My own father Joyce to complete……and became a Prisoner of War.

It therefore seems timely to draw the Senedd’s attention to the successes achieved by the Age Cymru Dyfed Veterans Team over the past 5 year of so, not just in providing practical support to 100’s of veterans throughout the Dyfed region but also in collecting the first hand stories of those living in Wales who have served their nation in the Armed Forces.

With the support of the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and the Veterans Foundation, Age Cymru Dyfed  has developed a magnificent digital veterans archive called the West Wales Veterans Archive which is held on People’s Collection Wales in the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. 

This Welsh veteran’s archive is constantly growing, containing almost 1000 entries to date including many interviews with WW2 veterans such as Dennis Tidswell from Pembroke Dock  who took part in the Battle of Britain and then fought overseas. Another RAF veteran John Martin lives in Tanygroes, but back in January 1944 was shot down on a raid over Berlin becoming a PoW after first being interrogated as a secret agent.

Wounded during the Allied invasion of Sicily and now the last surviving Royal Navy Beach Commando anywhere in the world, Archie Thomas from Aberavon, recently joined others for a unique WW2 veterans shooting competition organised by Age Cymru Dyfed at a shooting range in Carmarthen.  There, Archie joined D-Day veterans like Tony Bird of the Royal Navy who lives in Freshwater East, Battle of the Atlantic Royal Navy gunner Neville Bowen in Ammanford and Royal Welch Fusilier veteran Duncan Hilling who lives in Saundersfoot.

Duncan was in the small advance British party which entered Hiroshima shortly after the Atom Bomb had been dropped. Age Cymru Dyfed has brought these veterans together not just to share for their stories but socialise and to have fun. And they do have fun! And in doing so are teaching the rest of us that we need to rethink the psychology and care and support provided to the very old in society. These are 100yrs olds still thinking as 20yrs old and looking forward to service-banter, competing against each and have a good time!

Age Cymru Dyfed’s West Wales Veterans Archive also includes interviews with Welsh Land Army women and even Kindertransport children put on trains by their parents in Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia from Nazi occupation and ending up in Welsh homes. The archive includes those who were conscripted into National Service between 1947-63 serving in Malaya, Korea, Borneo, Nuclear tests on Christmas Island, to those joined as regular’s serving in Aden, Northern Ireland, the Falkland Islands, and so on.

Quite remarkably the charity has just acquired a private and previously unpublished collection of interviews given by veterans of the First World War from Carmarthenshire area during the 1970’s recorded by Lt Col David Mathias.

In fact, the UK Community Archives and Heritage Award Group, have been so impressed with Age Cymru Dyfed’s West Wales Veterans Archive, that they have made Age Cymru Dyfed’s West Wales Veterans Archive their Community Archive ‘winner’ for November.

In the visitor’s gallery today balcony we have ….. members of the Age Cymru Veterans team, themselves all veterans of the armed forces, Neil Davies, Owen Dobson, Jim Glass……"