MILITARIANISM # 3

There is an argument in favour of no longer commemorating very old wars (i.e. wars beyond living memory) because it is inappropriate to celebrate mass murder and mass suicide.
The social history of wartime however remains fascinating. Here are more local military images from near or during World War 1.

B Squadron, Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry (LHRY) at Rhyl, 1908
Ferry Hotel, Kinmel Bay, in background

Note on rear of this says Grenadier Guards at Rhyl, 1913

Click on any image to see a bigger version.

1st Battalion, Welsh Regiment at Kinmel Park Camp
near Bodelwyddan, 1915

Rhyl Volunteer Training Corps, April 1916
- not Rhyl in background

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Colin Jones / rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk

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MILITARIANISM # 2

A post on 8th January this year, now titled MILITARIANISM #1, featured some local military camp pictures from the World War 1 era. These drew a considerable amount of interest so here are more of the same.

I present these as items of social history and would not wish to condone or glorify military conflict in any way. In my lifetime I have not supported the UK's involvement in any war. Peacenik, that's me.

The following images are dated.
Click on any picture to see a bigger version.

1908 - Cheshire Regiment at Rhyl

1914 - North Wales Comrades training at Rhyl
(not to be confused with North Wales "Pals")

1914 - North Wales Comrades training at Rhyl (2)

1915 - Service Batt. Welsh Regt. (Carmarthenshire)
outside Rhyl Pavilion

1916 - Royal Welsh Fusiliers at Kinmel Park Camp near Bodelwyddan
Aber. Hut (Aber Where,  I wonder)

The following images are undated but from same period.
Click on any picture to see a bigger version.

 Church Lads' Brigade - Morning wash at Rhyl Camp No.7
(Magic Lantern slide)

 Royal Welsh Fusiliers - Church Parade at Rhyl Camp

Royal Welsh Fusiliers at Kinmel Park Camp

Royal Welsh Fusiliers at Kinmel Park Camp (2)

To round off this post, here is a rare snapshot of WW1 soldiers in Rhyl, marching down High Street and about to cross the Alexandra Bridge which these days is called Vale Road Bridge:

Furthest right is a tantalising glimpse of the building that was demolished in the 1930s to make way for Odeon Cinema (now Apollo Bingo).
In centre of the picture is William Roberts' corner shop, and to your left of the shop is a hotel; I have it on good authority that the hotel's rooms still exist on the upper floors.

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MON 11 SEP 2017 UPDATE: Another image of Church Lads' Brigade. Here they are marching along the prom in Rhyl. This pic is presumably from World War 1 period.

You can find out more about the Church Lads' Brigade and Church Girls' Brigade in Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Lads%27_and_Church_Girls%27_Brigade

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NOT HIS DAY

President Donald Trump of the United States is said to be upset about photos of anti-Trump demonstrations appearing in the media. Oh dear, how sad, never mind.

Women in particular seem incensed that his electoral opponent Hillary Clinton won nearly three million more votes than him but - because of the way the system works - she lost.

Mr. Trump is a whopping egotist and is bigoted against different opinions. Ten months ago in this blog I described him as seriously weird and unstable.

Nevertheless, our desperate government ministers seem keen to sup with him if and when the UK leaves EU. I hope they remember to use long spoons – and count them afterwards.

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DWYNWEN: SANTES CARIADON CYMRU

DWYNWEN: WELSH PATRON SAINT OF LOVERS

Next Wednesday (25th Jan) is St. Dwynwen's Day. To put you in romantic and sentimental mood here is Forget-Me-Not, A Soldier's Verse-Letter sent from Ernest at Kinmel Park Camp around a hundred years ago:

Awww, I hope Ernest survived.

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MILITARIANISM #1

Blessed are the peace makers and not the war makers. The image above is captioned Denbighshire T.Y. RHYL 1912 "Church Parade". Abbreviation T.Y. may stand for Territorial Youth. On the other hand, it may not.

Click on any image to see a bigger version.

The Rhyl district, a comparatively safe place, has been ideal for military training camps. Here is a picture captioned The Lancashire Hussars Camp at Rhyl 1909:

The following is Western Signal Camp, Royal Engineers Camp at RHYL 1913 (the year before The Great War aka World War 1 began):

Below: Taking a break at Denbighshire Hussars Camp Rhyl 1914.

Recently the next item was for sale on Internet, hence the seller's logo. The accompanying description said DRUM MAJOR PALMER 1st RHONDDA BATT WELSH REGIMENT BAND POSE RHYL 1914:

The letters R.B.B. above must stand for Rhondda Battalion Band. I wonder why soldiers from South Wales were up here.

The next was taken at Kinmel Park Camp, Bodelwyddan, in 1916 by which time the war was half over. It is in the form of a postcard addressed to John Evans Esq of Kensington, Liverpool. 

The postcard bears the following message on the reverse: "Waiting for a word from you. I have blood poison in my right hand & be home very soon. Your friend, Dick."

The card below reflects the toxic combination of patriotism and emotional blackmail that led an estimated 744,000 young Britons to their deaths in that dreadful conflict.

For more statistics about the extent of casualties see Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I_casualties

Recommended film: Oh! What A Lovely War (1969) directed by Richard Attenborough, from an epic stage musical created by Joan Littlewood's ensemble at Stratford, London, in 1963.

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Colin Jones / email: rhyl.colin.jones@live.co.uk

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THU 23rd NOV 2017 UPDATE: A dramatic shot of Denbighshire T.Y. galloping on the sands near their Rhyl camp in 1912:

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GRAND TIMES

After a fire in 1907 at Queen’s Palace entertainment complex (the domed building above) the owning company dissolved having been unable to get a payout from the insurers who were unhappy about some of the circumstances.

The fire destroyed the dome and it fell to the east onto Queen's Arcade. (Some photos in circulation that purport to show the effect of the fire on Queen's Palace actually show damage to the arcade.)

Eventually the remainder of the complex began operating again under a renamed company involving some of the same directors. The ballroom part on the ground floor became a roller skating rink, and film shows (‘movies’) were introduced there. The theatre part upstairs on the first floor became renamed Grand Theatre.

Here is the front of a Grand Theatre programme from Thursday August 21st 1914, less than a month after the outbreak of WW1:

Click on it to see a clearer version.

. . . the other side . . .

Details of the play Broadway Jones are too faded to reproduce clearly. Geoffrey Saville appeared in the lead role. The producer Seymour Hicks had played lead himself in other venues including the Leeds Grand:

The Rhyl building was revamped, and re-opened in 1926. The Grand Theatre on the first floor was renamed Queen's Theatre, and the skating rink on the ground floor reverted to use for dancing under the name Queens Ballroom.

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The following local advertisers are added here for indexing purposes:
Goldstraw, Wedgwood House, Dunning, Rhyl Journal, Garson Allen, Hubbards, Knutsford House, Madame Le Vere, Marlborough Hotel, Queens Hotel, F Thomas cycles, Ben Glass, Arcade Bazaar, E Robins, Foulkes Bar, Sussex Cafe, York House, Leinster House, Ferry Hotel Kinmel Bay, Hazel Grove House, Ferns apartments, Ivy House, Truscott.
X L Seed Co, Arnolds, Chester House, Geo J Mason, Hodges Chatsworth Cafe, Twillrane, Wadsworths, SPQR Stores, Philip Thomas, Avondale Restaurant, Marine Lake Fun Fair, Charlton boarding, Fells Bazaar, White Lion Hotel, Archie Wood.
Robins, J H Ellis, Owens butchers, Griffiths baker, E Beech, H Wilcock, Ernest R Clarke, Star Supply Stores, C H J E Lamb, J A Smalley.

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FRI 3rd FEB 2017 UPDATE: Here is a rare photograph captioned Grand Theatre, Staff, Rhyl Oct,1912.

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TUE 14th NOV 2017 UPDATE: Grand Theatre's canopy is just about visible on your left (after the signs 'Garage' and 'Hotel') on the following card postmarked 1918.

Note the muck-sweeper on your right. His was a very honourable chore; horse emissions were more useful and less harmful than car emissions!

Click on any image to see a bigger version.

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THU 23rd AUG 2018 UPDATE: Grand Theatre's canopy is seen more clearly in this earlier pic of a Lifeboat Day, shall we say 1915?
On your right, the advert for Arthur Hart & Leslie Moreton's company in 'The Arcadians' refers to a show at the Grand, a touring version of an Edwardian musical comedy that had played for three years at Shaftesbury Theatre in London 1909-1912.

The lifeboat is Rhyl's tubular-style Caroline Richardson II which was on station 1897-1939.

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MON 6th NOV 2018 UPDATE: Fans of style will dig the following advertising card for a touring version of  'A Little Bit Of Fluff' at Grand Theatre, Rhyl -

The card is undated but there is a clue on the reverse - 

'A Little Bit Of Fluff' ran at Criterion Theatre, London, from 1915 to 1918 and remained famous for decades. You can find information about it in Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Little_Bit_of_Fluff_(play)

The following names are added here for indexing purposes:
Herbert Jay promoter, Anthony Ellis promoter, Walter W. Ellis playwright.

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TUE 25th DEC 2018 UPDATE: Grand Theatre on your left again in this World War 1 image of Denbighshire Hussars with their horses -

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6720, Additional image added in July 2020:

This is the battered front cover of a Grand Theatre souvenir programme from 1913, quite valuable because The Grand is the link in between the original Queen's Palace and later Queens Theatre & Ballroom.
All these venues were in the same building.

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BODEL-ODDMENTS

The village of Bodelwyddan (pronounced Bodel-withan) is about 5 miles or 8 kilometres south of Rhyl and shares the same LL18 postcode, and is my kind of place: only one public house and more than sixty listed buildings. 

Its most famous landmark must be St. Margaret's Church or 'the marble church'. The old photos above, of the exterior and the pulpit, are by Rhyl photographer Rae Pickard.

Much admired is the church's east window designed by father and son Michael and Arthur O'Connor in 1859:

Also widely known is Bodelwyddan Castle; the version that exists today is an 1830s rebuild. Here is a 1960s-looking scene of horse riders at the castle when it was Lowther College private school for girls:

In recent years the castle has been a hotel. Of the following cards the second is postmarked 2014 and finds the business renamed fancifully as Bodelwyddan Coast Hotel:

Do you remember the Wayside Cafe? This card is postmarked 1965:

Here are a couple of World War 1 shots of Kinmel Park Camp near Bodelwyddan. The lower one is circa 1917 and labelled "Canadian soldiers and civilian visitors".

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In present times Bodelwyddan is the home of Rhyl's nearest general hospital Ysbyty Glan Clwyd of which I am not a huge fan.

The population of the village may treble in a few years if the building of 1,700 new homes goes ahead; Denbighshire Council allocated land for this purpose despite bitter local opposition.

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The following references are added here for indexing purposes: Hovis bread, Warner Leisure Hotels.

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