The photograph at the top was taken in 1913, the year before the war began; it shows soldiers training at signal camp in Royal Engineers Camp, Rhyl. The other black-and-white photo was taken in February 1915 on the prom near Rhyl Pavilion; it looks like an evening shot with sun setting in the west. General Sir Ivor Phillips, 2nd South Wales Brigade, is inspecting the troops.The sepia photo shows wounded soldiers (as indicated by the lapels) relaxing on the sands opposite the Grand Hotel/Futurist Cinema (a forerunner of Queens Theatre). The wounded were looked after at the Men’s Convalescent Institution in Bedford Street, temporarily a Red Cross Hospital during WW1. The ladies may be Red Cross volunteers.
These pictures are from the collection of Gaynor Williams and there are more to come.
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