National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales preserves and celebrates the sound and moving image heritage of Wales, making it accessible to a wide range of users for enjoyment and learning. Its film collection reflects every aspect of the nation’s social, cultural and working life across the 20th century, giving a fascinating insight into Welsh filmmaking, both amateur and professional.
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Peace Day Celebrations at Rhyl
Rhyl residents old and young celebrate the end of the Great War in a relaxed and happy prom gathering.
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Overview
Rhyl suffered much and lost 191 men in the Great War. Yet there’s a relaxed feel to this film - the summer crowds in their finery enjoying the prom gathering, and the parading dignitaries not minding the excitable kids and dogs one bit. The joking young men on the silent artillery gun seem happiest of all, perhaps unsurprisingly. But what is scribbled on the gun barrel - is it ‘Cymru am Byth’?
Rhyl certainly played its part in WW1, welcoming Belgian Refugees, running a Red Cross Hospital in Bedford Street, and there was Kinmel Park army training camp nearby. Derek Shannon took over Rhyl’s Market Street cinema from Arthur Cheetham in May 1919, and with the Shannon Film Company produced local topicals covering events such as the Flying Week, Lifeboat Day and May Day celebrations. The Shannon brothers knew that film coverage of the Peace Day events would pull people into their cinema, and no doubt welcomed spontaneous reaction to the camera, the better to engage their audience.
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