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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Unveiling of 1914-1918 War Roll of Honour at Holywell, c. 1919
Flintshire lost hundreds of men on the WW1 battlefields, Holywell contributing 32 who are commemorated on the Roll of Honour plaques on the Town Hall, seen here being unveiled.
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Overview
Flintshire supplied hundreds of men for active service at the outbreak of WWI, men who worked in the local coal, copper and textile industries. 32 men from Holywell left but never returned and are commemorated on Roll of Honour plaques on the Town Hall which are seen here being unveiled. The man who draws off the covering Union Jacks appears to be overcome with emotion – he pauses and wipes his eyes before he can deliver his speech.
Wilfred Owen’s poem ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ was published in 1920, after the poet’s death in France and those passing by the Flintshire Roll of Honour may have wondered if the line by Horace, on which Owen based his poem, was indeed an “old lie”, as Owen believed. ‘Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori’ – it is sweet and fitting to die for one’s country.