New Belgian memorial to honour WWI Welsh soldiers

Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones will today announce his government’s financial backing for a new memorial in Belgium to remember Welsh people who served during in the First World War, reports Wales Online. On a visit to the site of the new memorial in Langemark, West Flanders, he will announce the Welsh Government will provide up to €30,000 to underwrite the Welsh Memorial in Flanders appeal “The public appeal to build this memorial is a partnership between the people of Wales and Flanders,” Jones said. “They are people who felt moved by the sacrifice of Welsh service personnel during the First World War and wanted to make sure they were remembered. This memorial honours not just the Welsh men who fell in battle in Flanders during the conflict, but all Welsh men and women who served during the War. The public appeal has already raised €36,000 towards the cost of the memorial to enable construction of the memorial to begin and the First Minister will symbolically dig the first sod of earth during his visit today. The land on which the memorial will stand has been donated at no cost by the local authority, the municipality of Langemark. The appeal will now seek to raise a further €72,000 to add a symbolic Welsh Dragon to complete the memorial. The West Flanders provincial authority has agreed to create and maintain a Welsh garden of remembrance to surround the memorial. During his visit to Belgium the first minister will also visit the grave of Welsh poet Ellis Humphrey Evans, better known by his bardic name Hedd Wyn, who is buried in the Artillery Wood war cemetery, a short distance from where the new memorial will be built. He will also attend a nightly remembrance ceremony at the Menin Gate Memorial.