April 2025 marks the centenary of the opening of the Memorial Hall. This building on South Road is so important to the town. It provides a poignant reminder of those who lost their lives in the two world wars and is a much-loved community resource for those of us living here today.    The Memorial Hall Committee is marking the centenary with a range of events throughout the year. We at Cymdeithas want to commemorate this landmark in the town’s history too. There are, of course, pictures of the Hall in our picture gallery. Here is one showing the programme for the opening ceremony held on April 1st 1925 and you can see the attendees at the event itself at the bottom of this article. In October, our own President, Elinor, will be giving a joint talk on the history of the hall with Robert Thomas, the Hall president. She will be posting an article on this shortly after her talk.   Last year, she gave a talk about the memorials in the town to those who lost their lives fighting for their country. There is an earlier blog about this. She has an article on this on the heritage page of this site:    Memorial Hall Roll of Honour  giving details of the lives of the 41  servicemen from Aberaeron who were killed in the 2 world wars; a stark reminder that this year is a commemoration, rather than a celebration.    We also have a blog  ‘D-Day Memories: By Gwilym Morgan, Almor, Bellevue Gardens’. Gwilym was a telegraphist  on the HMS Kingsmill and this is a moving account of his recollections of his experience of those events. This was uploaded to coincide with last year’s anniversary.

The 18th March was the last talk of the 2024/2025 season and the speaker was me! This was the second of my talks about the people who have lived in Portland House. Last season I spoke of Bensha and his daughters:  The first owner Benjamin Evans, who was thrown off his farm tenancy for following his political beliefs The scandal surrounding the move of the post office from Aberaeron House His daughter, Margaret’s fascinating career as a University Matron and house keeper for Lady Llanover The mysterious circumstances surrounding the ‘death’ of her sea captain husband and that of her sister Jane’s. This time, I introduced more of Bensha's descendants, the Howells: Anne, the runaway bride John, JM Howell, a man who did so much in every walk of Aberaeron’s life Fred, a multiple bigamist with wives in Llangrannog, London and Australia.     You can read more about them and other remarkable residents of Portland House in articles on the Heritage page of this website :  -Portland People -Portland House Captains -The barque Glenara -The Aberaeron Post Office Scandal of 1874.

The Oscar nominated film  Hedd Wyn  will be showing at the Memorial Hall on 7th March. The cawl and cinema evening is one of a series of events this year to commemorate the centenary of the opening of the Hall. It therefore seems timely for Cymdeithas to remember Wales’ most famous pacifist too.   Ellis Humphreys Evans is better known more by his bardic name of Hedd Wyn. An award-winning poet from a young age, he posthumously won the bardic chair at the National Eisteddfod held in Birkenhead in 1917 for his poem  ‘Yr Arwr ’ (The hero). It was just 6 weeks after his death on the battle field in Passchendale.    The Eisteddfod chair was covered in black cloth during the ceremony and has been known as  Y Gadair Ddu  (the Black Chair) ever since.     You can read and indeed hear more in the link below; a blog by historical fiction writer, S E Morgan. This includes the performance of a song,  Fleur-de-lys , played on the harp and inspired by the poet.   https://wordpress.com/post/semorganhistoricalfiction.wordpress.com/1300

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Articles Open Memorial Hall Roll of Honour - World Wars I & II Open General Practice Before N.H.S.: Dr Hugh Herbert Open My Memories of Aberaeron Hospital Open Evan Jones, Coedmore: Merchant Navy Chief Steward (1861-1937) Open Evan Jones' Descendants: Allen Stanford Jones (1918-1941) Open Evan Jones' Descendants: Timothy Jones (1894-1943) Open Evan Jones' Descendants: David Owen Jones (1896-1967) Open Evan Jones' Descendants: Gwilym Ieuan Morgan (1914-2005) Open Ron Davies: Photographer (1921 – 2013) Open Dr Hugh Herbert: Student, Serviceman, Physician Open The Herbert Family of Llangeitho Open The Aberaeron Post Office Scandal 1874 Open Tanyfron Villa 1870-1955 Open Mariners at Rest Open J.R Evans, Anchor House Open Aberaeron Shops: Booksellers Open Mariners: Military Sons, Capt John Evans, Milford House Open Mariners: Capt Evan Daniel Jones Open Mariners: Capt William Williams Open The Barque Glenara Open Mariners: Capt Thomas Thomas Open Mariners: Capt John Evans, Milford House Open Mariners: Capt David Jones, Pantteg Open Mariners: Capt David Jones & Wife Mary, Pentwr Open Portland House Captains Open Portland People