Newsletter 187 – November 2024

NOVEMBER MEETING
Main speaker, Rosemary Chaloner, presents “Angels in the Line of Fire” – about nurses in WW1.
We also will be hearing from Becky Davies who is seeking volunteers for a social history project. She is wanting women born between 1930 and 1958 to give interviews about their families' experiences during WW2.

HOTTER shoes – Tuesday November 12th at 4.30pm 

TOUR OF THE RWCMD
19 people have signed up for this. Date: Tuesday 19th November 10am. Meet inside the entrance to the college. 

IT TRAINING
This IT training is free and tailored to people aged 65+. The first session was much appreciated by those who attended. The second session will be on 28th November at 2pm. The session will cover downloading apps and managing health on-line. 

OUR CHARITY – WALES AIR AMBULANCE
As we still have some items left over from the Summer Fete, we have booked a pitch at Ararat Christmas Fair on Saturday 30th November 12.00 – 4.00pm. Do come along on the day. (Anything left will be disposed of and we do not want more items to sell.) 

SOUTH WALES LISTENS:
This is a police platform enabling residents to send messages (not reporting crimes) directly to the local PCSO and neighbourhood Policing team. They will let you know about local engagement events, crime prevention advice and occasionally significant police activity in the area. It is on-line, but “Cuppa with a copper” still exists.
Contact: www.southwaleslistens.co.uk. It’s free but you have to sign up to give or receive information. 

DECEMBER MEETING
This is our Christmas meeting and refreshments will be our usual sharing buffet. Please bring a maximum of 8 items of food on a plate. As it’s our Christmas party, please wear something Christmassy and, if you can bring a table decoration, these will be judged by the members by placing a coin alongside their favourite.
Date: Monday 9th December at 2pm.
Speaker: Peter Davis, ‘Everyday Life – That’s Poetry For You.’ 

GROUPS: • Please note change of usual venue this month
Choir: The choir meets every Wednesday morning, 11.30-12.30, except for the Wednesday of the Rhiwbina WI meeting. Meetings will be in the Memorial Hall, Rhiwbina
Book Group: Wednesday 13th November 11.00 am at 5 Court Close, Whitchurch*
Craft Group: Monday 18th November 2024 10.30 am at 41 Cherry Orchard Road, Lisvane* Tangle Art Group: Wednesday 20th November 2.00 pm at 5 Court Close
Family History: Monday 25th November 2.00 pm 113 Pantbach Road
Sunday Lunch Group: Sunday 1st December 1.00 pm at The Butchers Arms Rhiwbina.
Poetry and Prose Group: no date yet.

Angels in the Line of Fire

Rosemary Chalmer presented an informative and fascinating insight into the role of women in WWI. The eestablishment of nursing as a profession began with Elizabeth Fry in the 1840s, and was contiunued by Florence Nightingale. The Welsh nurse, Betsy Cadwaldr, worked with her during the Crimean war at Scutari Hospital in Istanbul.

In 1914 the British goverment started recruiting nurses because they knew war was coming. The Queen Alexandra Imperial Nursing Service had been established in 1902 (known as the QAs) and then the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) in 1909. The QAs were trained professional nurses, and the VADs were middle-class women orgainised and trained by the St Johns Ambulance and the British Red Cross. The third important nursing organisation in WWI was the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANYs). This group of women came from the well-off classes and they provided their own vehicles to be used as ambulances. Their role was to transport the wounded from the front line to medical centres for treatment. Rosemary provided many interesting details in her talk, such as that the ambulances were not allowed to use their headlights and removed the windscreens from their vehicles so they could see more clearly. She explained that there were also hospitals establised on trains and on ships. Nurses from all these organisation worked on the Western Front and the Eastern Front.

Rosemary talked about many individuals who are mostly unknown, especially mentioning some Welsh women such as Annie Brewer and Miss Tenniswood. In Cardiff the 3rd Western General Hospital was created in 1914 which included Cardiff Royal Infirmary, Mansion House, Albany Road School and Whitchurch Hospital, plus St Woolos in Newport. Other notable British buildings used as auxilliary hospitals were Brighton Pavilion and Blenheim Palace. Many nurses died during the war, either from injuries or disease. Many received medals of honour. Rosemary read a moving piece from 'The Roses of No Man's Land' by Lyn MacDonald which described the conditions under which the nurses lived and worked.

Angylion yn y llinell Danio

Cyflwynodd Rosemary Chalmer gipolwg addysgiadol a hynod ddiddorol ar rôl menywod yn y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf. Dechreuodd sefydlu nyrsio fel proffesiwn gydag Elizabeth Fry yn y 1840au, ac fe'i parhawyd gan Florence Nightingale. Bu'r nyrs Gymreig, Betsy Cadwaldr, yn gweithio gyda hi yn ystod rhyfel y Crimea yn Ysbyty Scutari yn Istanbwl.

Yn 1914 dechreuodd llywodraeth Prydain recriwtio nyrsys oherwydd eu bod yn gwybod bod rhyfel ar ddod. Roedd Gwasanaeth Nyrsio Ymerodrol y Frenhines Alexandra wedi'i sefydlu ym 1902 (a elwir yn QAs) ac yna'r Detachment Cymorth Gwirfoddol (VAD) ym 1909. Roedd y QAs yn nyrsys proffesiynol hyfforddedig, ac roedd y VADs yn fenywod dosbarth canol a drefnwyd ac a hyfforddwyd gan y St. Ambiwlans Johns a'r Groes Goch Brydeinig. Y trydydd sefydliad nyrsio pwysig yn y Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf oedd yr Iwmyn Nyrsio Cymorth Cyntaf (FANYs). Roedd y grŵp hwn o fenywod yn dod o’r dosbarthiadau cefnog a gwnaethant ddarparu eu cerbydau eu hunain i’w defnyddio fel ambiwlansys. Eu rôl oedd cludo'r clwyfedig o'r rheng flaen i ganolfannau meddygol i gael triniaeth. Darparodd Rosemary lawer o fanylion diddorol yn ei sgwrs, megis nad oedd yr ambiwlansys yn cael defnyddio eu prif oleuadau a thynnu’r sgriniau gwynt o’u cerbydau er mwyn iddynt allu gweld yn gliriach. Eglurodd fod yna ysbytai hefyd wedi'u sefydlu ar drenau ac ar longau. Roedd nyrsys o'r holl sefydliadau hyn yn gweithio ar Ffrynt y Gorllewin a'r Ffrynt Dwyreiniol.

Soniodd Rosemary am nifer o unigolion sy’n anadnabyddus gan mwyaf, gan sôn yn arbennig am rai merched Cymreig fel Annie Brewer a Miss Tenniswood. Yng Nghaerdydd crëwyd 3ydd Ysbyty Cyffredinol y Gorllewin ym 1914 a oedd yn cynnwys Ysbyty Brenhinol Caerdydd, y Plasty, Ysgol Heol Albany ac Ysbyty'r Eglwys Newydd, yn ogystal â Sant Gwynllyw yng Nghasnewydd. Adeiladau nodedig eraill ym Mhrydain a ddefnyddiwyd fel ysbytai ategol oedd Pafiliwn Brighton a Phalas Blenheim. Bu farw llawer o nyrsys yn ystod y rhyfel, naill ai o anafiadau neu afiechyd. Derbyniodd llawer fedalau anrhydedd. Darllenodd Rosemary ddarn teimladwy o 'The Roses of No Man's Land' gan Lyn MacDonald a oedd yn disgrifio'r amodau yr oedd y nyrsys yn byw ac yn gweithio oddi tanynt.