Performing Arts students at Gower College Swansea have been marking the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War with a very moving performance of a devised piece of physical theatre, performed at the college’s Theatr Einon on the Gorseinon campus. The production, which incorporated dance, dialogue and music, was sponsored by The Royal British Legion.
Julie Hobday, the Curriculum Leader for Dance, outlined the research which led to the creation of this new work: “The students have been fully engaged in the process and were fortunate to be able to visit some of the WWI memorial sites in France and Belgium. It was an incredible experience and has helped the students identify the importance of remembering the men and women who were involved in WWI, whilst also giving them a sense of the scale of the event and the loss of life.”
The 'Last Post' service at the Menin Gate in Ypres was incredibly moving; with more than 54,000 names, it is the second largest memorial to the missing Commonwealth servicemen with no known grave. In the words of Field Marshal Plumer, pronounced during the unveiling of the monument: "He is not missing: he is here!” In January 1919, Churchill said "I would like to acquire the whole of the ruins of Ypres.....a more sacred place for the British race does not exist in the world.”
Memetz Wood, where the Welsh Memorial is located, also left a deep impression. The Welsh division attacked on 7th July and by the 11th July - when they occupied the wood - they had lost 4,000 men. The Welsh dragon marks the spot from which the soldiers advanced.
Julie Hobday concluded: “It was a visit that will certainly remain with the students, and staff, for the rest of their lives and I am sure they will always pay their respects on our national Remembrance Day.”