Thoughts on Remembrance Sunday

This weekend we observe Remembrance Sunday in the centenary year of the outbreak of the First World War. In the burial ground at the rear of our church there is a war grave, housing the remains of Private Samuel Fletcher, who died in 1915, and was buried on Christmas Day that year (I have found details from contemporary records online that state he died 21st December rather that November).

 Sam was born in Pontypridd and had been living in Ystradgynlais near Swansea when he was called up at the advanced age of 46 or 47 to serve in the Royal Army Medical Corps (he was apparently a stalwart of the local St. Johns Ambulance Brigade). He was sent to Aldershot for training, and was on the verge of departing for the war in France when he suffered a fatal asthma attack. One wonders if this was brought on by the anxiety of his situation, and also what the authorities were thinking to call someone up who probably had a pre-existing medical condition. It seems a terrible waste of life, that left his wife with six children, the younger of whom would have been dependent, but then one is reminded that there was so many lives unnecessarily sacrificed in that war.

We may wonder why Sam was interred in Lydbrook. This was at the request of his widowed mother, who lived in Lydbrook (though was not well enough to attend the funeral, at which the Rev. Mostyn Jones officiated). Obviously the family had lived in Lydbrook for many years, with a number of Sam's children being born here, and must have worshipped at our church. Sam had worked in the tin plate works in Ystradgynlais prior to being called up, so we may surmise that he worked in the tin plate works at Lydbrook while living here.

This Sunday as we make our act of remembrance we will remember Sam, one of so many men who lost their lives due to the conflict with Germany, one of so many who have lost their lives in wars since then. We remember in the hope that we will learn peace one day.