WW1 Poetry by Sarah Davies from Pencader

Description

Sarah Davies from Pencader, Carmarthenshire (a teenager at the time) wrote this poem 'Bechgyn Bach Pencader' ('The boys of Pencader') which names over 30 local men who were fighting in the First World War. Some of the writing is rather graphic, eg. 'A Tommy Pantygravel / Sydd heddyw dan ei graith / 'Rol bod draw yn y trenches / Yn gwneyd gorchestion waith / Fe laddodd Tom o'r Germans / Do ddegau meddent hwy / Os nol yr aiff e eto fe ladda lawer mwy' 'And Tommy Pantygravel / Is today scarred / After being in the trenches / Performing great deeds / Tom killed the Germans / Yes, tens of them, they say / If he goes back again he will kill many more' Other lines are more humorous, eg. 'O druan bach a'r Kaiser / Cwynfanus fydd ei gan / Pan gwel ef Dai y felin / A'i ddryll yn dod un mlaen' 'Oh the poor Kaiser / His song will be mournful / When he will see Dai the Mill / Advancing with his gun' The whole is steeped in patriotic fervour, eg. 'Mae bleser imi enwi / Lieutenant Jones Pantglas / Yn bennaeth ar ei gatrawd / Mae ef yn mynd i mas / Yn llawn o waed y Brython / Heb ofni'r shots na'r shells / I wneythur stroke anfarwol / Draw yn y Dardanelles' 'It is a pleasure for me to name / Lieutenant Jones Pantglas / As head of his regiment / He is going out / Full of the blood of the Britons / Without fearing the shots nor the shells / To strike an immortal blow / Over in the Dardanelles'

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