This past week has been dominated, of course, by Remembrance Sunday. A few months back I received an email from Martin French and a set of photographs taken of Pembroke's war memorial when it was unveiled in 1924, two of which are printed here. I expect there will be photographs in the paper of Remembrance Sunday, but I thought it would interest you to see a photograph of the very first service here.

Martin told me that he was born in Portsmouth, to where his maternal grandfather, Charles Norton Thomas, moved seeking work in 1925 when Pembroke Dockyard was closing. In Portsmouth, he became involved in local politics though. Martin told me, he was always interested in politics 'often discussing things with the local MP who lived in the 'big house' opposite them on Pembroke Main Street'. As well as his interest in politics, Charles was also an amateur photographer and Martin has inherited a set of his glass negatives. He added, would we be interested in copies? I replied 'yes please'; we welcome all contributions, photographs of Pembroke, its past events and activities which we can add to our archive.

Historical note: I contacted Keith Johnson, local historian and editor of 'Pembrokeshire Life' magazine, to find out more about Pembroke's fine War Memorial. Keith told me it is a replica of the national cenotaph at Whitehall made locally by T.W. Colley & Sons and was built of silver-grey granite at a cost of £500. Sir Frederick Meyrick of Bush donated the plot of land to the Pembroke Corporation for the siting of the memorial, on which were inscribed the names of the 87 local men who died in the First World War. The service was led by Canon David Bowen of Monkton, and the cenotaph unveiled by General Sir Francis Lloyd, first commander of the Welsh Territorial Division.

POIGNANT TALK

Our talk tonight (Friday) is of a poignant nature and appropriate to the times - 'Stories behind some military headstones', by Owen Vaughan, at Monkton Priory Church Hall.