Swansea Family History

Soldiers "Going Over The Top" Somme, 1 July 1916 Scenes staged for a newsreel film of the Battle   1 st July 2021 marks the 105 th anniversary of the first day of the Battle of the Somme , 1 st July 1916 . The First Day of the Battle of the Somme , was the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army.   The Army suffered 57,470 casualties, of whom 19,240 were fatalities.   By the end of the day the army had just only gained three square miles of territory. The Somme Campaign  a joint campaign between the British and the French , it was breaking the deadlock on the Western Front.   Before the first day, there was a weeklong artillery bombardment, which was intended to break the German barbed wire and to destroy defences.   British objectives, Somme, 1 July 1916 The British front of attack was from Serre in the north to near Montauban in the south.   Many of the battalions notable Pals Battalions that were to see action that day, compris...

 Friday evening, Andrew Marr, returned on Channel 5, with his program, Great Paintings of the World.   In this episode, it was about Monet’s Water Lilies.  The Water Lilies are a series of 250 paintings, depicting the flower garden in his home in Giverny. The work started during 1899 and would be Monte’s last major piece of working lasting the last 30 years of his life.  Monte, died 1926. These pieces of art are located all over the world.   The closet one in Wales, are 3 pieces along with a further 7 Monte pieces on display in the National Museum & Galleries of Wales, Cardiff. Monet’s  Water Lilies National Museum & Galleries of Wales, Cardiff Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Alexandra Road, Swansea However, The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Alexandra Road, has the one piece painted by Monte, Bateaux en Hollande, pres de Zaandam . Since the Glynn Vivian was first established in 1911.   It has been helped by art legacies. Richard Glynn Vivian by Pf...

  July 2017, I wrote an article, published in the Bay Magazine, about the foundation of modern dentistry.   1728, French Fauchard, the “ father of modern dentistry ”, published his scientific book, La Chirugien Dentiste (“The Surgeon Dentist”).   The two-volume book describes basic oral anatomy and function, signs and symptoms of oral pathology, operative methods for removing decay and restoring teeth, periodontal disease, orthodontics, replacement of missing teeth and tooth transplantation. Thomas Rowlandson During the 18 th century, English artist Thomas Rowlandson’s painted “Transporting of Teeth” , 1787. The central scene shows a fashionably attired dentist removing a tooth from a poor chimney-sweep with a tooth key. An aristocratic lady, who is to receive the tooth, watches with apprehension. She resorts to her smelling salts, to overcome the smell of the sweep. 1780 also saw the introduction false teeth, which made mainly out of ivory (elephant, walrus or pref...

 The second blog about D-Day Men of the American 16th Infantry Regiment , 1st Infantry Division  wading ashore on Omaha Beach  on the morning of 6 June 1944 Wilhelm Richter Edgar Feuchtinger The last blog, Major Schmidt, has been taken prisoner.   Meanwhile, the German commander Generalleutnant Wilhelm Richter, was informed of the parachute landing and that the bridges had been captured.   Ricther, had ordered the 21 st Panzer Division under the command of Generalmajor Edgar Feuchtinger to attack the landing areas.   However, Panzer division could only be moved from instructions from Adolf Hitler. His staff had to wake him. Panzer IV similar to the one destroyed at the Caen Canal Bridge The closet the Germans got to the canal bridge was the 192 nd Panzergreadier Regiment, 2 nd Battalion who were based at Cairon.   They were given orders from Feuchtinger to recapture the bridge. At 2.00 the battalion heading for the bridge from the west,   w...

  THE  SUEZ  CRISIS Low level over Salisbury Plain. When Bill began his service in the Parachute Regiment they didn’t use reserve parachutes – it wasn’t until 1956 that these came into use In our August/September issue Bay’s family history contributor  Charles Wilson Watkins,  requested that any readers with information on the  Suez  crisis of 1956 to get in touch. WILLIAM EVANS of Brynmill contacted us to say that he had been involved and even enclosed some photographs that he had taken at the time.  Charles  and all at Bay would like to thank Mr EVANS or as he is known to his friends, BILL for taking the time to give us such a detailed account of his part in this historic event. Re: Bay issue 94  where you asked for some info on the  Suez  operation, Op Musketeer. I became an ‘airborne’ soldier in 1953 at the grand young age of 18, carrying out the various duties of  a Parachute soldier until January 1956, then everythin...