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Swansea Museum Collection

Document, National Service (Armed Forces) Act, 1939. Personal documents of Mr Thomas William Howells. Letter from the Ministry of Labour and National Service. Required to submit for medical examination 24th November 1939 YMCA Buildings, St Helen’s Road, Swansea.

During WW1 the building was eventually entirely taken over for use as a hospital.  In WW2, much of the building was also being used by the military and the Ministry of Labour.

Recruitment offices were in the building for the various armed forces. On receiving your call up papers, it was to report to Swansea YMCA for your medical and processing. An entire generation of young men in Swansea would have visited the building for their medical including the dreaded drop and cough. In fact even post war the building was still being used for National Service call processing and medical until around 1948.

Swansea Museum continues to collect objects to record the history and heritage of Swansea and its people. The collecting policy is quite strict, the object must be related to Swansea and preferably has a story to tell. WW2 remains a period of great interest. The museum has a significant collection of objects from WW2 and very often the story of that object started at the YMCA.

Swansea Museum Collection

Dance card, ink on card. Dance card for the V.A.D. 88 Glamorgan dance at the YMCA hospital on March the 25th, 1919. Inside has a list of songs and dances and a list for where gentlemen can write their names to claim Ethel Howard for a dance. There is a pale blue string attached to the bottom of the card with a miniature green pencil on the end. The string would have also allowed the card to hang from the lady’s wrist while she danced. Decorative edge to the card.

Swansea Museum Collection contains several dance cards. This example SM 1985.157.21, is for a dance held on the 25^th March 1919, at the YMCA Red Cross Hospital, Voluntary Aid Detachment No 88 Glamorgan. The dance was held just a week before the building was handed back to the YMCA.

The YMCA new building on the Kingsway had only just opened in October 1913 and within a year the Red Cross were taking it over for use as a hospital.  As casualties mounted they eventually took over the entire building and the YMCA moved to St Andrews on St Helen’s Road, now Swansea Mosque.

Dance cards would soon go out of fashion but in essence it was a list of the different dances tunes that would be played that evening with a pencil attached.  Gentlemen could then approach the lady, request a particular dance and the woman would be able to remember by writing his name alongside the dance requested.

Dance cards originated in the 18^th century and become widespread in the 19^th century after they become fashionable in Vienna. Soon after this particular example, they pretty much were consigned to history. By WW2 the United States Army Air Force had taken the term dance card and instead applied it to a written card detailing their bombing mission plans.

The dance took place at the YMCA Hospital in March 1919 and Miss Howard was popular.  The dance list inside is full.

The tragedy of the Great War had resulted in changes to society in the 1920s with people more keen to live life.  Fashion changed and new dances like the Charleston become popular.  Swansea YMCA where the dance was held in 1919 but under the auspices of the Red Cross found itself trying to adapt to this new world but not without a struggle. A year later the Ladies Auxiliary were looking to organise social events and dancing as part of their funding efforts for the YMCA.

The Executive Committee minutes (YMCA Board of Management) dated 18^th October 1920 gives a fascinating insight to that struggle.  The Ladies Auxiliary for the YMCA (support group primarily raising funds for the charity) had requested permission to hold social evenings during the winter in order to raise funds.  The minutes are handwritten but obviously this caused quite a debate at the meeting and the minute taker obviously gave up and typed up the section later and glued in the final agreed position.  The minute is worth repeating in full:

“That the request of the Ladies Auxiliary for permission to hold social evenings during the winter be cordially acceded to on the following conditions:

1. That the closing time be no later than 10.30pm.
2. That no card playing be permitted.
3. That with regard to the question of dancing, this executive realises that the war service of the YMCA has opened out new and wider avenues of social service, and is desirous of meeting all legitimate and reasonable demands for recreation and amusement on the part of its members, but is bound at this juncture to reserve its judgement as to the desirability of allowing dances on the premises.
4. The executive committee is prepared however as an experiment for its future guidance to sanction with the above request, on the understanding that if dancing takes place, it shall be of an informal character and not be advertised and made a special feature of the gatherings, and further the executive looks with confidence to the Ladies Auxiliary to exercise such supervision in the conduct of these social parties as shall preclude anything arising which shall in any way reflect upon or be detrimental to the spiritual work of the association.  Such work being its chief aim and purpose”.

So dances were permitted on the understanding that they would not be advertised as dances.  A very British compromise indeed.

However when you read the minutes through the 1920s and 1930s the issue continues to be an area of controversy, which arose a number of times.

Another area of controversy would be whist drives, which would also eventually become a means of fundraising for the organisation.

Swansea Museum Collection

Book, ink on paper, dark green leather cover with the word ‘Album’ in gold lettering. An autograph book from World War 1, belonging to Esther Florence Davies (known as ‘Hettie’) who worked as a ‘VAD’ (Voluntary Aid Detachment) nurse. When she first started volunteering nursing she would feed and wash the patients, later becoming a cook in the kitchen with the 88th Red Cross Hospital Detachment based in the YMCA building, in St Helens Road, Swansea, during the First World War from 1916-1919. The inscription on the front page reads ‘Esther Florence Davies, Llwyn Helyg, (Sketty) Swansea, 1916. In this small autograph album ‘Hettie’ has collected messages, poems and drawings from the soldiers at the YMCA hospital in Swansea. In the beginning of the book on page one is a poem hand written by ‘Hettie’ called ‘My Song’, which is about her love of singing. Her daughter, the donor wrote ‘My mother had a magnificent contralto voice and sang to the troops with a choir, it would explain the first page in the album.’

The autograph book was donated fairly recently and research into those who signed it is still ongoing.

By May 1917 the Red Cross had taken over the entire building. YMCA Swansea was involved in various support roles providing canteens for soldiers, first at the building and then subsequently from St Andrews Church.  There were also canteens at Kings Dock and High St Station for troops on the move.  Like all YMCA’s the main role was supporting frontline troops through the provision of YMCA huts close to the frontline. Funds would be raised and sent to the national body for distribution.

A number also volunteered at the hospitals.  The Ladies Auxiliary of YMCA Swansea were actively involved in all of the above. They also actively involved in providing support at the various hospitals in Swansea including organising entertainment. It is possible that Esther if not a member may have been the daughter of a member of the auxiliary or someone else involved with the YMCA.

The book is signed by a number patients. Some sign with just brief details such as number and regiment, whilst others include poems and drawings.

An example on page seven of the album, an injured soldier has written his name, number, rank and regiment, a Private J. Coleshill, 14684, 8th Bath East

Surreys Regiment.

He writes he had sustained a wound on his left shoulder from fighting near Montauban, 1st July, 1916. The page is dated ‘Jan 1st 1917, YMCA.’

Private Coleshill was injured on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, Northern France.

The casualty numbers involved in WW1 can be difficult to get your head around. The British Army lost just under 20,000 killed on the 1^st July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme. 20,000 is a full Liberty Stadium.  Private Coleshill was one of the 40,000 wounded on the 1^st July.

The battle of the Somme would go on for several months. The Welsh Division, including the Swansea Battalion would enter into the battle several days later attempting to take Mametz Wood, again with heavy casualties.

Some of the injured and who were treated at the YMCA hospital would have been discharged, but most probably returned to active duty.  It is therefore inevitable that some would later make the ultimate sacrifice.

Private Alexander John Bean from Dover signed the book on the 15^th December 1916 stating “wounded 1^st September 1916 in Delville Wood, 3^rd Battalion, the Buffs.

He died aged 20 at Passchendaele in October 1917.

Sapper, William Darlington 145640 signed, “212 Field Coy Royal Engineers, wounded in left thigh at High Wood on the Somme”.

The Casualty form indicates he was admitted to the Red Cross Hospital, Swansea on the 23^rd August-1916 and discharged on the 23^rd November 1916.  He was killed on 24 November 1917.

Some of the entries are far more detailed and include poems and sketches.

Private Burton of the Machine Gun Corps wrote “Wounded 4th time on the Somme, March 25^th 1918. With all good wishes to Nurse Davies” along with a sketch of a bird and the following poem.

The Gunner smiled as his breachblock closed,

His arm was steady, his grip was tight;

The Gunner smiled, and his face beamed bright

In the twilight flush of an autumn night.

Silent columns of moving men

Moved to a point in a neighbouring glen,

And the Gunner smiled.

The Gunner smiled as his gun spoke loud,

With deafening crash and darkening cloud;

The Gunner smiled as the darkness fell,

Smiled at the wreck of shot and shell.

The Gunner smiled with firm fixed eye

In the field of death, where brave men die.

Then he sank down slowly beside his gun,

And smiled, though his cause was nearly run;

Though his heart beat faint in his wounded breast,

The Gunner smiled as he went Out West.

Private J C Dennehy from Australia, signed his name along with the following short poem.

“Here’s to corn beef when your hungry

Whisky when your dry

Five pounds when busted

Heaven when you die”

Private Dennehy, was also killed five months later in October 1916.

Swansea Museum Collection

Black and white photograph and postcard showing an internal view of one of the wards at the converted Swansea YMCA taken circa 1918. Nurses and patients are clearly visible. Gelatine paper print.

The photograph is the gymnasium, (now Dojo) which is above the Llewelyn Hall Theatre.  The new building opened in October 1913 and within a year the 1^st WW has started.

There are a number of photographs by Chapman the High St photographer of patients and nurses at the hospital. It would appear that a few of his daughters were Red Cross volunteers and a son who was serving in the army, was a member of the YMCA.

An excellent book, Swansea in the Great War by Bernard Lewis has a detailed chapter on the medical provision in Swansea and contains another photograph by Chapman of the staff and patients on the roof of the building.

On the outbreak of war, the Swansea Red Cross Division began the search for suitable accommodation to convert to hospitals.  Early in the search in October 1914 they looked at both Sketty Church Hall and Llewelyn Hall (the YMCA theatre).

Heavy casualties suffered by the British Expeditionary Force in the early months of the war hastened efforts to find suitable premises as hospitals would be required sooner rather than later. It was also becoming clear that more than three Red Cross Volunteer Aid Detachments (VADs) would be required.

VAD 88 was based at Llewellyn Hall and received their first patients on the 3^rd December 1914.  With increasing number of casualties Parc Wern was also opened in 1915.

The Red Cross continued to search for a suitable single building as casualties mounted.  In the meantime a further ten beds were installed at the YMCA.

A special committee was appointed to look at a suggestion by Mrs Elswoth of the Red Cross that a hospital of eighty beds could be run if the whole of the YMCA was taken over.  However as Parc Wern had recently opened the project to take over the whole of the YMCA was put to one side. 

However by early 1917 with no end of the war in sight, a decision was taken to take over the building entirely.  In May 1917 the hospital was fully ready with 140 beds. A year later it had received a total 658 patients as compared to 308 in the previous two years.

The YMCA moved out of the building and down St Helen’s Road to St Andrews Church, now Swansea Mosque.

During the 4 years it was open 1443 patients were treated there.  This included 32 survivors from a hospital ship the Rewa who were landed at Swansea after being torpedoed in the Bristol Channel.

One of the nurses who worked at the YMCA hospital was Mary Morgan nee Corfield. An oral history interview was conducted with her in the 1980s and the tape is part of Swansea Museum Collection (oral history interview SM 1991.11.1.)

She describes how during the war the YMCA played an important support role providing soldiers with food and drink and paper and envelopes for writing. She trained as a nurse and then went to work at the YMCA where the shifts would be 6am till 2pm and then 6pm to 10pm.  Most of the casualties were transferred by sea to Cardiff and then onto Swansea.  Mary remembered that patients arrived with terrible injuries.  Despite the terrible injuries Mary enjoyed her work as a nurse and would have liked to pursue a career in nursing.  However her father put an end to her nursing career as soon as the war was over.

The YMCA Hospital was not for walking wounded or convalescence purposes. It is therefore quite remarkable that only one patient is recorded as dying there.  A second casualty who died is unidentified but was a local man and therefore was allowed to go home.  The one patient who died at the hospital was Lance Corporal Gordon Rankin Inglis, an Australian, wounded at Gallipoli.

At the end of March 1919, the hospital was closed and the building handed back to the YMCA.  It was not the end of the relationship as the Red Cross rented a club room in the building in partnership with the Royal College of Nurses (RCN).  This arrangement continued until the mid-1930s at which point they rented a room at 122 Walter Rd due to the unsatisfactory heating arrangements at the YMCA.