Dyfed Willa Rose, who became Major Juno and the first mare to serve as a Household Cavalry Drum Horse, was laid to rest at the farm where she was born

A PIONEERING Pembrokeshire horse who made military history has been laid to rest at the farm where she was born following an emotional final homecoming.

Dyfed Willa Rose, who served with the Household Cavalry under the name Major Juno, became the first mare in history to take on the prestigious role of Drum Horse.

Family members, friends, soldiers and admirers gathered at Dyfed Shire Horse Farm to remember a horse whose journey took her from the fields beneath the Preseli Hills to the heart of major state and military ceremonies in London.

Born at the farm on May 10, 2013, Willa Rose left Pembrokeshire in 2021 to begin an intensive period of training with the Household Cavalry.

After two years of preparation, she qualified for one of the most demanding and recognisable equine roles in the British Army.

Drum horses lead military bands while carrying two large silver kettledrums, together with the weight of their rider and ceremonial equipment.

The role requires not only exceptional size and strength, but also a calm and dependable temperament. The horses must remain composed while surrounded by crowds, marching troops, music, traffic and the noise of major ceremonial occasions.

Willa Rose’s successful appointment saw her become Major Juno, the first mare to serve as a Household Cavalry Drum Horse.

Her historic achievement challenged a long-established tradition and secured her place in British military and equestrian history.

For her final journey, her cremated remains were brought back from London to Dyfed Shire Horse Farm.

The farm thanked Corporal of Horse James Harvard and the Household Cavalry team for bringing Juno home, alongside her former companion Major Perseus, who helped guide her on the last stage of her journey.

A memorial service was held in the farmyard and was introduced by Huw Carnhuan Murphy.

The service was led by Minister Sian Elin Thomas, with a eulogy celebrating Willa Rose’s life and achievements delivered by Mark Cole.

Her remains were then placed in a horse-drawn carriage pulled by her daughter, Morgana, for a final procession through the farm.

Those present described a striking silence as the carriage made its way towards the place where Willa Rose would be laid to rest.

According to an account of the ceremony shared by Whitestone Media Group, horses appeared at their stable doors and gathered along the edges of surrounding fields as the procession passed.

Willa Rose was laid to rest beneath the Preseli Hills alongside her uncle, Celt Mercury Drumhorse, and her grandmother, Dyfed Countess.

Her grandson was also present at the farm during the ceremony, providing a reminder of the bloodline and legacy she leaves behind.

In a poignant coincidence, another young horse from Dyfed Shire Horse Farm was due to be collected on the same day to begin its own journey with the Household Cavalry and start training towards becoming a Drum Horse.

The farm said the occasion had been filled with grief, emotion and immense pride in a mare whose achievements were recognised far beyond Pembrokeshire.

A tribute shared by Dyfed Shire Horse Farm said: “It was with great emotion and pride that the family, with friends from near and far, welcomed home one final time our Dyfed Willa Rose to lay her to rest on the farm of her birth.”

The farm added: “A day full of emotion, but of pride for a horse that broke the glass ceiling as the first ever mare to make Drum Horse in the Household Cavalry.

“She is now with the stars that will look down upon her from those old hills, and she will be remembered forever with love and affection both here in Pembrokeshire and, indeed, all around the world.”

Thanks were also offered to Karen Gott and Julie Davies for photographing the memorial and Willa Rose’s final journey.

Whitestone Media Group described her homecoming as the completion of an extraordinary journey which had begun in the same Pembrokeshire fields 13 years earlier.

Its tribute concluded: “Rest easy, Major Juno. You marched into history, and today, you came home.”

Cysga’n dawel, Willa Rose.

The 25-year-old from Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr has been described as a dearly loved son, brother and grandson whose death will leave a huge void in his community

THE family of a 25-year-old man who died at a campsite near the Royal Welsh Showground have paid a moving tribute to their “beloved and dear” son, brother and grandson.

Dewi Aeron Evans, from Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr, near Corwen, died following a medical emergency at Penmaenau Farm, Llanelwedd, on Saturday night (July 18).

Emergency services were called to the campsite at around 10.30pm. Despite the efforts of paramedics, Dewi was pronounced dead at the scene.

In a statement released through Dyfed-Powys Police, his family said: “Dewi Aeron Evans, a beloved and dear son, brother and grandson, will be a huge loss to the family and community in Uwchaled.

“The family and community would appreciate privacy at this difficult time.”

Dewi came from the close-knit rural community of Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr, which forms part of the Uwchaled area of southern Conwy.

The community lies near Cerrigydrudion and Corwen, and news of his death has brought sadness to the area where he lived and was known.

Dyfed-Powys Police said the death was continuing to be treated as unexplained.

Three men were arrested on suspicion of drug-related offences following the incident. Police have not said that the arrests establish the cause of Dewi’s death, and enquiries into the circumstances remain ongoing.

Temporary Chief Superintendent Steve Davies described the incident as tragic and said officers’ thoughts remained with Dewi’s family.

He also reassured visitors and residents that it was being treated as an isolated incident, with no evidence of an ongoing risk to the wider public.

The incident happened at Penmaenau Farm, a privately operated campsite immediately beside the Royal Welsh Showground, as thousands of visitors were arriving in the area ahead of the four-day Royal Welsh Show.

The show itself opened on Monday morning and is continuing as scheduled.

The Royal Welsh Agricultural Society said it was deeply saddened by the death and that its thoughts were with Dewi’s family, friends and everyone affected.

The society said it would continue supporting the police investigation and was working with members of the Builth Wells Event Safety Group to provide medical, welfare and safety support throughout the event.

Police have asked that Dewi’s family and the Uwchaled community be allowed privacy as they come to terms with their loss.

Battle scenes, cavalry displays and a surrender procession brought one of Pembrokeshire’s most extraordinary stories back to the streets

MUSKET fire, mounted soldiers and marching French troops transformed Fishguard and Goodwick at the weekend as Britain’s last invasion was brought dramatically back to life.

Visitors gathered across the twin towns on Saturday and Sunday (July 18 and 19) for a large-scale re-enactment of the failed French invasion of 1797, the last occasion on which a hostile foreign army landed on mainland Britain.

The free two-day event featured living-history camps, military demonstrations, cavalry displays and staged fighting before reaching its climax with the surrender of the invading French force.

Costumed soldiers representing the French and British armies established military camps where visitors could see the clothing, equipment and living conditions experienced by troops at the end of the eighteenth century.

The action then moved to Goodwick’s foreshore, where mounted displays were followed by a recreation of the fighting which took place after the French landed on the north Pembrokeshire coast.

The defeated French forces later formed a procession through Fishguard, recreating their march into the town before the surrender negotiations associated with the historic Royal Oak.

The pub, which still stands on Fishguard Square, served as the headquarters of the British commander Lord Cawdor during the invasion and remains one of the most important surviving locations connected to the story.

The weekend marked 229 years since around 1,400 French troops landed beneath the cliffs at Carreg Wastad Point, near Llanwnda, on February 22, 1797.

Led by the Irish-American Colonel William Tate, the force had crossed the sea as part of a wider French Revolutionary plan to undermine Britain and encourage an uprising against the government.

Many of the troops belonged to the Légion Noire, or Black Legion, so called because of the dark uniforms they wore.

The French expected to receive support from the local population. Instead, their arrival caused alarm across Pembrokeshire as news of the landing spread through Fishguard, St Davids, Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, Pembroke and the surrounding countryside.

Residents armed themselves with whatever was available, while militia, sailors, volunteers and cavalry began assembling to confront the invaders.

The French operation soon descended into disorder.

Some soldiers left their positions to search local farms and homes for food and drink, while others abandoned their units altogether. The ships which had carried them to Pembrokeshire also departed, leaving Tate and his men without an easy means of escape.

British forces were gathered under Lord Cawdor, who established his headquarters at the Royal Oak after marching north with local volunteers, militia, sailors and members of the Pembroke Yeomanry Cavalry.

The gathering of troops and civilians on the hills surrounding Fishguard may have created the impression that the defending force was far larger than it really was.

According to one of the best-known versions of the story, local women wearing traditional red shawls and tall black hats were mistaken by the French for additional British soldiers.

The tale has become deeply woven into Fishguard folklore, although historians continue to debate exactly how much influence the women’s appearance had on Tate’s decision to surrender.

Another central figure in the story is Jemima Nicholas, remembered in Fishguard as Jemima Fawr, or Jemima the Great.

Tradition holds that Jemima armed herself with a pitchfork, confronted a group of French soldiers and marched 12 of them back into Fishguard, where they were confined inside St Mary’s Church.

Although the precise details cannot be fully verified through contemporary records, Jemima became a celebrated symbol of the courage and determination shown by local people during the invasion.

Her story featured prominently during the weekend’s re-enactment, which included a recreation of the French surrender to local forces and Jemima Nicholas.

By the evening of February 23, 1797, Tate’s position had become increasingly desperate.

Two French officers were sent into Fishguard seeking terms, but Lord Cawdor refused to accept a conditional agreement. He demanded the complete and unconditional surrender of the invasion force.

The following day, the French marched down towards Goodwick Sands, laid down their weapons and became prisoners.

The campaign had lasted little more than two days.

Despite its short duration, the invasion secured Fishguard’s place in British military history and created a story which continues to shape the identity of the town more than two centuries later.

That history is permanently recorded in the Last Invasion Tapestry, housed inside Fishguard Town Hall.

Created to commemorate the bicentenary of the invasion in 1997, the 100-foot embroidered work depicts the French landing, the response of local people and the eventual surrender.

Its narrative style was inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, with dozens of local volunteers spending several years creating a detailed visual record of the invasion.

Visitors attending the re-enactment were also encouraged to explore the wider history of Fishguard and Goodwick through a heritage trail linking 46 locations across the twin towns.

The trail covers more than 2,000 years of history, ranging from Iron Age settlement and the French invasion to the suffragette movement and the filming of the 1956 screen adaptation of Moby Dick.

For Fishguard and Goodwick, the re-enactment is more than a military display.

It gives residents and visitors an opportunity to walk through the locations where the events unfolded, see the uniforms and weapons of the period and understand the role played by ordinary Pembrokeshire people.

It also ensures that the history is passed to a new generation in a form which is immediate, accessible and entertaining.

More than two centuries after Tate’s army appeared off the Pembrokeshire coast, the sight of French troops marching through Fishguard once again showed why the last invasion remains one of the county’s most remarkable and enduring stories.