Community

VC Gallery learn ‘Realities of War’

Published

9 years ago

May 18, 2017

The VC Gallery with Pembrokeshire College: At The Military Cemetery

MEMBERS of The VC Gallery attended Pembroke Dock’s Military Cemetery along with students from Pembrokeshire College on Wednesday (May 17), to learn more about the soldiers buried there as part of a project called ‘Realities of War’.

The group were given names on a piece of paper, and then had to find the graves of the people listed. A photography competition was also held, in order to create something beautiful and peaceful.

The Herald spoke to the founder of The VC Gallery, Barry John MBE, who said that the project encompasses photography and art, to be able to get a ‘flavour’ of the loss that pembrokeshire felt during the war.

He said: “We’ve got a huge mix of both veterans of all different ages, as well as young students who are going off to start their careers, and everyone’s got tasks to be able to find and allocate a male or female soldier, or a navy personnel who has died in the firsty or second world war.”

The Herald asked Mr John if he felt it is important that people understand the history of the First and Second World Wars. He said: “It’s so important. Every year we do an art remembrance exhibition and it’s because we want to keep memories alive, and help people understand sacrifice, selflessness, as well as what we have done as a country to provide to war effort.”

The Herald also spoke to Michael Warley from Pembrokeshire College. He said: “We’re working alongside The VC Gallery to help us understand the realities of war, alongside learning about the military history of the area.

“It’s mainly to aid us for our military training. We have exercises in Normandy and Belgium to help us come to terms with the realities fo the job we will eventually be going into, and the realties of conflict itself.

“This project with The VC Gallery is very important and beneficial to the students it supports.”

When asked if he thought people don’t fully understand what happens when people join the army, he said: “To an extent, but with projects like this – visiting memorials and graves – people who may not understand why people join the army or not understand the risks, can come to terms and understand what happens with the job we will do, the sacrifices, the benefits, and the opportunities that open up alongisde the risks.”

Mr John added: “I feel that understanding history before you join gives you a really good balance before you actually take on that job role. The retention of young people going into different job roles within the armed forces, understanding about where they’ve come from, what they’re going to do, and having an understanding about conflict and history and what they’re going to do is really beneficial to them and their families.”

After the students and veterans had a photography competition among themselves, the group were given a tour around the cemetery, and informed of what each person died of. And, interestingly, not everybody there had died whilst in conflict.

Mr John said: “There were so many war casualties that got discharged from the army because of gas attacks, it went into their lungs and they suffered with severe chest injuries. They came home and came back to the local hospitals or went home to their parents or their wives, and they died and were put into unmarked graves or family plots.”

He explained that this represents that they did in fact contributed to the war effort and they suffer terribly, but didn’t die during conflict and instead came back home.

He said: “All of Great Britain has a massive percentage of unregistered war heroes. There were lot of bombs and casualties, and they couldn’t identify people, but in some cases they didn’t know. But, if they did, they would write it in a diary and make a note of it, but unfortunately the people making the notes sometimes died as well, so the information never made it back home.”

The information about the people who had died had come from a relative of Mr John’s, who had received an intriguing family heirloom, that inspired him to start a project that looked into the lives of those who had died.

Mr John said: “A lot of our reference material that we use is derived from a project called the West Wales Memorial Project, set up many years ago by a relative of mine. He got the inspiration because he was given a family heriloom, which was a Bible with a hole in it.

“It was given to keep a soldier safe during the war. This young man went off to Mamets Wood, where 3,000 Welshmen died taking their position, and this young Haverfordwest soldier put the family Bible across his heart.

“But, the snipers were very good at shooting directly into the heart, so as he approached Mamets, he got shot straight through the Bible and straight into his heart. When my relative was given the Bible, he found out a lot about this story, and it sent him on a path to find information about every single soldier or navel personnel that had died within west Wales – he’s covered every single site!”

If you would like to keep up to date with The VC Gallery, you can do so by visiting www.thevcgallery.com

Business

Maenclochog care home turned down after community concerns

Published

2 hours ago

May 25, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CARE HOME scheme for a Pembrokeshire village, which saw objections from the local community council after youngsters had ‘absconded’ from similar sites locally, will need a formal application, planners have said.

In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, Future Nest Care Ltd, through agent Evans Banks Planning Limited, sought a certificate of lawfulness to allow the use of dwelling house Brynawel, Maenclochog as a care home for two youngsters between the ages of five and 16 with specific needs.

A supporting statement said the youngsters would be supported by three qualified and experienced staff members during the day and two at night; the certificate of lawfulness application made to establish that formal planning permission is not required to use an existing two-storey detached dwellinghouse into a residential care facility to accommodate two children, supervised 24/7 by staff.

It added: “The proposed use is designed to provide a safe, nurturing, and family-style environment to help the young residents develop essential life skills and prepare for independent living. The residing youngsters will attend local schools or colleges and participate in community life, in the same manner as any young person living in a traditional family home.

“The qualified and experienced staff will prepare those children for their re-introduction back into a life without supervised care. The residing youngsters would attend the local school or further education college, as would any youngster under 18 living in a family home.”

However, Maenclochog Community Council objected to the proposals after residents expressed their concerns.

In its objection, it said: “This proposal has raised significant concern within the village, particularly as there are already multiple provisions for similar accommodation on the outskirts of Maenclochog.

“In the past, young people accommodated at these facilities have frequently absconded, leading to repeated searches across the surrounding area. This history heightens local anxiety regarding the introduction of further such provision within the village.”

It added: “Neighbouring residents have not been consulted regarding the proposed change of use, which has led to unease and a lack of confidence in the applicants’ intentions and in the suitability of the site for this form of development.”

It went on to say: “Before any decision is made, Maenclochog Community Council strongly believes that local residents should be afforded the opportunity of a public consultation. While the proposal may represent an economic decision for the property owners, it has wider implications for the village and its residents.”

An officer report recommended refusal of the certificate of lawfulness, concluding that “a material change of use would occur in relation to the proposed use of the site and as a result a certificate of proposed lawful use cannot be granted”.

In refusing the lawfulness call, planners said “the frequency of staff changes and the number of vehicle movements associated with the proposed use of the property would be materially different to those associated with its lawful use as a dwelling,” the material change of use to a care home requiring a formal planning application.

Community

Pembroke Fair praised as well-organised community event

Published

21 hours ago

May 24, 2026

Tom Sinclair

HORSES, STALLS AND FAMILY CROWDS RETURN TO MONKTON

FAMILIES, horse owners and visitors turned out in force for Pembroke Fair on Saturday (May 23), with many praising the event as one of the best organised in recent years.

Held at the Community Centre Field in Monkton, the annual fair brought together horse owners, traders and local families for a traditional day centred around horses, ponies, stalls and socialising.

Coloured cobs, heavy horses, ponies and horse-drawn traps attracted attention throughout the day, with many visitors gathering around the field to watch the animals being shown and led around the site.

A variety of stalls selling everything from clothing and ornaments to tack and second-hand goods helped create a lively market atmosphere, while food vendors kept visitors fed throughout the day.

Despite overcast conditions at times, the event remained busy, with many attendees staying for several hours to enjoy the traditional fair atmosphere.

Community members later took to social media to praise the smooth running of the event, with several publicly thanking organiser Charlie Price for his efforts in bringing the fair together.

Comments described the day as “well organised” and praised the welcoming atmosphere, with many saying it was encouraging to see a long-standing local tradition continuing to thrive.

The fair once again brought together members of the travelling community, local residents and horse enthusiasts from across west Wales.

A horse drive was also due to take place on Sunday (May 24), continuing the weekend’s celebrations.

Photo captions:

Traditional gathering: Horses, ponies, horse-drawn carts and market stalls drew crowds to Pembroke Fair in Monkton on Saturday (Pic: Herald).

Business

New facilities at Haverfordwest Target Shooting Club agreed

Published

2 days ago

May 23, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL by a Pembrokeshire shooting club for more disability-friendly facilities has been given the go-ahead by county planners.

In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, Haverfordwest Target Shooting Club, through agent Andrew Sutton Architecture, sought permission for an extension to existing target shooting club building at The Firing Range, Withybush Road, Haverfordwest to improve accessibility and internal facilities, together with associated landscaping works.

A supporting statement said: “The club’s own published history states it was founded in 1968, moved from the Drill Hall to the old wartime airfield butts at Withybush by the early 1970s, and had developed facilities over time, including the clubhouse by 1999. The established leisure/community use has existed on the site for a number of years and the proposal does not seek to intensify the core activity beyond that already authorised/established.”

It added: “The primary objective of the scheme is to improve inclusive access to the club’s facilities for disabled users and those with reduced mobility. The internal arrangement will provide adequate entrance and lobby space, clear accessible routes and appropriately designed sanitary accommodation, including an accessible wetroom/shower and separate WC.”

It also said accessible parking and surfacing designed to provide a firm, even, slip-resistant route from parking to the principal entrance.

It added: “The Equality Act 2010 places duties on service providers to make reasonable adjustments so that people with additional access needs are not placed at a substantial disadvantage.

“The proposal is therefore a positive enhancement to a community/leisure facility and supports wider policy objectives for inclusive environments.”

It went on to say: “The club operates within a highly controlled environment, and the proposed works will maintain and enhance safety and security measures.”

The application was conditionally approved by planners.