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  • A period of public mourning followed the death of Horatio Herbert Kitchener, who was lost at sea on 5 June 1916. Secretary of State for War at the time, Kitchener had a somewhat controversial reputation in the field of battle. In 1874, Kitchener was assigned to a mapping survey of the Holy Land, and his work there has many implications for the present day Middle East. He also took part in successful campaigns in Egypt and the Sudan. Kitchener's approach was unconventional for his time; he ordered the re-construction of mosques in Khartoum, and ensured that the Muslim holy day, Friday, was observed as an official day of rest in the provinces under his authority. He also prevented Christian missionaries from attempting to convert Muslims to Christianity. However, many of the brutal tactics he employed in the Boer War were to prove unpopular with his countrymen. Yet, at the end of the war, he fought for certain rights and the promise of future self-rule for the Afrikaaners, which was opposed by the British Government and Sir Alfred Milner, the Governor of the Cape Colony. Kitchener eventually won the argument. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Kitchener was appointed Secretary of State for War. He immediately began ruffling cabinet feathers with his view of the expected length and extent of hostilities, and greatly increased estimates of the manpower and ammunition required. A massive recruitment drive was launched to get British men to enlist, which included the famous 'Kitchener Wants You' poster. Again, he was proven right when the Shell Crisis of 1915, in which it was reported that British soldiers were suffering because of a lack of ammunition, resulted in the collapse of the government. This, coupled with Kitchener's ill-fated decision to back Churchill's disastrous Gallipoli Campaign over his own plans to invade Iskenderun in Turkey, undermined his political reputation. In the summer of 1916, he was to sail to Russia on a diplomatic mission with Lloyd George, who had been appointed head of a new Ministry for Munitions. Lloyd George, however, pulled out at the last minute, claiming that he was too busy to make the trip. Kitchener went alone, and on 5 June his ship HMS Hampshire hit a mine which had been planted by the German U-boat U-75. In a force 9 gale, 643 of the crew of 655 were lost, including Kitchener himself. His body was never found. Viewed as a national hero by the people of Britain, the news of his death was greeted with dismay.
Public Mourning for Kitchener, outside The Cross Keys tavern, Neath, 1916
  • The Montgomeryshire Inventory was the first of the county inventories produced by The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions in Wales and Monmouthshire. In fact, the production of county inventories was part of the Royal Commission's mandate when it was established by Royal Warrant in 1908. They were to be a record of 'Monuments and Constructions connected with or illustrative of the contemporary culture, civilisation and conditions of life of the people in Wales and Monmouthshire from the earliest times'. Published in 1911, this inventory is a detailed record of archaeological sites and monuments in Montgomeryshire. Arranged in alphabetical order of parish and class of monument, it describes a wide range of places of archaeological interest, including megaliths, Iron Age hill-forts, Roman forts, camps and roads, castles, churches and holy wells, some domestic structures, as well as some relics. It also contains drawings, plans and photographs of selected items or places. When this inventory was put together, interpretative techniques were different from those employed today. Greater emphasis was placed on early archaeological monuments and the study of more recent structures, such as houses, was limited. This volume should therefore be treated as a historical document rather than a reflection of the current approach to archaeology. By the turn of the twenty-first century, the Royal Commission was involved in pioneering archaeological research into all periods, from prehistoric to modern times, and new methods of surveying archaeological sites and recording data were being developed. The fruits of the Royal Commission's research can be found on the public online database Coflein (www.rcahmw.gov.uk) and in the National Monuments Record of Wales.
An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Wales, Vol. I; Montgomery, 1911, title page [image 1 of 122]
  • The Montgomeryshire Inventory was the first of the county inventories produced by The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions in Wales and Monmouthshire. In fact, the production of county inventories was part of the Royal Commission's mandate when it was established by Royal Warrant in 1908. They were to be a record of 'Monuments and Constructions connected with or illustrative of the contemporary culture, civilisation and conditions of life of the people in Wales and Monmouthshire from the earliest times'. Published in 1911, this inventory is a detailed record of archaeological sites and monuments in Montgomeryshire. Arranged in alphabetical order of parish and class of monument, it describes a wide range of places of archaeological interest, including megaliths, Iron Age hill-forts, Roman forts, camps and roads, castles, churches and holy wells, some domestic structures, as well as some relics. It also contains drawings, plans and photographs of selected items or places. When this inventory was put together, interpretative techniques were different from those employed today. Greater emphasis was placed on early archaeological monuments and the study of more recent structures, such as houses, was limited. This volume should therefore be treated as a historical document rather than a reflection of the current approach to archaeology. By the turn of the twenty-first century, the Royal Commission was involved in pioneering archaeological research into all periods, from prehistoric to modern times, and new methods of surveying archaeological sites and recording data were being developed. The fruits of the Royal Commission's research can be found on the public online database Coflein (www.rcahmw.gov.uk) and in the National Monuments Record of Wales.
An Inventory of The Ancient Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire. II.-County of Montgomery, 1911, page 91, [image 1 of 123]
  • The historian Theophilus Jones (1759-1812) was born in Brecon but spent most of his childhood in Llangamarch, where his father was vicar. He was educated at the school at Christ College, Brecon, and worked as a solicitor before being appointed deputy registrar to the archdeaconry. He began his detailed research into the history of his native county soon afterwards and the first volume of his 'History of the County of Brecknock' was published in 1805, followed by the second volume in 1809. Jones died in 1812 and was buried in Llangamarch. This second edition, which incorporates the two volumes, was published in 1898 with some additions.
Selected pages from 'A History of the County of Brecknock' (2nd edition, 1898) by Theophilus Jones, frontispiece [image 1 of 19]
'Historical Memoranda of Breconshire, A Collection of Papers fom Various Sources, Volume 1', by John Lloyd, (1903) [title page, image 1 of 10]