Catherine Meriel (Alcy) Howard (Lady) (née Cowell-Stepney)

Place of birth: London

Service: Philanthropist, committee women, local councillor

Death: 1952, Llanelli, Cause not known

Notes: Lady Howard, born 1876, was the second wife of Edward Stafford Howard, a former Liberal politician and Llanelli benefactor. He was 25 years older than her, and died during his mayoralty of Llanelli in 1916. Lady Howard, who was already an active member of the Board of Guardians (which she later chaired), was co-opted as an alderman to complete his term as mayor. She was subsequently, 1919, elected to the council. She was a strong supporter of the YWCA, and President of the Llanelly Women’s Liberal Association. She was awarded an MBE in 1918, when the Cambrian Daily Leader wrote: ‘No department of war work, no movement for the betterment of the people in Llanelly is complete without her..’. After the war she became a County Councillor and a JP (1920).

Reference: WaW0284

Newspaper report

Report of Lady Howard’s co-option as Mayor of Llanelly [sic]. Cambrian Daily Leader 17th May 1916.Report of Lady Howard’s co-option as Mayor of Llanelly [sic]. Cambrian Daily Leader 17th May 1916.

Newspaper report and photograph

Report of Lady Howard’s award of MBE. Cambrian Daily Leader 12th June 1918.

Newspaper report

First part of report of a meeting of the poor law guardians, chaired by Lady Howard. The guardians, supported by Lady Howard, were complaining about the inadequacy of the new workhouse diet. Llanelly Star 10th August 1918, p 3.

Newspaper report

Report of Lady Howard standing for election in the local elections of 1919. She had previously been co-opted, but had a strong belief in a proper ballot. Cambrian Daily Leader 17th November 1919

Auriol Jones

Place of birth: Llanbedr, Crickhowell

Service: Pianist

Notes: Auriol and her sister Beatrice Eveline were professional musicians. As well as following a professional career (she was a soloist in three Promenade Concerts at the Queens Hall, London), Auriol and her sister regularly performed at concerts raising funds for the Red Cross around Wales. She also travelled to Malta in 1916 as part of one of Lena Ashwell’s Concert Parties, and to France in 1917 as part of another: ‘a gift from the people of Wales’.

Reference: WaW0225

Auriol Jones

Auriol Jones, concert pianist.

Newspaper report

Report of Auriol’s concert party to Malta. Brecon County Times 28 September 1916

Newspaper article

Report of the Welsh Concert Party. Cambrian Daily Leader 29 October 1917.

Invitation

Invitation to the ‘Welcome Home Boys’ concert, December 23rd 1919.

Alice Helena Alexandra Williams (Alys Meirion)

Place of birth: Castell Deudraeth, Penrhyndeudraeth, Meirioneth

Service: Poet, dramatist, painter, suffragist, organiser, bard, editor.

Death: August / Awst 1957, London, Cause not known

Notes: Alice Williams, born in 1863, was the youngest of 12 children of David Williams, MP for Merioneth. Having to live at home as her mother’s companion she occupied herself in eisteddfodau, amateur dramatics and women’s suffrage. After her mother’s death, when Alice was forty, she divided much of her time between London and Paris, where she met her lifelong companion Fanny Laming. At the outbreak of the war they both worked for the International Red Cross in Geneva, but in 1915 she set up a bureau in Paris (and later London) to seek and disseminate news of persons missing as a result of the war. Later that year she became organising secretary for Wales of the French Wounded Emergency Fund. She was awarded the Médaille de la Reconnaissance Française in 1920. In 1916 she was founder/President of the fourth branch of the Women’s Institute in Wales (at Deudraeth), providing it with the hall which is still in use. She also was the founder editor of Home and Country, the WI magazine. At the 1917 Eisteddfod she was admitted (as a dramatic writer) to the Gorsedd of Bards, taking the bardic name Alys Meirion. Immediately after the war, in 1919, she and Fanny founded the residential Forum Club in London, a popular social space for women only, including Viscountess Rhondda.

Sources: http://yba.llgc.org.uk/en/s10-WILL-ALE-1863.\\r\\nwww.thewi.org.uk/about-the-wi/history-of-the-wi/the-origins/alicewilliams\\r\\nhttp://femalewarpoets.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/todays-poet-is-welsh.

Reference: WaW0295

Alice Williams

Alice Williams about 1930

Award of Médaille de la Reconnaissance Française

Announcement of award of Médaille de la Reconnaissance Française to Alice Williams. Journal Officiel de la Republique Française 22nd October 1920

Home and Country magazine

First edition of the WI magazine Home and Country, which was edited by Alice Williams. She is second from the right in the photograph. She also served as the WI Treasurer

Bookplate

Bookplate of the Forum Club, London, founded by Alice Williams and Fanny Lanbury.

Violet Williams

Service: Police constable, formerly nurse, Ministry of Munitions Women’s Police Service

Notes: Violet Williams, together with Muriel Richards [qv], was part of a ‘sting’ operation on 28th December 1918 to expose two bogus fortune tellers in Tanerdy, Abergwili. The first woman, Eleanor Rees, told Violet that a ‘dark man’ loved her, and had written her many letters that she had not received. When asked if she had written to a man, Violet replied ‘Yes – I have written to my brother several times’. She paid 6d for the session. The second woman, whom the two police constables visited later the same morning was Mary Evans. She told Violet that a ‘dark man ... in a good position under the Government’ wanted to marry her, and that they would have twelve children including two sets of twins! Mrs Evans charged her 1/- for the session. The two fortune tellers were found guilty and each fined 5/-

Reference: WaW0446

Newspaper report

Part of the court report of the trial of two fortune tellers; Violet Williams was one of two police witnesses. Carmarthen Journal 10th January 1919.

Muriel Richards

Service: Police constable, formerly nurse, Ministry of Munitions Women’s Police Service

Notes: Muriel Richards, together with Violet Williams [qv], was part of a ‘sting’ operation on 28th December 1918 to expose two bogus fortune tellers in Tanerdy, Abergwili. The first woman, Eleanor Rees, told Muriel that she would marry a ‘fair young man’, and that there would be opposition from her family. She paid 6d for the session. The second woman, whom the two police constables visited later the same morning was Mary Evans. She told Muriel that she would very soon meet ‘a very dark man’; they would marry and have eight children. Mrs Evans charged 1/-. The two fortune tellers were each found guilty and fined 5/-.

Reference: WaW0445

Newspaper report

Part of the court report of the trial of two fortune tellers; Muriel Richards was one of two police witnesses. Carmarthen Journal 10th January 1919.

Sergeant [later Inspector] Guthrie

Service: Police Officer , Ministry of Munitions Women’s Police Service

Notes: Sergeant Guthrie began work at Pembrey in April 1917, having been a police officer for some time. According to Gabrielle West [qv] ‘Sergeant Guthrie is making this place uninhabitable, She is a most peculiar person: hair close-cropped like a man, thickset figure with no waist like a man, large feet like a man, and a sort of tenor voice like a man. The first two days, the girls wouldn’t be searched by her; they said she was a man detective, not a policewomen at all … Anyway, she is a great trial and very unbalanced.’

Sources: ed Avalon Richards Menus Munitions and Keeping the Peace: The Home Front Diaries of Gabrielle West 1914 -1917. Pen & Sword 2016.

Reference: WaW0444

Ministry of Munitions Women’s Police Service

Women police officers at a munitions factory (not Pembrey), Sergeant Guthrie may be back row, second from right.

Annie Sanders

Place of birth: Cardiff

Service: Post Woman, Post Office / Swyddfa Bost

Notes: Litlle is known of Annie Sanders, except that she was associated with Roath Road Wesleyan Methodist Church, Cardiff. The Roath Road Roamer, published monthly from November 1914, contained information about women war workers as well as men. Annie was one of ‘our Lady Roamers’. Her blue serge uniform was introduced by the Post Office in 1914. Image and information courtesy of Glamorgan Archives (DWESA6).

Sources: https://archifaumorgannwg.wordpress.com/

Reference: WaW0108

Annie Sanders, Postwoman

Annie Sanders, Postwoman, Cardiff, in her navy blue serge uniform

Annie Lillian Thomas (later McLoughlin)

Place of birth: Cwmyoy

Service: Postwoman, WAAC

Notes: Annie Thomas joined the WAAC in June 1918, aged 21. She had previously worked at the Royal Gwent Hospital as a waitress. She was posted to the Australian Military Hospital, Dartford. By the time she was discharged in July 1919 she was married, though nothing is known of her husband.

Sources: National Archives WO-398-153-8

Reference: WaW0305

Discharge order

Discharge order for Annie Macloughlin on compassionate grounds.

WAAC enrollment form

Enrolment form for Annie Thomas. Her surname and marital status have been changed.rn

Reference

Reference form for Annie Thomas.rnrn

Lily Briggs

Place of birth: Barry ?

Service: Prostitute

Notes: Lily Briggs was sentenced to twenty one days hard labour in July 1915 for ‘trying to entice young soldiers [from the camp at Nell’s Point, Barry Island] into the fields’. She also used ‘filthy language’ when arrested.

Reference: WaW0476

Newspaper report

Report of the court appearance and sentence of Lily Briggs, ‘a common prostitute’. Barry Dock News 9th July 1915.rnrn

Florence Wheeler

Service: Pub licencee

Notes: Florence Wheeler applied to the Llanelly Police Court for the right to hold a licence for the Swan Inn, Llanelly. There was some doubt that a women could hold a licence, but she was successful. She had already managed the Greyhound, ‘the largest house in the town’.

Reference: WaW0327

Newspaper report

Report of Florence Wheeler’s successful application for a licence for the Swan public house, Llanelly.