The 1944 Llandybie Eisteddfod

            The National Eisteddfod was held in Llandybie for the first and 
            presently only time in August 1944, a particularly turbulent time in 
            history just a short time after the start of the Normandy landings. 
            It was hoped at the time that this would be the last Eisteddfod 
            before the end of the war. In fact there was to be one more 
            Eisteddfod held in Rhosllanerchrugog near Wrexham.

            Many on the National Eisteddfod Council thought that Llandybie, a 
            relatively small village with a population of not more than 2,600 
            would be unable to hold a successful festival at such a difficult 
            time. Such negative opinions were, we are told, used as a spur by 
            the organisers and people of the village and the resulting festival 
            was held for six days. Each of the other war-time Eisteddfods were 
            held for one day only. (No Eisteddfod was held in 1940).

            Alderman W Emyr Williams of the National Eisteddfod Council thanking 
            Llandybie for its invitation, spoke of the fears which prevailed at 
            first that the venture would be more than the village could tackle 
            but the zest applied to the organisation had put these fears to 
rest.

            Total receipts were £5,000, thought to be a record at the time for 
            an Eisteddfod. Total attendance was in excess of 25,000 which had 
            put a heavy strain on all forms of accommodation as rooms which were 
            set aside to those due to attend the festival had to be allocated to 
            evacuees.

            Mr Morgan D Morgan, Local Secretary said that the outstanding 
            success of the Eisteddfod had been due in no small measure to the 
            wonderful co-operation of the Llandybie people.They had rallied 
            round both as far as accommodation and catering were concerned. The 
            Ministry of Food, transport authorities, G.P.O. and those 
            responsible for the loud speaker arrangements had all played their 
            parts.

            This particular Eisteddfod had, unlike previous Eisteddfods, a very 
            continental feel with many delegates from the Allied Nations 
            participating in ceremonial presentations.
            Delegates from as far as China, Russia, America, Africa as well as 
            the European nations attended. However, many countries not only 
            participated in ceremonial presentations but had also arranged 
            concerts. The most noted of which was performed by the Polish army 
            choir on the last evening of the Eisteddfod.

            President Judge G Clark Williams gave cordial thanks to all those to 
            whom they owed the opportunity of hearing such superb music, and he 
            said the pleasure was increased by the happy consciousness that were 
            taking part in what he thought could be fairly regarded as a 
            historic and indeed unique occasion in the annuls of Carmarthenshire 
            and, he imagined, of Wales, for he found it difficult to think that 
            there had been in any previous occasion so rich a gathering of 
            continental talents.

            The International Eisteddfod held annually in Llangollen started in 
            1947 and many believe its initial concept lay in the National 
            Eisteddfod of Llandybie. 

            The Gorsedd ceremony on Tuesday morning re-enacted in full for the 
            first time after a war-time lapse of four years created immense 
            popular interest. The stone circle on an eminence overlooking the 
            village was thickly lined with people, some of whom took up 
            positions nearly an hour before the procession was due to arrive 
            from the robing room in the village. The procession as it moved 
            along was watched by hundreds of people and the whole spectacle 
            proved delightful. The Gorsedd procession led by Archdruid Crwys 
            where the massive Gorsedd sword borne in front ascended the hill 
            towards the circle alongside a field of golden corn and made an 
            impressive site in their robes of white, blue and green as they took 
            up position within the circle marshalled by Cynan, the recorder. 
            Another newspaper reported the Gorsedd ceremony as thus:-

            Early in the day, too there was an international atmosphere about 
            the Gorsedd. The warmly welcomed visitors were up betimes in the 
            morning, after taking part in a Noson Llawen arranged in their 
            honour to see the Gorsedd ceremony.
            They confessed to “lumps in the throat” as the bards in their green, 
            blue and white robes slowly wound their way up the winding hillside 
            path to the Gorsedd circle. Even hardened Eisteddfodau visitors 
            declared it to be the most impressive Gorsedd for many years.

            At the Gorsedd stone circle the following was reported in the 
            newspapers:-

            The Archdruid Crwys declared the Eisteddfod open at 10:30am on 
            Tuesday in a ceremony of which the key note was the constant thought 
            for the sons and daughters of Wales now serving in the forces in all 
            parts of the world. Crwys congratulated the people of Llandybie on 
            the spirit which had inspired them to invite such a big festival to 
            such a small place. The district, he said, held a host of 
            associations with names which share in the history of Wales. The one 
            thing that cast its shadow was the absence of the young men and 
            women at war.
            In an implied reference to the production of the Welsh newspaper 
            “Seren y Dwyrain” (“Star of the East”) by a Llandebie man serving in 
            Cairo (Flying Officer T E Griffiths), he said in a dramatic message 
            to the young people of Wales serving with the forces,-“May it be 
            that the Star of the East which has arisen will guide you home to us 
            soon again”.
            Then Elfed, who is 84 years, gave the Gorsedd prayer in a voice as 
            clear and full of delicate inflexion as that of the poet-preacher 
            still in the blaze of youth.

            Further reports stated the following:-

            The Gorsedd of Bards meeting for the second and last time within the 
            circle on Thursday morning, despite some early uncertainty, 
            developed into a splendid spectacle and was witnessed by a huge 
            crowd, hundreds of whom having climbed up trees to view the scene.
            Archdruid Crwys conducted in a particularly delightful way. A 
            feature was a floral dance by twelve little girl pupils of the 
            Llandebie school preceding the presentation to the Archdruid of an 
            offering of fruit and flowers of the earth.

            Many of the foreign delegates gave thanks for being invited to such 
            a festival.

            Professor G Bolkestein, Minister for the Arts and Sciences, 
            Netherlands said that the National Eisteddfod helped to foster the 
            Welsh patriotism and is an inspiration for the smaller nations to 
            preserve their own national characteristics. Mr Juray Slavjk, 
            Minister from Czechoslovakia said “The whole year I have been 
            impatiently awaiting two events; to return to my liberated country 
            and possibility to me being present at the next Eisteddfod.”

            Other delegates giving speeches included,- Mr Juhus Hoste Under 
            Secretary for Education Belgium, Professor Chen-Yuan Member of The 
            Peoples Political Council China, Monsieur de Lagatinerie French 
            Secretary for Welfare, M Alphotise Secretary of Foreign Affairs 
            Luxenburg, Mr Hjelmtvelt Minister of Education Norway and M Karavaev 
            Under Secretary at the Soviet Embassy in London whom it seems was 
            particularly interested in a model exhibition coal mine which Mr 
            Owen Rowlands an Ammanford man had taken twelve years to build and 
            was one of the most successful exhibits at the festival. M Karavaev 
            went on to say “the Eisteddfod gave an excellent opportunity to the 
            people of other democratic countries and by the Soviet people 
            amongst them to become more acquainted with the achievements of the 
            Welsh people in the development of their traditional culture and 
            art.”

            The following was reported by the Carmarthen Journal:-

            Just as the ceremony of presenting delegates of the Allied nations 
            was coming to a close, there was an unofficial development that 
            delighted the Eisteddfod crowd.
            A miner came walking down the hall behind him came a young coloured 
            man. 
            When the audience realised that an unofficial delegate was being 
            presented it broke into cheers even more hearty than those which had 
            greeted the messages bought by the representatives of the countries 
            and empires fighting in the allied cause.

            What was happening the Eisteddfod audience realised at once was an 
            opportunity to show the traditional belief of the people of Wales in 
            the universal brotherhood of man. As Eisteddfod officials moved 
            forward to prepare to close the ceremony with a hymn cries from the 
            audience soon made clear the demand that the coloured man should 
            speak, as all the other national delegates had done.
            There was a minute of consultation. Then the young man came forward 
            and spoke in Yoruba, a West African dialect.

            One person opening an exhibition at the Eisteddfod was Major Gwilym 
            Lloyd George the Minister of Fuel and Power. Opening the ministries 
            New Wales Exhibition he talked about pneumoconiosis,-“Everything 
            that I or my ministry can do will be done with the object of 
            removing this terrible disease”, declared the minister, who went on 
            to say,-“When I first went into the Ministry, one of the very first 
            things I had to listen to from one of my officials was a talk on 
            silicosis or pneumoconiosis. Nothing has so shocked me or impressed 
            me as what he told me. I have determined as far as in my power to 
            alleviate the cause, and eventually make it impossible for the 
            disease to be contracted”.