Flintshire pupil’s poem about the horror of WWI to be read at National Service of Thanksgiving in Cardiff

A poem about the horrors of World War One written by a Flintshire school girl will feature during today’s National Service of Thanksgiving in Cardiff.

The service, to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War is being held at Llandaff Cathedral and will attended by Their Royal Highnesses The Earl and Countess of Wessex.

Ysgol Maes Garmon pupil Mari Wyn Jones will read her poem, ‘My Living Soul’ the Welsh winner of an international arts and poetry competition.

Children and young people aged 9-16 across the world were invited to submit poetry, art or song inspired by the events of the First World War.

2017 – Delyn MP David Hanson hands Mari Wyn Jones a certificate for ‘her poem My Living Soul’ the Welsh winner of an international arts and poetry competition.

The competition was hosted by the ‘Never Such Innocence’ charity, a project set up to engage young people across the world about the First World War

First Minister, Carwyn Jones, will mark 100 years since the end of the First World War at today’s service which will be broadcast live on BBC Wales.

The Address will be given by The Archbishop of Wales, The Most Reverend John Davies.

Speaking ahead of the service, the First Minister said:

“Each Remembrance Sunday is an opportunity to pay tribute to the men and women who have served to protect the peace we are privileged to enjoy in Wales today.

“This Remembrance Sunday is particularly poignant, as we mark 100 years since the end of the First World War. Today, we remember the sacrifice of servicemen from Wales during the war.

We also remember the countless men, women and children who played pivotal roles on the home front and shaped our society in ways no generation had done before.

“To this remarkable generation, we give thanks. Their contribution and legacy will endure.”

Preparation is under way for the National Service of Remembrance to be broadcast live on @BBCWales at 2.55pm tomorrow #RemembranceDay2018 #WalesRemembers pic.twitter.com/DqkInn73fP

— Llandaff Cathedral (@LlandaffCath) November 10, 2018

The Archbishop of Wales, The Most Reverend John Davies, said:

“We gather to give thanks for the end of what remains one of the most significant, brutal and wasteful conflicts in the world’s history.

May today’s remembering and reflecting on the First World War lead us personally to commit positively in making every effort to make our world, our nation, our communities, the kind of place which those whose lives we honour believed they were fighting to build.

Any unwillingness to make that commitment risks devaluing the sacrifices of all who have fought for justice down the centuries, not least those who will be particularly in our minds this coming weekend.”

Over the past four years, the First Minister has led the Welsh Government’s centenary commemoration of the First World War, Cymru’n Cofio Wales Remembers 1914-1918.

The programme has delivered national events, exhibitions, community based activities and education programmes across Wales, inviting people of all ages to reflect and learn more about this important period in our history.