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Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald and North and South Wales Independent

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HETUBN OF THE WELSH :YOLUNTEEKS.

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HETUBN OF THE WELSH YOLUNTEEKS. DEMONSTRATION AT CARNARVON. THANKSGIVING SERVICES. BANQUET AT THE PAVILION. Carnarvon was 'gay with bunt in" on Friday evening and Saturday. The volunteers attacked to the 3rd V.B. Rojai Welch Fusiliers were ex- pec, ed home from South Africa, ii.nd1 they came. Arrangeaiients had been made to (rive them an otiieial reception and a welcome bv the town couii'ii, but as luck would have it, they came to Ckrnarvon bv special train, and reached the station fully twenty minutes before the" were expected. They were kept there waiting until the corporation arrived upon the scene, headed by the ba,nd o.f the battalion, under the leader- shin G; Mr P. Ayres, and followed by the A t'nd: L Companies, in charge of Major Paynter and Captains J. Wi'lliarr.s and Lloyd Griffith. Or the platform, Major Punter and Captain Williams gave the men a. hearty welcome, and expressed their joy at seeing them safe home axiia. They shook hands with each of the 37 Ine;r. a.nd the Deputy-Mayor (Mr R. 0. Roberts) t;!so- addressed them on behalf of the burgesses. Thj route from the station -to the Drill Hall was li.:1fd 'with spectators, frantic with iov, waving har.'ike-rchiefs and shout-in" "Hurrah." and the winJows of the buildings all along the route had been filled with those anxious to see the re-turned heroes. It Wats quite pathetic to notice the greetings the Carnarvon lads received from c-lieir parents when they set eyes on each other. TL" Drill Hall was crowded with people, and tl'.e Deputy-Mayor hYk the chair. Short and appr(;pr:ate speeehes* of welcome were delivered bv Mr R. 0. Roberts, Mr J. R. Pritchard, Mr Rioha.rd Thomas, Captu.in John Wil'liiuns, and the Vicar (ihj Rev J. W. Wynne Jones, M.A.). -lft-r whicb the .chairmau called upon General S'r rlu'i, Rowland's. V.C., to distribute to each of the Carnarvon Volunteers. namely. Corporal Jolm H. Vaughan, Privates G. Jones, J. Wil- Hams. W. G. Tilling, G. Ixui-^ton, G. Williams, Percy Evans, and H. Hughes, Carnarvon, and to Sister Lucy BulkcJer William; Porth-yr-Aur, who had been attached to the Welsh Hospital, a .]d medal bearing on one side the arms of Car- n-arvon, and on the reverse an inscription stating why it was given. Saturday. however, was the grouit day, and or rangements had been made to have the whole bittalifm brought to Carn-iuvt n. to AVeloome tv.elr comrades. They came from Doligellev, P«.rtnvadoc, Pwllheli, Penygroes, Holyhead, LIanJudno, and Llanrwst, with the various officers of each company, and oil under the com- mand of Col. Rees. V.D.. marched from the Castle to Christ Church, where a thanksgiving service wu« to be he'd- Special hymns were sung and special prayers offered, 'the service being in-.on.ed by tike Vicar, and Captain John Wil- Iii'.ms presided at the organ. I'll" Lord' Bishop of Bangor delivered a special sermon, taking as his text Psalms 140, and the f-even'th verse, "0 God, strengthen thy servant, thou that covereth my head in the dnv c.f battle." This, his Lordship said, was the prayer of a I man in distress, when he felt that a number of r--oop!e had token counsel together to ruin him. Hod had preserved' him many tiroes, when his j lirV was in jeopardy. The word", œme very ruiturally to express the thanksgiving of those who were gathered in the church that day. They th.ank.ed God that he had covered and protected tli.cjir heads in t-hie day o.f peril. 'Might they also be a strength and la.n encouragement to them amid' the ohanahi-g scenes of life, for in the chequered life of all «f theni. joy and sorrow, and peace and trouble alternated ono with the other. They could !'•" rha.t their life had not been an uneventful one, Th«v had stood in jeopardy, and often there was but a step between them and death. There had but a step between them and death. There had been times of great danger, and comrades had I [;.1\.n at their sides, others had been struck down •v">rh sickness, and had died, anvf «"et God had broiifrht them safe h.ome a^air. They need not be afraid of the terror of the night or the pesti- '• n< when God TO with them and protected I them. They could trust in God who had pre- served them. until now. Those they had left Ix-hind had had to face risks, and there were ma.nv missing that day whoro they had known before they went awav. but the. had: been under the protecting ha.nd of God. They were never sa.fe for a moment under any circumstances un- less God protected them. They might be c/ii the field of battle a. tr.rsreit to a- thousand rifles, or in the c-itv where pestilence and plague reigaed. or r 11 the tempestuous sefct. yet, if the pro-tectiim I of God was f^xMxt- them,thev vrem as safe as they would be at home. Doubtless, their ex- perience would make a.n impression upon their lives. They had learnt to regard life differently, to look at its purpose, its earnestness, and its realitv in a, different- way. a.nd the lesson they had learnt, he hoped, would be a blessing to thorn. People generally talked of the war and the profession of arms in two ways. There were I thof-e who regarded the Armv as an honourable profession, 'and there were those who thought that when a man became 3J soldier, lie stood a chance of becoming a better mail than before, that the discipline of the Armv and the mixing with men would teach him Qiristian virtues, and- thM he would not onl- become a good soldier, but a. better Christian tha.n he was be- fore. That, he thought, was the opinion of eve.rv one who had authored within those sabred walls, a.nd the majority off their countrymen. But the" should remember, too, that, there were many who held a very different opinion.. They had heinrd what was" said when a portion o.f their regiment marched through Wales, and they knew what had been said and written during he r>resent w~ar. People talked as if rhe Armv was a school of vice, and when a man enlisted, he degenerated into a. blackguard. They would be men of mark havirJg returned from the war bv those who loved the soldier, and those -who would be glad to find a. stone to throw against them The safety of their comrades had been entrusted f r,, them when they were on outpost and sentry /'u' •- in South Africa, but after they returned i home something more precious than the lives o? their comrades would be in their care and keeping—their honour and their good name, So when "people pressed, won them various tem-rytations.-and it was but natural that they should do so.—in their hospitality and delight at seeing them. They might, perhaps, press them to tiake more than they ought. In such c^•- w them stand on -their guard like men, and re- member the precious trust placed1 in their ban .» member the precious trust placed1 in their ban .» —.flif. honour and good name of their comrades in arms. He hoped also that all friends present would remember this, and as t-her rejoiced in the return of thieve men, .and! felt proud of them, Vt them take care that they would not trv to lend them to do anything to tamish the fair fame thev had so noblv won. Many things would be said in their praise—that they had deserved well, and had fowcrht well, and that their native county was proud of them. That would be true, but in that building, thev would not be praised, but. thev praised Him who had: guarded thetrn in T!' mercy. Thev prostrated themselves before T!' mercy. Thev prostrated themselves before "i- Throne remembeirinig all His kindness, and TT;« puist protecti-oin, arxd asked Him to make them worthv of it. What, wore should th»r render the Lord for all his goodness than render ( thanks with verv full hea.rts to God, -for the niercv he had. vouchsafed in bringing > their" -n,feltv home. There were still seme rle-r" onee "there in peril. W *hnt th^e al«o. be under His care and protection. Let them enooura.ge others with prayers, and thank Pml -Tor "PlS OTCtfVt TnBrcv". The servicers brou-ht to a, close w^h pray- ers and rendering of the National Anthem. The ba ttalion then marched thro ugh to Castle-square, where thousands sat congregated around a p.atform, o who some of the leading liadfies of the count.v. W10 had come to witness the distribution D> E. Greaves, the wife of the Lord-Lieutenan suitable mementoes, the gift of the regiment, o the returned wa.rriors. Mr J. E. Greaves, mounted on a spirited horse, and wearing the uniform of ;1, colonel of the regiment, addressed the men at length. He said they had assembled there to celebrate a j memorable and unprecedented event in the his- I tory of the battalion—an event which, he ven- tured to think, would be looked back upon with pleasure and with pride. They were there to welcome their brave comrades" home from the most trying" and arduous campaign ever known in the annals of the "British Army. They were there to welcome them enthusiastically, because thev cheerfully and bravely encountered all the hardships they were called upon to bear, and which were inseparable from such a campaign as I this. Tiber honoured their pluck, and the patriotism which prompted them to place their lives and their services at the disposal of their countrymen in the hour of need. -7 v*ere proud of the part thev had taken in this great struggle for liberty and justice—a struggle wh] eh had brought out all the best traits of the British character, and which had knit the Empire to- gether in a. manner which 100 years of diplomacy would havo failed to accomplish. They were grateful to their volunteers, for whatever might be the result of this war, it had memorably raised the status of the volunteers. It had placed them the status of the volunteers. It had placed them upon a different level altogether, and it was now universally acknowledged that the volunteers were an indispensable branch of the British Army, and there were signs that they would be t,reated with greater consideration and greater liberality in the future than in the past. The country was under an obligation to the volun- teers, both from the mother country and the colonies, for having demonstrated to the world •»he imme-nso reserve of power which the Empire possessed but what they were prouder of than all was the manner in which the troops, both home and colonial, had behaved, for even their enemies had acknowledged that in battles and in I the hour of danger their soldiers were no less- than heroes whereas, at other times, they had behaved with humanity and kindness and gen- tleness beyond all precedence in any former war known to history. In all this, the brave lads they welcomed home had taken a.n active and honourable part, and let them all show how they admired them, and how much they appre- ciated their brave deeds, and how much they honoured them, by giving them three hsarty British cheers. The crowd, led by the Lord-Lieutenant. cheered vociferously, and afterwards, Mrs and Miss Greaves very gracefully distributed to each hrro J, souvenir in the form of a silver matchbox, -with suitable inscriptions, presented by the bat- talion. The recipients came to the platform in the following order:—Sergeant Moore, Llandud- no Private Helstrip, Llandudno; Private Bur- n;ll, Holyhead; Sergeant-instructor Hunt; Privates G. Jones, Carnarvon; J. Jones, Con- Way J. T. Arnold, Portmadoc R. Morris, I Llanrwst; L. A. Griffith, Llandudno; R. C. Jones, Holyhead —• Simms, Llanrwst; R. Wil- liams, Portmadoc; F. W. Parry, Llandudno; G. Williams, Llandudno S. Ball, 'Holyhead J. Williams, Carnarvon; E. Williams. Conway; J. D. Jarvis, Llanrwst; W. G. Tilling, Car- narvon S. Mercy, Llandudno; P. J. Lewis, Portmadoc G. Langton, Carnarvon Corporal J. H. Vaughan, Carnarvon; Privates W. Thorpe, Portmadoc G. Williams, Carnarvon S. Williams, Portmadoc; W. A. Atkinson, Holyhead; R. Jones, Portmadoc; R. E. Wil- liams, Conway Percy lEvans, Carnarvon H. Hughes, Carnarvon; G. T. MoIIroy. Holyhead; R. F. Mcllroy, Holyhead; and 0. Williams, Holyhead. The battalion afterwards went through some manoeuvres in the Park, and were subsequently entertained to a banquet at the. Pavilion, which had been gorgeously decorated with hunting, and with mottoes, such as "Croesaw i ID dew 1 ion Ar- fon," "Hawddamor i Arnddiffynwyr yr Ym- herodraeth." Nor were the fallen forgotten, for in bold letters of mourning were the words "Er serchus goffadwriaeth am Sergeant Charles Jones a Private H. De-verell." The catering was done by the battalion, under the supervision of Lieut. Quarter-master Armstrong and Quarter-master Sergeant. Jones, assisted by about 80 la-dies from the town. S'ix hundred and fifty volunteers sat to tables, and the menu consisted of roast and boiled beef, roast and boiled mutton, potatoes and carrots, plum pudding and sauce. Each man was also supplied with pipes, cigars, and cigarettes, a.nd half-an-ounce of tobacco each, and a musical programme was gone through by the band, under thaconductorship of Bandmaster P. Ayres. The following ladies kindly save their services at: the different tables :—I. Mrs J. H. Rees, Mrs iBrocklebank, Mrs George Owen, Mrs Bowe.n Jones, Mrs A. K. Menzies, Miss Brocklebank, Miss E. Brocklebank. II. Mrs Whiskin, Mrs W. Hughes, Mrs Jackson, Misses Hughes, E. Hughes, M. Edwards, Owen, G. Owen. III. Mrs Parry {Castle-street), Mrs E. Evans, Misses Parry, L. Evans, Kerruish, Crowther, Griffith, and Owen. IV. Mrs Armstrong. Mrs R. 0. Roberts, Mrs 'Nath. Roberts, Mrs R. E. Evans, Mrs J. Evans, Mrs Griffith, Miss Pugh, and Miss Hamer. V. Misses Morris (Bronmena-i), E. Morris, W. Morris, :H. Williams, M. Wil- liams, Capon, Milly Williams, Mrs Frase-r. VI. Misses Cousins (IErvldon), B. Cousins, William- son, Jones, E. Jones, H. Jones, M. Williams, K. Pritchard. VII. M.JS J. M. Owen (the Anchorage), Mrs Trevor Owen, Mrs W. M. Ro- berts, Misses Thomas, Jones, V. Davies, Jones, Ames. VIII. Mrs B. Newton, Misses M. New- ton, Sally (Roberts, Clayton, Menzies, E. Men- ziies, A. Thomas, and Mrs Mostvn Roberts. IX. Misses L. Rees, A. IRees, B. Rees, Mrs L. R. Thomas, Miss Williams, Miss Williams, Miss H. Rees, Miss M. Watkin IRobprt X. Mrs Llewelyn Jones, Mrs Dand, Miss -Prittehard, Miss •Pritchard (Tower House), Miss M. Pritchard, Miss Laura Pritchard, Miss Jones. Miss Evans. South African Table: Mrs C. H. Rees, Miss Hamer, Mrs D. H. Jones, Miss Wawn, Miss Wil- liams, Miss E. Williams, Miss Jones Roberts, Miss Jones (Brvn.Htelen). A large number of gentlemen also gave their services. Special thanks are due to Mr Arm- strong, for providing Mr Thomas Jones, for the decorations; Mr R. J. Davids, for tlio construc- tion of the tables Mr J. H. Rees, for obtaining the assistance of waiters and carvers, and over- looking the tables and Mr Ulein, of the Royal Hotel, for making and boilingo,ne., hundred plum puddings.

HOLYHEAD.I

TUESDAYS REJOICINGS.

LLANDUDNO. *

BETTWSYCOED PETTY SESSIONS.

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LLANRWST.

PORTMADOC.

TEACHERS' CONFERENCE AT FESTINIOG.

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TUESDAYS REJOICINGS.