Welsh-Armenian Society - Similarities

The Welsh have suffered in similar ways to the Armenian's as a result of a successive waves of invaders. language, culture and religion have all been suppressed.

The Welsh have a better understanding than most of the "Armenian suffering" as they are better able to relate to it.

1894

During this period, Armenians presented religious artefacts in gratitude to those European statesmen who tried to help alleviate the
suffering of the Armenians. In fact, Armenians living in the British Empire and elsewhere honoured a British Prime Minister for defending
the Armenian cause whether in the Parliament or at gatherings in different cities around Great Britain. William E. Gladstone was well-known
for his speeches demanding that the British government, a staunch ally of the Ottoman Empire, do something to
help the Armenians and asking the British people to donate what they could to help the survivors.
The chalice and stained-glass window in an old church in Wales are not a new discovery. A few Armenians have surely seen these artefacts
that are well-preserved to this day. However, these objects and the reasons they were presented specifically to the church of St. Dieniol
have not been given much attention.
The silver-gilt chalice presented by a deputation of Armenians from London and Paris to Hawarden Church in 1894. It is used during mass
to this day.
An interesting article in December 1894 catches my attention. It describes a ceremony which takes place at a church
in a town called Hawarden. A deputation of Armenian gentlemen from London and Paris arrive at Hawarden to present a silver-gilt chalice
to the parish as a memorial to Mr. William Gladstone's "sympathy with and assistance to the Armenian people."

According to the newspapers, the delegation from Paris desired to place in Hawarden Church a silver chalice as a perpetual memorial in
recognition of the great life, work, and sympathy of Gladstone, one of the parishioners of Hawarden, whose voice and pen were used in sympathy
with the Armenian people in the interests of humanity and justice. Mr. Gladstone humbly received the chalice thanking the delegation
for the beautiful object and gave a speech about the reasons he had shown interest in the Armenian people and their suffering. He went
on describing what he called " a state of horrible and indescribable outrage in Armenia."

This piece of news becomes even more interesting when a similar item appears in January 1897. This time members of the Council of the
Anglo-Armenian Association presented to the same church a stained-glass window commemorating the Armenian martyrs. The presentation was made
in "recognition of the very active interest which Mr. Gladstone had taken in the cause of the Armenians."

1915

Aneurin Williams MP was the great grandson of Lolo Morganwwg the founder of the Gorsedd of Druids at the National Eisteddfod he did not need the term genocide to describe the events of 1915.

On 16th November 1915 he reported to Parliament

" We are in the presence of the greatest massacre probably that the world has ever known.
Therefore it behoves us to make every sacrifice and put forward every effort to relieve suffering and to save some thousands from death that must still occur"

"The Turkish authorities within the little time of five months proceeded systematically to exterminate a whole race out of their dominions. Details have come in from German and Swiss missionaries, from escaped refugees, from European in Asiatic Turkey and all supporting one another in the most astonishing way".

He went on to describe accurately the killings and deportations and had won complete Government acceptance of his testimony.