Can You Help?

Occasionally the Society gets enquiries where a response is requested from members and all viewers of this website.Such items are posted here.  Please reply to the individual directly if you can help. 

March 2025

Do you enjoy local history?  

Would you like to help others who want to know more about our local history? 

NAS are a welcoming society that wants to continue supporting our local heritage; we currently provide: 

- Access to our historical archives

- Assist with local history enquiries e.g. ancestry, buildings

-  Run events such as our monthly Lecture Programme

- Support local events such as the Neath Food and Drink Festival 

The Neath Antiquarian Society is looking for people who would like to join the society to help us in this work.  

If are interested and would like to know more, please contact us via our website or email the secretary Mary Walker at secretarynas68@gmail.com and we can explain in more detail about how the Society works and how you could help.

June 2022

Welsh Howitzers Project

Do you have a relation who served with them?

My name is John Lambert and I am in the middle of a project focussed on the 1st Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade.  The objective of the project is to identify and remember the men of the Brigade as well as tell its history.  The web-site is already up and running (although it is still work in progress) and can be found at 1st Welsh Howitzers - Glamorgans Territorial Artillery (1st-welsh-hwtzrs.co.uk).

To date, I’ve found about 930 (of the 1640ish) of the men who enlisted in the Brigade from its formation in 1908 to the point where it stopped taking new recruits at the end of 1915 and they can all now be found on the site along with the information that I’ve managed to find out about them thus far.  Given that half of the 2nd Glamorgan Battery was based in Neath, I’ve already managed to link 48 of them to the town.

I’ve also uploaded my Great Uncles photo album from the period.  He was from Swansea, but after he enlisted he was posted to the 2nd Battery, so his pictures contain images of Neath men and give an indication of what they would have experienced in 1914,15 and 16.  RJ Williams Photo Album - 1st Welsh Howitzers (1st-welsh-hwtzrs.co.uk)

As I said earlier, at the heart of this project is remembering the men who served, and for me, I am keen that this is more than just a name on a list.  I therefore want to find descendants of the members of the Brigade who may have surviving information (photos, docs or even memories) that could help tell the stories of individuals or even the whole Brigade – in return, I will happily share the research I’ve done and potentially give them an insight into what their ancestors may have done.

If you have any info. then please contact John directly at: 

john.lambert23@ntlworld.com

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