EARLIER this month I attended memorial services in Leper (also known as Ypres), Belgium, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War.

I was extremely honoured to be invited to attend the unveiling of a Welsh memorial in Flanders to commemorate the sacrifices made by so many young Welshmen.

It is worth remembering that around 270,000 signed up to defend freedom and sadly almost 40,000 of these men never made the journey home.

This summer marked the start of the centenary commemorations of the 1914 - 1918 war, and in particular the deployment of the British Expeditionary Force in France.

Thousands of troops, including many from Penarth and the wider Vale, were involved in that deployment and the events I attended were a wonderful way to remember the sacrifice of the many brave soldiers who lost their lives fighting for our country during the First World War.

On Monday, August 4 I attended a service at Llandaff Cathedral to mark the moment that British involvement in the war was officially declared. The words of wartime Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey were a stark but poignant illustration of feelings at the time: “The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime”.

The conflict between 1914 and 1918 - which became known as the Great War - left 17 million soldiers and civilians dead.

The Welsh memorial unveiled on Sunday, August 17 was the result of several years campaigning by those who wanted to see a permanent memorial to the fallen from Wales.

These efforts and the impressive memorial demonstrate the significance and respect with which we view the sacrifices of our countrymen - but also the importance attached to the Welsh contribution to the war effort by the many Belgians who helped to make it possible.

Regular readers of this newspaper may remember that the South Wales Male Choir were also invited by the Western Front Association to take part in the many events taking place this summer, including Vale resident John Rees Davies who is the group’s General Secretary.

Many of the choristers in that group (which features members from Penarth, Barry, Rhoose, Cowbridge and Llantwit Major) have served in the armed forces and I have no doubt that they too were extremely proud to have been in Flanders this summer to mark the centenary.

Over the next four years there will be many similar commemorations, all opportunities to remember and reflect on the huge sacrifices made by our forefathers so that we may enjoy the freedoms that we have today.

I very much hope that we will use the commemorations to enhance the next generation's understanding of these sacrifices and preserve the many legacies and memorials that have been established across Penarth and other towns and cities in Wales.

Whilst here in Penarth we have our own memorials to honour the many locals who served in World War One, I hope that many of you will take the opportunity to visit the Welsh memorial in Langemark if you are ever in Belgium.

It is a timely and emotional monument that will preserve the memory of those who sacrificed their lives a century ago.