Sir, Does Tenby have a Community Spirit? In 1919 since virtually all communities had suffered it was decided that each community should fashion their own Memorial for their Fallen to be paid for by public subscription.

Most communities in the area quickly decided on the form of their Memorial and started to raise funds.

Tenby waffled for a year debating various proposals ranging from a Beacon on the North Cliff, replacing the statute of Prince Albert to making the Bowling Green in Southcliff Street into a Memorial Garden.

Eventually Clr. William Davies settled the issue by donating land to make up the present Trafalgar Gardens, designing and overseeing the construction of the Memorial.

Two years later, when other communities in the area were already holding ceremonies at their new Memorials, Tenby was still struggling to raise the required £1,500.

In desperation the Borough Councillors divided the streets of Tenby between themselves and carried out house to house “donations” calls so eventually sufficient was raised for the project to go ahead and finally Tenby had a War Memorial.

In 2017 the Tenby Town Council endorsed a proposal to add “missing names” to the War Memorial and anticipating only 20 to 30 names voted £5,000 to cover the cost.

An almost cursory browse of various records produced 93 names of individuals who had been “Killed in action or Died in Service” and who had clear links with the Town.

This figure created a problem in that it almost tripled the cost of the project. Appeals were made for public donations through the columns of this newspaper and the Tenby Times but history repeated itself and the response was almost nil.

However thanks to the generous support of two organisations and four individual donations from the public (three non-resident) the required total was reached and the additions were made to the Memorial just in time for Armistice Day 2018.

Similar situations, one hundred years apart but the same apathy from the residents of Tenby. Why is Tenby so different to neighbouring communities?

John H T Griffiths,

Scotsborough View,

Tenby.