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The Aberystwyth Weekly Comforts for Fighters Fund was established in 1915 to provide comforts for Aberystwyth men serving overseas during the First World War. It was founded by Regimental Sergeant Major Thomas Richard Fear, previously of the Grenadier Guards, following a request by a local soldier on behalf of Aberystwyth men for cigarettes to be sent to them whilst posted abroad. He successfully managed the Fund from June 1915 onwards, sending comforts such as tobacco and cake to many local soldiers. Sergeant Major Fear was also involved in the Aberystwyth Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) to support those returning from war, and petitioned for the erection of a war memorial in the town.

The Comforts Fund was well-supported by local businesses and the people of Aberystwyth who regularly donated to the cause. Fund-raising activities, such as fêtes and concerts, were also organised. Initially, parcels were only sent to local soldiers on active service, but, as funds increased, the provision of comforts was extended to include the wounded. Parcels for smokers, containing quantities of tobacco or cigarettes, were packaged and dispatched by the London-based tobacco manufacturer and importer, Cohen, Weenen & Co., on behalf of the Fund. Cake and chocolates for non-smokers were purchased locally. A card or letter of comfort from Sergeant Major Fear was placed within each parcel and, on occasions, newspapers such as the Cambrian News were included. In some instances, comforts such as socks, mittens and even boxing gloves were also sent. Particular efforts were made at Christmas to send special parcels of Christmas cake, plum pudding, chocolate and cigarettes to all men known to the Fund.

Between twenty and fifty parcels were dispatched by the Fund every week. Soldiers were sent new parcels following the receipt of an acknowledgement by Sergeant Major Fear for the previous parcel. Many parcels were lost or severely delayed because of the difficulties involved in locating individuals, particularly those serving in the Navy. Sending parcels to soldiers posted overseas gradually came to an end following the Armistice in November 1918. Parcels were instead given to soldiers as tokens of appreciation and support on their return to Aberystwyth. The provision of comforts to some soldiers and Prisoners of War continued into 1919.

Family estate, situated in Selatyn near Oswestry, Shropshire, but incorporating large ancestral estates in North Wales.
The earliest settlement on the site is a motte, supposedly associated with Owain Brogyntyn. By the mid-sixteenth century the owner was John Lacon, whose estate included Constable's Hall at Porkington and Llanddyn near Llangollen in Denbighshire. His daughter, Margaret, was married in 1556 to William Maurice (1542-1622) of Clenennau in Penyfed, Caernarfonshire, eldest son of Moris ap Eliza and Ellen Puleston. Since 1501, when Moris ap John ap Meredudd received a gift of land in Clenennau from his foster-father, Rhys ap Ieuan ap Dicws Foel, the Moris family had accumulated property in Penyfed, Penmorfa, Trefan, Pennant, Clenennau and parts of Merionethshire. William Maurice continued this trend over the next five decades by the further acquisition of lands in Shropshire, Denbighshire and Merionethshire, by leases from the Corporation of Harlech and enclosures in Harlech Marsh. He was widowed in 1572, but remarried twice, in 1576 to Ellen Lewis, widow of John Lewis of Chwaen Wen, Anglesey, and in 1605 to Jane Johnes (nee Puleston), widow of Sir Thomas Johnes of Abermarlais, Carmarthenshire. From 1581 he held several important public offices in the county administration of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire, and he was knighted upon the accession of James I in 1603. -- Sir William's eldest son, William Wynn Maurice (1559-c.1598) had predeceased him, leaving two daughters, Ellen and Margaret, as coheiresses upon their grandfather's death in 1622. Ellen Maurice (1578-1626), was married to John Owen of Bodsilin and Fernhill, secretary to Sir Francis Walsingham, and eight children were born prior to his death in 1611. She remarried in 1616, to Sir Francis Eure, Chief Justice of North Wales, by whom she had one son, Compton. By then she was living at Constable's Hall, Porkington, where she had the house rebuilt in 1617. Ellen died in 1626, leaving her eldest son, John Owen (1600-1666), as heir to the Clenennau estate, and his brother William (1607-1670), to inherit Porkington. -- Sir John, who was a staunch Royalist, served as Vice-Admiral of North Wales and Governor of Conway Castle. Col. William Owen defended Harlech Castle during the Civil War. Their sister, Margaret, was a forbear by marriage of the Godolphin family of Abertanat. -- John Owen's son, William (1624-1677/8) married Catherine, daughter of Lewis Anwyl of Parc, Llanfrothen in 1648. He inherited both Clenennau and Porkington from his father and his uncle respectively, but he based his family home at Llanddyn. The surviving heir of William and Catherine Owen was their son, Robert (1658-1698). He was knighted in 1678, served as MP for Merionethshire and Caernarfon Borough, and held several other local public offices. In 1683 he married Margaret, daughter of Owen Wynn and heiress to the substantial estates of Glyn, Sylfaen and Ystumcegid. A short time later he also acquired a moiety of Nant in Flintshire by a settlement with his wife's family. Unfortunately, Sir Robert Owen died prematurely in 1698, leaving massive debts. -- The successor to the estate was William Owen (1688-1767), who eased his financial burden by marrying Mary, daughter of Dr Henry Godolphin, Dean of St Paul's and Provost of Eton, in 1730. William Owen's estate was additionally enlarged by the purchase in 1736 of part of the Brynker lands in Dolbenmaen, which he promptly mortgaged to pay for extensive renovations at Porkington. -- The Brogyntyn estate descended to the eldest surviving son, Robert Godolphin Owen (1733-1792), who remained a bachelor. In the absence of male heirs the estate was inherited by his sister Margaret (1738-1806), who married Owen Ormsby of Willowbrook, co. Sligo, 1777. Their daughter, Mary Jane (1781-1869), became heiress to Brogyntyn, Clenennau, Glyn and her father's lands in Ireland. Her wealth enabled her to carry out a complete renovation of Porkington. In 1815 she married William Gore, another Irish landowner, who assumed the additional family name of Ormsby. Considerable additions were made to the estate during his lifetime, the largest being Drenewydd in Whittington, purchased from the Peniarth estate in 1830 for £35,000. A fire caused major damage to parts of Brogyntyn Hall in 1874. -- The title Baron Harlech was first awarded to John Ralph Ormsby-Gore (1816-1876) in 1875 shortly before his death. He was succeeded under a special remainder by his younger brother, William Richard Ormsby-Gore (1819-1904), second Baron Harlech. The latter had followed a military career and held several public offices in Ireland between 1841 and 1876. He married in 1850 to Emily Charlotte, daughter of Admiral Sir George Francis Seymour. By 1883 his estates comprised 57,647 acres in North Wales, Shropshire, Berkshire and Ireland, and they were further increased by the purchase of Pentre-pant near Brogyntyn in 1893. -- George Ralph Charles Ormbsy-Gore, third Baron Harlech (1855-1938), followed a distinguished military and public career which included a command of the Welsh Guards and he made a prestigious marriage in 1881 to Lady Margaret Ethel Gordon, daughter of Charles, Marquis of Huntley. Their son succeeded to a depleted estate, for in 1894 the trustees were permitted to sell land in Treflys and in 1911 all the Eifionydd property (over 8000 acres) was sold, except the family's ancestral home at Clenennau. -- William George Arthur Ormsby-Gore, fourth Baron Harlech (1885-1964), saw active service in Egypt during the First World War and he held numerous public offices including Lord Lieutenant of Merionethshire, Constable of Harlech and Caernarfon castles, board member of several national museums and galleries, and High Commissioner for the United Kingdom in South Africa. In 1913 he married Lady Beatrice Cecil, by whom he had six children. -- William David Ormsby-Gore, the fifth Baron (1918-1985) joined the army in 1939 and after the Second World War he pursued a career in politics. He was also closely involved with the media, being a film censor and chairman of Harlech television. He married twice, in 1940 to Sylvia Lloyd Thomas, and again in 1969 to Pamela Colin of New York. David Ormsby-Gore was killed in a road accident in 1985. The eldest surviving son of his first marriage, the current Lord Harlech, is Francis David Ormsby-Gore, born in 1954. -- The effects of two world wars and the burden of death duties led to the sale of Drenewydd in 1939, Llanddyn in 1943 and the eventual abandonment of Brogyntyn. From around 1985 the house stood virtually empty and it was finally sold to developers in 2005.

The King Edward VII Welsh National Memorial Association (WNMA, Cymdeithas Goffa Genedlaethol Cymru y Brenin Edward VII) was set up in 1910, launched mainly by David Davies, MP, later Lord Davies of Llandinam (1880-1944), to combat the prevalence of tuberculosis in Wales. Davies contributed half of the £300,000 raised to fund the Association, and was elected the first president. The Association was granted a Charter of Incorporation on 17 May 1912; it received legacies and gifts of property to fund its work. By 1921 all 17 local authorities in Wales had agreements with the Association to fund their treatment of TB. The WNMA provided four services: it funded dispensaries throughout Wales and a research department at the Welsh National School of Medicine, including the David Davies Chair of Tuberculosis; it operated its own residential institutions, including sanatoria at Sully Hospital, Cardiff, and Craig-y-Nos, Brecknockshire; and a department producing educational material and funding anti-tuberculosis lectures. In 1937, a government inquiry reviewed the Anti-Tuberculosis Service in Wales. In 1938, the Association moved into new offices in Lord Davies' newly-opened Temple of Peace and Health in Cardiff. The Association's role became redundant following the National Health Service Act 1948 and it was disbanded. The Association's organisation included a Board of Governors and a Council; in 1928, a Necessitous Areas Sub-committee was established to review provision in South Wales. In 1937, its staff numbered over 1,000. The presidents of the Association included Lord Davies, his widow Henrietta, Lady Davies (d. 1948), his son the 2nd Baron Davies (1915-1944) and his sister Miss Gwendoline E. Davies (1882-1951). WNMA participated in two radio programmes about its work: 'Getting and Spending on Rates' (1939) and 'Searchlight on TB' (1949). In the course of its work, WNMA amassed a library of government and other publications relating to the incidence and treatment of TB.