### Remembering Tragedy: New Information Board Unveiled in Cwmparc to Honour 28 Victims of Wartime Air Raid
A sombre chapter in Welsh history has received renewed attention this week as officials and members of the Cwmparc community gathered to unveil a new information board at the Cwmparc Blitz Memorial. This installation pays lasting tribute to the 28 individuals who lost their lives during a devastating bombing raid in World War II, marking a night that irreversibly impacted the community nestled in the coal-mining valleys of South Wales.
Prior to that infamous night in 1941, the quiet valley towns like Cwmparc had largely been spared the horrors of aerial bombardment that other parts of the UK had endured. All that changed on the night of 29 April, when a formation of 25 German bombers unleashed both high explosive and incendiary devices upon the village. The destruction wrought in only a matter of hours led to significant loss of life and left hundreds without homes.
Hardest hit were areas including Park Terrace, Park Chapel, and Upper Treharne Street, where the damage was catastrophic. Tragically, among those killed were evacuees from London—children and adults who had sought sanctuary in the Valleys, only to become victims of the conflict’s relentless reach. In total, 28 souls perished, with the loss reverberating across the tightly-knit community.
In the aftermath, the scale of devastation saw more than 700 people displaced. The emotional and physical scars from that night endured long after the bombs fell. Official records and town recollections recount that a memorial service for the victims was held at Salem Welsh Baptist Chapel on 5 May 1941, with mass burials conducted at Treorchy Cemetery soon after. An illuminated clock was later installed as one of the earliest memorials, standing as a beacon of remembrance in the village.
The newly unveiled information board, positioned along Park Road—once the site of ten homes obliterated by the raid—shares the historical context and personal stories associated with the attack. Developed in partnership between Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s heritage services and the Cwmparc Blitz Memorial Committee, the board features a QR code providing digital access to further archival information via the council’s War Memorial Digitalisation Project.
Councillors, including Deputy Leader Maureen Webber BEM and local representative Bob Harris, joined local residents, schoolchildren from Parc Primary, and members of the memorial committee at the event. Their presence highlighted the ongoing commitment to ensuring such events are never forgotten and continue to educate future generations. Many in attendance emphasised the importance of communal remembrance, especially in a village where so many families were touched by tragedy.
Since the memorial site was officially opened in 2022, it has become not just a place of mourning, but also a centre for reflection and education. The council formally assumed responsibility for the site’s upkeep in late 2024, allocating dedicated resources to its maintenance as a symbol of the village’s resilience and collective memory.
The Cwmparc Blitz Memorial forms part of a wider digitisation initiative aimed at preserving and sharing the stories behind war memorials across Rhondda Cynon Taf. The ongoing project, which recently launched online at the RCT heritage website, invites visitors to learn about local and regional histories shaped by conflict. The new digital resources are part of a broader effort to ensure these stories endure as more than memories, accessible to anyone wishing to understand the real human cost of war.
As people across Wales and beyond reflect on the toll of conflict, the new information board stands as both a tribute and a reminder—honouring lives lost and the resilience of communities forced to rebuild in the face of unimaginable adversity. The events of that April night remain a powerful part of Cwmparc’s history, and one that will continue to inform the village’s identity for generations to come.