As Penarth prepares to gather once again this Sunday for the annual Act of Remembrance, a remarkable piece of film history reminds us just how deeply this tradition is rooted in the town’s identity.
Filmed almost exactly a century ago, Unveiling the Cenotaph – Penarth (1924) captures local residents marking Armistice Day around the unveiling of the town’s granite memorial. Though the camera misses the moment the memorial was formally unveiled by two women who had each lost three sons in the Great War, it powerfully documents the community’s shared grief and pride.
The two-minute silent film — now preserved by the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales — shows the crowd assembled in Alexandra Park as they honour those who were, in the words of the time, “stone dead for King and Country.” The white granite obelisk, crowned by a bronze winged figure of Victory, was designed by Sir William Goscombe John, the Cardiff-born sculptor also responsible for the famous Wales National War Memorial in Cathays Park and assisted in creating the sculptures for Cardiff Castle’s Animal Wall.
A report in The Penarth Times two days after the unveiling spoke of “splendid manhood” and a “greater and nobler country” forged through sacrifice, echoing the language of post-war Britain. Yet, watching the film today — available to view for free on BFI Player — it’s the solemn faces and quiet dignity of the townspeople that speak loudest.
That same sense of remembrance endures today. On Sunday 9 November 2025, Penarth’s Remembrance Day Parade will once again bring together veterans, serving personnel, community groups, and schools. Organised by the town’s veterans’ team in partnership with the Royal British Legion and Penarth Ex-Services Club, the event remains a cherished community tradition.
This year’s parade will form up on Rectory Road at 10:00am, with wreath-laying at the Garden of Remembrance from 10:10am, followed by a march to All Saints Church for the service at 10:45am. Afterwards, the parade will continue to the Ex-Servicemen’s Club, where the community will gather to raise a toast to absent friends.
From Goscombe John’s solemn memorial to the annual parade that continues to unite the town, Penarth’s act of remembrance remains more than a ceremony.
