For the chain gang, December is the month of carol concerts, so this evening I rejoined the local St John Ambulance for their annual carol service. The event was held at St Catherine's Church in Gorseinon and was led by the incumbent Minister.
This year is also the centenary of St John Cymru. In November 1914, the Welsh Army Corps requested that the St John Ambulance Association's St David's Centre raise a field ambulance for Lloyd George's Welsh Army. The task was undertaken by Herbert Lewis, Deputy Commissioner of St John number XI (South Wales) District.
The unit was predominantly from experienced St John Ambulance trained men from across the South Wales coalfields (the Amman, Garw and Rhondda Valleys, Ogmore Vales and Gwent Western Valleys) and was attested and handed over to the Welsh Army Corps on 12th December 1914.
The 130th was one of three mobile Field Ambulance units raised to support the new 28th Welsh Division but the only one allowed to use the title 'St John' in its name and to wear the St John insignia on its uniform.
The 130th (St John) was a unique unit in the Great War and because of this King George V granted Wales its own priory on 1st March 1918.
St John also help fight the battle to prevent blindness in the Middle East with the continuing work of the Eye Hospital Group in Palestine. The group consist of the main hospital in Jerusalem, the Muristan drop-in clinic in the old part of the City of Jerusalem; on the West Bank the hospital in Hebron and a clinic in Anabta; the hospital in Gaza and the Mobile Outreach units.
The Hospital Group provide ophthalmic care of a high quality to the people of the Holy Land irrespective of race, religion, social class or ability to pay. This evening's collection was for the eye hospital.
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