Y Rhyfel Mawr ym Mro Aled / The Great War in Bro Aled

Lluniau trwy ganiatad Mr Alwyn Williams / Photographs by permission of Mr Alwyn Williams
Y Rhyfel Mawr ym Mro Aled - dyna deitl y ddrama-gerdd hynod lwyddianus a gynhaliwyd yn y Ganolfan Nos Iau a Nos Wener y 4ydd a 5ed Ionawr, a’r neuadd yn llawn i’w hymylon ar y ddwy noson. Perfformiwyd gyntaf yng Ngorffennaf, gyda’r neuadd yn orlawn tros y dair noson. Oherwydd i nifer fawr glywed cymaint o ganmoliaeth ac wedi methu eu gweld, cafwyd ceisiadau di-ri am i ni ail ei chyflwyno, a dyna sut bu i ni gynnig dau berfformiad ychwannegol.
Mae stori’r ddrama yn seliedig ar hen blasty Dyffryn Aled, cartref teulu y Wynne York’s (cyn iddynt redeg allan o arian rhyw ugain mlynedd ynghynt a’i adael yn wâg), ac yn ystod haf 1914 fe addaswyd yn garchar ‘diogel’ i ddal oddeutu 100 o Almaenwyr pwysig, rhai yn gapteiniad llongau a llongau tanfor yngyhd a uchel swyddogion eraill. Yr enwocaf ohonynt oedd “Oberleutnant Wolf von Tirpitz” yn fab i’r “Grand Admiral Tirpitz, pennaeth yr Imperial German Navy ac yr un agosaf at y Kaiser ei hŷn. Cafodd ei ddal yn fuan wedi dechrau’r rhyfel, ac yma yn Llansannan bu drwy gyfnod y Rhyfel. Fel teulu, roeddent yn ffrindiau mawr gyda theulu Churchill ac anfonodd Churchill telegram iddynt ym ymddiheuro fod eu mab yn garcharor, ond yn sicrhau y caiff le da yn Nyffryn Aled.
Roedd y carcharorion yn cael lle moethus iawn o’i gymharu a thrigolion y Fro. Tri pryd poeth y dydd, Gwin a sigar’s pan fynnent, Cabinet o ddiodydd cryf. Yn derbyn hanner eu cyflog ac yn cael chware criced neu bêl-droed ar weirgloddiau Plas Newydd. Cafodd un swyddog Almaeneg ganiatâd i fynd yn Ôl a blaen i’r Llan – ond iddo arwyddo i beidio dianc.
Er eu bod yn cael lle da, mi fuodd sawl ymgais i ddenig - ond aflwyddiannus. Yr hanesyn enwocaf oedd i dri ddianc i Landudno, lle roeddent wedi trefnu i long Tanfor eu codi fyny oddi ar greigiau y Gogarth Fawr. Er i’r llong Tanfor gyrraedd yno, methwyd a gwneud cysylltiad, ac yn Ôl i Ddyffryn Aled oedd eu tynged.
Roedd hyn i gyd yn wahanol iawn i fywyd y trigolion lleol, digon tlawd ac yn ei chael yn anodd cael dau ben llinyn ynghyd.
Gyda dros hanner cant yn y cymryd rhan cafwyd nosweithiau i’w chofio, ac yn arbennig felly gyda’r oedran yn ymestyn o blant Ysgol Bro Aled, Ysgol Glan Clwyd, rhai yn eu harddegau, eu rhieni a’r teidiau a’r neiniau, a phawb wedi mwynhau y cydweithio.
Ceisiwyd cyfleu y ddau sefyllfa, sef bywyd yn y Plas a bywyd y trigolion lleol, a gyda dwy stori serch yn gweu y ddau fyd wrth eu gilydd.
Dyma’r cast i gyd gan gynnwys plant Ysgol Bro Aled, oedd yn cymryd rhan mor bwysig yn y cynhyrchiad.
The Great War in Bro Aled -tthe title of an exceedingly successful musical drama presented at the Ganolfan on Thursday and Friday evenings of the 4th & 5th January 2018 with the hall being full to capacity on both evenings. The first performances was during July 2017, 3 evenings and due to popular demand further performances were arranged.
The story is based on the old mansion of Dyffryn Aled, the home of the Wynne York family( prior to bankruptcy some 20 years earlier and leaving the property empty) and during the summer of 1914 it was adapted as a "safe" prison for a 100 German Naval Officers some being ship and submarine Captains and other high ranking sailors.The most famous of them was Oberleutnant Wolf Von Tirpitz, the son of Grand Admiral Tirpittz, the head of the Imperial German Navy. and very close to the Kaiser. He was captured very early after the outbreak of the war and it was here in Llansannan that he spent the rest of the war. As a family, they were great friend of the Churchills' who sent them a telegram apologising for son being a prisone, but guaranteeing that he would be well looked after in Dyffryn Aled'
The prisoners lived in relative luxury in comparison to the local residents. Three hot meals a day, wine and cigars when wanted and cabinets full of spirits.
Receiving half their pay, and able to play cricket and football on the meadows of Plas Newydd.. One German officer was given permission to leave the prison and go to and fro into the village having signed that he would not escape.
Although the conditions were good in the prison, many an attempt at escaping was made but none proved successful. The most famous case was the three that escaped to Llandudno, where they had arranged to be picked up by a submarine submerged close to the Great Orme Although the submarine arrived the prissoners were unable to make contact with it and were re-captured and returned to Dyffryn Aled.
This was a world apart to the lives of the local people who were poor and .having a difficult time in making ends meet
With over 50 in the cast the evening performances were memorable especially with the age range varying between that of children attending Bro Aled School, Glan Clwyd School pupils, teenagers, parents and grandparents with everyone collaborating with each other.
This photo is of the entire cast including Bro Aled School pupils that played such an important role in the production