As communities and volunteers have been transcribing the 390,296 signatories from the 1923 Welsh Women’s Peace Petition to America, many have been identifying and uncovering the stories behind this generation of women who stood against war. Who were they – and what messages might they have for us 100 years later.

‘Hidden Histories’ project led by the WCIA invited people across Wales to uncover and share ‘peace stories’ behind the 390,296 women who signed the Peace Petition – not just ‘the great and the good’, but the thousands of ordinary women across Wales moved in the aftermath of World War One to petition for peace.

This story and supporting material was contributed by Enid Lewis, that explored the history of her great grandmother and grandmother, Elizabeth and Hilda Brown.

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Petition Glynneath 33/134  

Here are my great grandmother and my grandmother Elizabeth and Hilda Brown they lived in Gwynfa, Heathfield Avenue, Newtown, Glynneath. Elizabeth was 47 and Hilda 22 in 1923. Elizabeth or Lizzie as she was known, had a difficult childhood losing her mother aged 6 and father at 17 and the family being separated. Lizzie was the second oldest of 4 children. Lizzie married in 1899 aged 23 and raised 7 children.

The Browns were a mining family and according to the Census 1921 the father William Henry and the three eldest sons worked in the colliery - the boys were 16, 15 a 13 and they were all out of work. Here is a photo of the family taken in the early 1920s. Hilda had to leave school when she was 12 to help in the home. Hilda married in 1931 raising one son. She lost her husband in 1934 and ran a corner shop for many years on the corner of Heathfield Avenue and New Street. During the second world war Hilda worked in the Royal Ordnance Factory in Hirwaun that specialised in small arms ammunition manufacture where there were many accidents. The family were faithful members of Bethania Chapel and Hilda to Addoldy Chapel after marrying.