The Davies Sisters during the First World War The First World
War had a profound effect on the lives of Gwendoline and
Margaret Davies, two sisters from mid Wales whose gifts and
bequests completely transformed the range and quality of Wales's
national art collection. They lost much-loved relatives and
served with the Red-Cross in France, seeing the destruction
first hand. They were deeply conscious of the horrors
experienced by both British and French soldiers, and shocked at
the suffering of civilian refugees. While their brother David
flung himself into the cause of international peace, the sisters
hoped to repair the lives of ex-soldiers traumatized by the war,
through education in the crafts and through music. Out of this
grew the idea of Gregynog, as a centre for the arts, and for the
discussion of social problems. Bringing Refugee Artists to Wales
On 4 August 1914 Germany invaded Belgium, precipitating the
First World War. Over a million Belgians fled their homes. The
Davies family decided that Belgian