Brechfa Forest
Encyclopedia
The Brechfa Forest is an area of forest
in Carmarthenshire
, south Wales
.
Much of the planting took place during the 1930s, with work carried out by young unemployed men from a Ministry of Labour
work camp. Many came from the distressed coal mining
communities, and were recruited for training in one of a number of Instructional Centres created by the Ministry, most of which were on Forestry Commission
property; by 1938, the Ministry had 38 Instructional Centres across Britain. The hutted camp in Brechfa was later used to house Basque
children who were refugees from the Spanish Civil War
.
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
in Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, south Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Much of the planting took place during the 1930s, with work carried out by young unemployed men from a Ministry of Labour
Ministry of Labour
The Ministry of Labour was a British civil service department established by the New Ministries and Secretaries Act 1916. It was renamed the Employment Department in 1988, and finally abolished in 1995...
work camp. Many came from the distressed coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
communities, and were recruited for training in one of a number of Instructional Centres created by the Ministry, most of which were on Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
property; by 1938, the Ministry had 38 Instructional Centres across Britain. The hutted camp in Brechfa was later used to house Basque
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
children who were refugees from the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
.