LETTERS, postcards and telegrams sent by members of a Newport sports club fighting on the front lines in the first World War are among items

Gwent Archives in Ebbw Vale has been handed more than £14,000 from the Welsh Government to be used to conserve fragile and damaged items in the collection of the Newport Rugby and Athletic Club.

Among the items are 28 postcards and 148 letters and telegrams sent to the club by members fighting during the First World War, as well as books of meeting minutes.

The conservation work is being carried out in partnership with the National Manuscripts Conservation Trust (NMCT) and will ensure the history of the club, first formed in 1875, is preserved.

Announcing the funding, the Welsh Government's economy secretary Ken Skates said: "This unique archive not only provides an insight into Newport’s sporting heritage, it also shines a light on the influence of the club on the development of Welsh rugby.

"The collection will appeal to sporting historians, anyone associated with distinguished former club members, and all those with an interest in the experiences of soldiers during the First World War.

"I am pleased that we, alongside the NMCT, have supported this project and I hope to see it enjoyed by researchers and sports enthusiasts from Newport and beyond."

Gwent county archivist Tony Hopkins said: "This is a truly exciting project.

"Newport is a club not only famed for its rugby but one that has had an immense influence on the development of sport in Wales.

"We are grateful to the NMCT for helping us preserve this unique archive."

And NMCT chairman Lord Egremont said: "We are delighted that NMCT's collaboration with Welsh Government has once again enabled the preservation of an outstanding collection of material.

"We were pleased to support an archive that is so important to the history of sport in Wales."

Newport Cricket, Athletic and Football Club was formed as the first integrated sports club in Wales.

It became Newport Athletic Club in 1895, by which time it ran a wide range of sports and many individuals connected with the club had earned distinction in various sports.

Wyatt Gould hurdled for Great Britain in the 1908 Olympics and played rugby for Newport, while two of his brothers captained the Welsh rugby team, including Arthur, the first rugby ‘superstar’.