The Museum of Our Forefathers’ Suffering was created as a memorial to the Welsh industrialist John Hughes, who founded the Welsh speaking city of Hughesovka on the River Don, Ukraine. This way the citizens would not lose sight of their heritage. It opened in 1906 and slowly added more and more exhibits. Things stagnated during the Communist era, but to the rescue came Mooncalf and Sons, second hand and antique dealers of Aberystwyth. Some said that they items shipped across from Wales were those that the shop failed to sell, and certainly the descriptions of the items do seem to mislead. Additionally, the authorities were keen to stress that life in the old country was harder than living in Hughesovka.

The stamps were issued in 1981, the 75th anniversary of the museum, just before it closed to save costs. They show some of the exhibits like the living room of a serf’s cave with room for the livestock at the rear. Then there is the bar of a typical Welsh pub, with a model of a serving girl in her traditional serving girl’s garb. Also one can see the train that took holiday makers from Cardiff to Barry Island in the 1930s, and there is also a collection of amusement arcade machines as seen on a typical seaside pier.