The Church Committee have taken the decision to create a new conservation area at the rear of the churchyard. The area will have the dual purpose of creating an area for wildlife and flowers and to reduce the amount of mowing and maintenance for this area.

The Churchyard of St Michael's was closed by Order of the Privy Council on the 10th May 1906. There were some notable exceptions in the graves marked with a military headstone for the internment of Guardsman P Morgan and John Fielding VC.

Churchyard Cross
In the churchyard, you can see the old preaching cross, parts of the shaft of the cross are probably C15. Visiting preachers would have spoken here, and it was a stopping-off point in parish processions. The cross is listed as of special archtectural and historic interest (Grade ll Scheduled Ancient Monument) It has a square base with rounded spurs at upper angles, carrying shaft square at base broached to octagonal. A late 19th centuary cap to shaft with large ringed cross. Four renewed rubble stone steps with flagstone treads, some reused memorial stones.

The stone column stands some 7 feet high topped with a cross of 3 feet six inches. The original weather worn cross was replaced in the early 1900's.

Memorial to Thomas Leadbetter
In October 2003 CADW (Welsh Historic Monuments) listed for the first time the memorial to Thomas Leadbetter as a Grade ll item of Special Architectural and Historic Industrial Interest.

The memorial obelisk stands in the churchyard some 20 metres NW of the Church, and is immediately on the left hand side of the entrance gate to the church.

The memorial was erected in memory of Thomas Leadbetter, mills and forge manager of the Oakfield Iron Works, Cwmbran who died in 1870.

The inscription recording the name and details and that the memorial was erected by the workmen of the works.

The obelisk is of grey sandstone ashlar, in two sections on a small plinth with coved top moulding on a square base. It is raised on 2 steps with 8 stone piers with chains.

The memorial is listed as a prominent C19 graveyard memorial of industrial historical inerest

Grave of John Fielding VC
Also in the churchyard is the grave of John Fielding, a Rorke's Drift hero. He joined the 24th Regiment as John Williams, changing his name because he didn't want his parents to know he'd joined the army. He won the VC for his part in the battle of Rorke's Drift that took place on 22 and 23 January 1879.

A parade is held at the church each year on the nearest Saturday to the anniversary of the battle. More than 100 former servicemen turn out to honour a brave son of Torfaen. He was from the Cwmbran area, born in Pontypool and died on 25 November 1932.

The other military grave in the churchyard is that of Guardsman Penry Morgan, the first soldier from Cwmbran to be killed in World War I.

He died in hospital on 2nd April 1915, from wounds received in action from an enemy shell.

Whenever attention is drawn to the fallen of this country we should recall the eloquence of Laurence Binyon's (1869 - 1943) lines in his Poems for the Fallen.

They shall grow not old,
as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning
We will remember them.

STANDARDS RAISED: Royal British Legion standard bearers at the John Fielding memorial service at St Michael's and All Angels Church, Llantarnam

The Reverend Anthony Turner, vicar of Llantarnam said "We commend John Fielding's bravery as we do others who lay down their lives in the service of others.

We particularly remember our soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere as we pray for the firemen, police, members of the ambulance service, the lifeboats and mountain rescue and all who risk their lives for others."

The exhortation was read by Mr William Edwards, treasurer of Cwmbran and District ex-Servicemen's Associaton and who served in the RAF in North Africa during the last war.

Wreaths were laid by Messrs Jack O'Connor and Brian Mahoney.

Councillor Bill King, Mayor of Torfaen, unveiling the Memorial Stone.
The memorial, sculpted by Teucer Wilson, is of a Hirlas horn – (y Corn Hirlas) - used by the ancient Welsh both for feasting and as a warning of the approach of enemies.

As he drew away the covering the Mayor said
"We are here to commemorate service which went far beyond that which might normally be expected."
"His bravery saved eight others.
"It is a clear message to us all that we should be working for others."

The following article appeared in the South Wales Argus on 28 January 2008

Memorial unveiled to VC hero

By Mike Buckingham

This year there was an added dimension the annual ceremony honouring Private John Fielding VC who served as Private John Williams of the 24th of Foot and one of the heroes of Rorke's Drift.

In the presence of 60 Gwent veterans and Paul Murphy, MP for Torfaen and newly-appointed Welsh secretary and local dignitaries a memorial for John Fielding was unveiled only two hundreds yards from his refurbished grave.

John Fielding was born at Merthyr Road , Abergavenny in 1857 changing his name after running away from home to join the regular army.

On January 22, 1879 at the remote mission post at Rorke's Drift he was part of a small force detailed to defend the station against oncoming Zulus.

When he and his comrade Private Hook ran out of ammunition they held off the attackers at bayonet-point allowing eight patients in the mission hospital to retreat to safety.

After the annual service at St Michael and All the Angels the parade formed up behind the standards of the comrades' association of the South Wales Borderers (24th of Foot) Pontypool branch, the Cwmbran and District Ex-Servicemen's Association and the Newport branch of the Royal Engineer's Association for the short march to John Fielding Gardens, where the memorial waited under its shroud of scarlet velvet.

The 10 Victoria Crosses won by the 24th at Rorke's Drift remain the highest number ever earned in one engagement.

John Fielding lived in Llantarnam Road , Cwmbran and afterwards with his married daughter in Cocker Avenue .

He died in November 1932 aged 75.

On the day of his funeral in November, 1932 the cortege was half-a-mile long, its progress filmed by Pathe News and distributed to cinemas nationwide.