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5th Battalion, South Wales Borderers
5th (Service) Battalion, South Wales Borderers was raised at Brecon in September 1914 as part of Kitchener's Second New Army and joined 58th Brigade, 19th (Western) Division. They trained at Park House Camp, Tidworth and spent the winter in billets in Basingstoke. On the 10th of January 1915 they converted to be a Pioneer Battalion and moved to billets in Burnham. In March 1915 the moved to Bulford and then in April to Perham Down for final training. They proceeded to France, landing at Le Havre on the 16th of July 1915. 19th (Western) Division concentrated near St Omer and their first action was at Pietre, in a diversionary action supporting the Battle of Loos. In 1916 They were in action during the Battle of the Somme, capturing La Boisselle and being involved in The attacks on High Wood, The Battles of Pozieres Ridge, the Ancre Heights and the Ancre. In 1917 they were in action in The Battle of Messines and the Third Battles of Ypres. In 1918 They fought on The Somme during The Battle of St Quentin and The Battle of Bapaume and in the Battles of the Lys at Messines, Bailleul and The First Battle of Kemmel Ridge. They fought in The Battle of the Aisne and during the Final Advance in Picardly they were in action in The Battle of the Selle, The Battle of the Sambre and the passage of the Grand Honelle. At the Armitice were were in billets near Bavay. Demobilisation began in December 1918 and the final cadres returned to England on the 27th of June 1919.
Jul 1915 Training Instruction
Jul 1915 Billets
23rd Sep 1915 Reliefs
16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme
1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets
11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment
16th Dec 1915 Hearts of Stone
10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens
9th February 1916 Call Ups
2nd Apr 1917 Heavy Snow
1st Oct 1916 Orders
2nd Oct 1916 Brigades Training
3rd Oct 1916 Reliefs
4th Oct 1916 On the Move
6th Oct 1916 Orders 
8th Oct 1916 Orders Issued
12th Oct 1916 Shelling
14th Oct 1916 Orders
15th Oct 1916 Orders
1st Dec 1916 Training
2nd Dec 1916 Training
6th Dec 1916 Billets
18th Dec 1916 Inspections
20th of December 1916 A Bombing Competition
21st Dec 1916 Defence Work
1st Apr 1917 Artillery Registration
3rd Apr 1917 Blizzard
4th Apr 1917 Artillery Active
5th Apr 1917 Some Shelling
6th Apr 1917 Artilery in Support
7th Apr 1917 Shelling
8th Apr 1917 Artillery Registration
9th Apr 1917 Hail Stones
12th of June 1918 Change of Command
16th Feb 1918 Reorganisation
21st of March 1918 Intense Barrage
23rd Mar 1918 Heavy Fighting
24th Mar 1918 Fighting Withdrawal
10th of April 1918 Into Battle
11th Apr 1918 5th South Wales Borderers in action On this date B Coy of the 5th South Wales Borderers were fighting in the area of the Wytschaete- Messines Road in the Ypres sector. During the action they lost 13 men killed. On this very day Haig issued his " backs to the wall" special order.
8th of May 1918 Heavy Gas Bombardment
10th of May 1918 Heavy Shelling
7th of June 1918 Reliefs
16th of January 1919 Football
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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| Want to know more about 5th Battalion, South Wales Borderers ? There are:5274 items tagged 5th Battalion, South Wales Borderers available in our Library
These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.
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Those known to have served with5th Battalion, South Wales Borderers during the Great War 1914-1918. - Baker Bertie. Pte.
- Cocking Thomas. Pte. (d.10th Nov 1916)
- Daniel David James. Dvr.
- Ebdell Thomas. Pte. (d.8th Nov 1918)
- Edwards Ellis. Pte. (d.4th November 1918)
- Evans Percy James. Pte. (d.30th July 1916)
- Hibbert DCM. Phillips. Sgt. (d.10th January 1918)
- Jenkins Robert Bartle . (d.18th Feb 1917)
- Jones Simon. L/Cpl. (d.25th Mar 1918)
- Long Frederick. Cpl. (d.14th November 1916)
- Lovatt MM. Thomas. Sgt.
- Martin Leslie Henry. Pte. (d.14th Oct 1917)
- Matthews MiD. Cornelius. CSM.
- Owen Levi Stanley. Pte. (d.11th Apr 1918)
- Phillps Wlliam Walter. Pte.
- Poole J.. L/Cpl. (d.7th Jun 1917)
- Rose William Richard. Pte
- Smithey DCM George. Cpl.
- Thomas W J. Pte
- Wildblood Joseph. Pte.
- Williams Fred. Pte.
- Williams Robert William. Pte. (d.24th March 1918)
- Woodyatt Thomas Frederick. (d.18th April 1918)
All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed,
please Add a Name to this List
Records of 5th Battalion, South Wales Borderers from other sources.
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- 1st of September 2024 marks 25 years since the launch of the Wartime Memories Project. Thanks to everyone who has supported us over this time.
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Did you know? We also have a section on World War Two. and a
Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
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Robert Bartle Jenkins 5th Btn. C Coy. South Wales Borderers (d.18th Feb 1917) Robert Jenkins was my great uncle. I don’t really know much about him, but I know he died in the war and is buried in France.
You will not be forgotten.
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L/Cpl. Simon Jones 5th Btn. South Wales Boderers (d.25th Mar 1918) Simon Jones was 26 years old when he died in action. His remains were never found. He is my Great Grandfather. My grandmother Elizabeth Mabel Suller was born in August 1918. Unfortunately Simon was never able to see his daughter. We treasure the service penny awarded to my grandmother and my children are enjoying learning about the life of their great great grandfather today as we prepare for VE Day celebrations 75 years on.
Simon Jones' daughter (my grandmother) lived to 101 years of age. We lost her at the end of 2019.
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Sgt. Phillips Hibbert DCM. 5th Battalion South Wales Borderers (d.10th January 1918) Phillips Hibbert was awarded the DCM in 1916, when he was a Lance Corporal, for conspicuous courage and coolness under fire. He was one of a party that reoccupied a post that had been destroyed by enemy fire.
Phillips was awarded an address by Prestwich District Council, in recognition of his DCM. In his acceptance speech, he said, "It doesn't take much courage to win the DCM, but it takes a lot of courage to face an audience." This was reported in the Manchester Evening News on 13th April 1916.
Phillips went on to be promoted to Sergeant, which was the rank he held when he died of his injuries on 10th of January 1918 in France. He is commemorated in St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen.
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Pte. Joseph Wildblood 5th Btn. South Wales Borderers Joseph Wildblood served 1 year 9 months in France, then 1 year 9 months in Mesopotamia, 2 months in Egypt, 2 in months Salonica. Whilst in France Joseph also received a gun shot wound to his left eye 29th of July 1916 and a gun shot wound to his left shin on 6th Mar 1917.
He entered France with the 5th Battalion on 17 July 1915 and transferred to
the 4th Battalion on 22nd July 1917 in Mesopotamia.
He contracted malaria whilst in Salonica in Jan 1919.
He was classed as 30% disabled by the pensions board.
Joseph died aged 64 years old in 1964.
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CSM. Cornelius Matthews MiD. 10th (1st Gwent) Battalion South Wales Borderers Cornelius Matthews joined the 5th South Wales Borderers on 20th of August 1914. He was discharged three weeks later due to a toe injury incurred two years earlier in a mining accident.
He joined 10th South Wales Borderers on the 12th of November 1914, was promoted to Corporal in February and went to France early in 1915. He was promoted to Lance Sergeant in April and Sergeant in July 1915, he was promoted to CSM in July 1917. He fought at Mametz Wood, was injured and returned to UK. Then he went to Mesopotamia with the 10th Battalion and contracted Malaria. He was Mentioned in Dispatches on the 21st of February 1919 and demobilised in March 1919.
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Pte. Wlliam Walter Phillps 5th Battalion South Wales Borderers William Philips was a miner before the war and was released from the army early to return to the mines.
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Pte. Bertie Baker 5th Btn. South Wales Borderers From the Exeter and Plymouth Gazette 7th of January 1916:
"Pte. Bertie Baker, of the Welsh Borderers, son of Mr Baker, of Prospect Place, Tiverton, writing home from the firing line, describes the scenes in and around the trenches in the locality in which he was placed during Christmastide. "The bursting of shells", he says, "lighted up the country for miles around, and I expect the Germans thought the end of the world had come. We are sending over thousands of shells every day, and for every twenty we fire across the Germans reply with two or three. It is evident the Kaiser intends to fight until he has not a man left, but as for peace, there are no signs of it." Pte. Baker then gives the menu for Christmas Day. They had for breakfast fried bacon and bread and butter; for dinner, roast beef, carrots and potatoes, oranges, apples and chocolate. Afterwards they received 15 packets of Woodbines and two packets of tobacco, a shirt and pants, two pairs of socks, handkerchief, gloves and scarves. For tea, they had cake and biscuits and bread and butter."
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Pte. Percy James Evans 5th Btn. D Coy. South Wales Borderers (d.30th July 1916) Percy Evans was the fifth son of 13 children to George and Fanny Evans of the Black House, Putley, Herefordshire.
Four of the Evans boys enlisted for service in WW1.
Percy enlisted to the South Wales Borderers at Pontypool and served in D company, 5th Battalion
He Went to France on 1st of July 1916 and was killed in action on 30th July 1916 aged 19, whilst the Battalion was under the orders of the 57th Infantry Brigade, in the area of Bazentin-le-Petit wood and Mamtez Wood.
Percy has no known grave and is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial.
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Pte. Fred Williams 5th Btn. South Wales Borderers My Grandfather, Fred Williams, was in the First World War.
Following research I have found from the War Diaries that he was
Listed as Missing on the 14th of April 1918, in the Neuve Eglise area.
I have his two medals.
He obviously was found, because I am here.
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Sgt. Thomas Lovatt MM. 5th Btn. South Wales Borderers Thomas Lovatt came from Tunstall near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, and saw service during the Great War as a Private later Sergeant (No.19443) with the 5th Pioneers Battalion, South Wales Borderers.
Seeing service on the Western Front from 17th of July 1915, his Battalion, formed as part of Kitcheners 2nd New Army, came under the orders of the 58th Brigade, in the 19th (Western) Division, and had originally been converted to a Pioneer Battalion back in January 1915. Lovatt had arrived on the Western Front with the main body of his battalion which would land at Le Havre on 16th July 1915.
Lovatt was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the field in the London Gazette for 29th August 1918, which indicates an award won during the period of the German Spring Offensive during March to April 1918. Lovatt was subsequently discharged to the Class Z Army Reserve on 22nd February 1919.
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Pte. Thomas Ebdell 5th Battlion, B Coy. South Wales Borderers (d.8th Nov 1918) Born on 15th May 1899 Tom Ebdell was too young to join up when the first world war broke out. So he lied.
On 19th August 1915 Tom enlisted as 3606, Private, in the 4th King's Own Royal Lancashire Regiment, 2nd/4th Battalion, B company. But on February 26th 1916 he was discharged for being under the age of 17.
There is no record of Tom going home. He had been training in Wales at the time of his discharge, maybe this is why he then almost immediately became Private 49552 of the 5th Battalion South Wales Borderers.
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Dvr. David James Daniel 5th Btn. South Wales Borderers David Daniel Enlisted in September 1914 and went to Flanders in July 1915. He went home on leave to Aberystwyth in 1917 where the local paper reported that Dvr Wm Davies and Dvr David Daniel "they were well, after two years in France and were unscathed" before returning to France and then discharge in February 1919.
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Pte. Ellis Edwards 5th Btn. South Wales Borderers (d.4th November 1918) Ellis was the son of Mrs Catherine Edwards, 6 Ysgubor Wen, Denbigh.
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Thomas Frederick Woodyatt 5th Battalion South Wales Borderers (d.18th April 1918) My great uncle died aged 18 - records show 18th April 1918 Thomas Frederick Woodyatt. He was in the 5th Battalion of the South Wales Borderers.
His younger brother, my Uncle Bill, used to tell me about his big brother and he remembers the great sadness of his brother's death in the family. In fact he said his father joined up (even though he was too old) because he didn't feel right that his son had gone to war.
So, his father survived the war and fought at Gallipoli but was heartbroken that his son never returned. My cousin has an heirloom of Uncle Bill's father that he kept from his time at Gallipoli-a very bent bullet that post war, he had attached to his watch chain. The bullet was lodged in his metal hat during an attack.
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Pte. Leslie Henry Martin 5th Btn. South Wales Borderers (d.14th Oct 1917) Private Leslie Martin, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Martin, was born in Elston, Nottinghamshire, and lived there with his family at Ivy House. Before joining the South Wales Borderers he was a member of the Army Service Corps. He died at home aged 19 after fighting in the Battle of Passchendaele in Flanders. He is buried in All Saints Churchyard, Elston, and is also commemorated on the All Saints Church War Memorial.
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