1st Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment

   1st Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment was a unit of the Territorial Force with its HQ in Stow Hill, Newport, it was part of the Welsh Border Infantry Brigade, Welsh Division. When war was declared in August 1914, they were at once mobilised for war and moved at once to defend Pembroke Dock. They moved to Oswestry by the 10th of August and were at Northampton by the end of August. In December they moved to Bury St Edmunds and to Cambridge in January 1915. They proceeded to France on the 13th of February to join 84th Brigade in 28th Division, who were concentrating in the area between Bailleul and Hazebrouck, being joined by additional Territorial units. In 1915 they were in action in The Second Battle of Ypres, suffering very heavy losses and on the 27th of May they amalgamated with the 1/2nd and 1/3rd Bns at Vlamertinghe, resuming their own identity on the 11th of August. On the 3rd of September they transferred as a Pioneer Battalion to 46th (North Midland) Division. They were in action during The attack at the Hohenzollern Redoubt in October. On the 23rd of December the were ordered to proceed to Egypt via Marseilles leaving the DAC, Divisional Train and the Mobile Veterinary Section behind. All units had arrived by the 13th of January 1916 but they spent just a few days in Egypt, being ordered to return to France where the units left behind rejoined. On the 1st of July 1916 they took part in The diversionary attack at Gommecourt. In 1917 they were in action during the Operations on the Ancre, Occupation of the Gommecourt defences, The attack on Rettemoy Graben, The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, The attack on Lievin and The Battle of Hill 70. In 1918 they saw action in The Battle of the St Quentin canal, including the passage of the canal at Bellenglise, The Battle of the Beaurevoir Line, The Battle of Cambrai, The Battle of the Selle and The Battle of Sambre. At the Armistice, the advance units of the Division were at Sains-du-Nord. The Division moved back to Landrecies on the 15th of November then to the Le Cateau area in early January 1919 where demobilisation began.

28th of January 1915 Active Snipers

23rd of February 1915

23rd Feb 1915 Reorganisation

24th of February 1915 Snipers Checked

26th of February 1915 Patrol Encountered

27th Feb 1915 Signal Message

27th of February 1915 Brigade Relief

28th of February 1915 Artillery Reorganised

2nd of March 1915 Patrols

2nd of March 1915 Machine Guns

3rd of March 1915 Enemy Fire Silenced

4th of March 1915 Enemy Nervous

5th of March 1915 "Active and Nervous" Enemy

6th of March 1915 No Hostile Patrols

7th of March 1915 A Searchlight Hit

10th of March 1915 POW Taken

11th of March 1915 Mortar Shells

13th of March 1915 Booby Trap

14th of March 1915 Artillery Quiet

16th March 1915 Information

16th of March 1915 No Hostile Patrols

17th of March 1915 Retaliation

19th of March 1915 Patrols

20th of March 1915

29th of March 1915 Quiet Time

30th of March 1915 Hostile MG Damaged?

31st of March 1915

31st March 1915 Working Parties

31st of March 1915 Staff

1st of April 1915 Orders

4th of April 1915 A White Flag

5th of April 1915 Quiet Day

6th of April 1915 A Hand Over

7th Apr 1915 Reorganisation

8th May 1915 Heavy Fighting in Ypres Salient  On the morning of 8th May, the 3rd Monmouths had three companies in the front line and one in support. Half a mile to the north the 1st Monmouth's were fighting with the 83rd Brigade. The German bombardment began at 5.30 am followed by the first infantry attack at 8.30. In the words of Pte W.H. Badham: "They started bombarding at the same time in the morning and….afterwards we could hear a long blast of a whistle, and the attack started. We were only a handful of men, and they came on in thousands, but we kept them at bay"
Private A.L. Devereux carried this story forward in a letter he wrote to his family a day or two after the battle: "Hundreds of them were put of action with shells and it left very few men to man the trenches. After, the Huns shelled all the country for a couple of miles…stoping any reinforcements from being brought up and thousands of the rabble charged our trenches in their favourite massed formation. The few boys that were left in our trenches showed then the kind of stuff Britain can turn out and thousands of the Germans were put out of action"
Almost immediately, the shelling started again and at 09.00am the Germans attacked again and were again driven back. The Germans realised that their attack was making no progress, and they fell back so that the artillery could return to its task on the front line trenches. By 9.10 am the bombardment was as intense as at any time that morning and there was little that the soldiers could do except find what little cover they could.
Orders reached the 3rd Monmouth's and 2nd King's Own from Brigade HQ about 10am to evacuate the front line trenches. Captain Baker began withdrawing his Company, but immediately the enemy opened up an intense machine gun fire, followed by shrapnel, which practically swept away the few survivors of A and D Companies. Captain Baker was killed a few yards behind the front line. The order apparently never reached Lt Reed and he and few men of A Company, with some machine gunners held on gallantly and resisted to the last. Lt Reed was finally killed and no officer of A Company was left, and only 13 survivors amongst the men could be mustered. D Company stuck it gallantly. They lost their only officer Captain J Lancaster. Every Sergeant in the company was killed and only 16 men answered the roll call next morning. Of the 500 men in A and D Companies only 29 were left. B Company (under Captain Gattie) throughout the battle was separated from the rest of the Battalion. They were in the front line in a wood near Red Lodge. Rations and letters came up regularly and one fortunate officer even received a tin of cooked sausages! What the war diary does not record is that the new trenches had been hastily prepared and it was not as deep or as wide as had been hoped for by those men retiring to it. One member of the 3rd Monmouths noted: "….when we occupied this new line of trenches we found them very badly made and up to our knees in water, and the poor men had no chance of getting any sleep unless they wished to i.e. down in the water".
So dawned the most critical day of the great battle, the 8th May, The 3rd Monmouth's lay astride the Zonnebeke road, the apex of the Salient, two companies in the front line with one in support and the fourth company not far away to the south. Half a mile to the north was their sister battalion the 1st Monmouthshire's in the 84th Brigade. Holding the position with them were their comrades of the 83rd Brigade, the nd Kings Own to the north and to the south the 1st KOYLI who relieved the 1st York and Lancs and B Coy. 3rd Monmouth's on the night of the 7th May. The Brigade had been in the line without relief since April 17th . Its numbers were greatly reduced, and the artillery behind were few in numbers and woefully short of ammunition. As indicating the desperate position of the British troops in respect to artillery support, it is now authoritatively stated that the heavy British guns during this period of the 2nd Battle of Ypres were limited to:- One 9.2 inch howitzer, Eight 60 pdrs, Four old six inch howitzers, Twelve obsolete 4.7 inch guns.
Against them the Germans brought up at least 260 heavy guns and howitzers. There was nothing except the Division between the enemy and Ypres on that day and they got as far as Verlorenhoek, but the British soldier proverbially does not know when he is beaten and the Germans were kept back somehow till fresh troops were brought up in the evening to fill the many gaps. The enemy on their side were all out to push through. They had guns on the high ground enfilading the British position and smothering our artillery, they had field guns well forward, and they had innumerable machine guns, and six divisions of their best and freshest troops, against the depleted ranks of the war-worn and weary 27 th and 28 th Divisions. Their bombardment opened up at 5.30.a.m. and the trenches lying on the forward slope were badly damaged and almost untenable.
The wood came under heavy shelling and Lt Groves and Lt Palmer were killed by a direct hit on their dug out. After two German attacks on the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry in the front trenches, B Company charged across open ground to reinforce them. A dip in the ground favoured the advance and casualties were few, but Capt. Gardner was shot through the heart as he entered the trench, a great loss. He was one of the finest looking and best soldiers in the Battalion. 2/Lt. Paul was wounded at about the same time.
The first enemy infantry attack took place at 8.30.a.m. and was driven off. The bombardment re-opened and at 9.a.m. the enemy again attacked and were driven back. After a further hours intense shelling the front line was practically obliterated and the enemy found few survivors to hold up the attack. In A Coy 3rd Monmouths, Capt Baker and C.S.M. were killed and Lt Reed with a few survivors of his company held gallantly on and resisted to the last. This party and the machine gun section took heavy toll of the advancing enemy, but were finally overwhelmed by numbers. Lt. Reed was killed and no officer of A Coy was left and only 13 survivors amongst the men could be mustered. D Coy stuck it gallantly. They lost their only officer, Captain James Lancaster, beloved of all who knew him, and that fine type of Territorial soldier C.S.M. Lippiatt, who did such wonderful work training recruits almost single-handed at Abergavenny in August and September 1914. Every Sergeant in the company was killed and only 16 men answered the roll next morning. The machine-gun section were involved in this slaughter, and had one gun destroyed but one of the few survivors brought back the lock of the other.
Early in the day C Coy came into action in support, but little by little was forced back to Battalion HQ owing to the exposure of their flank from the north. Stragglers were coming down the road, so Col. Gough ordered Sergeant Jenkins to collect them in a trench in the rear, and for his fine services on this occasion coupled with the good work on the telephone; this old soldier received the DCM. This party and other remnants of the Battalion was led by Col. Gough in counter attack, but could only advance as far as the eastern edge of Frezenberg. In this advance R.S.M. Hatton was seriously wounded. He had accompanied the adjutant Capt. Ramsden, in many visits to the front line during the last terrible days and with him had often helped to stiffen the defence by cheery encouragement. He now refused to be carried back and was taken prisoner. His wounds were of such a nature that he was one of the first prisoners of war to be exchanged, but unhappily he died much regretted before the end of the war. He was a fine type of regular soldier from whom all ranks learnt much. After hanging onto this position for some time and holding up the advance, orders came at about 11.a.m. from the Brigade to retire on the GHQ line near Potijze.
Lt. McLean, M.O., 3rd Monmouth's and Lt.Marriott, M.O., 1st Monmouth's had established a dressing station just east of Verlorenhoek; at 11.a.m. they received orders to retire their detachments, but after sending back the stretcher bearers they found a number of wounded still coming back and so decided to carry on, till the enemy were practically in the village and Lt. McLean was wounded.
Just before mid-day the 2nd East Yorks were ordered to counter attack and after reaching Verlorenhoek with heavy casualties had to fall back on the G.H.Q. line. At 2.30.p.m. 1st York and Lancaster and 3rd Middlesex counter-attacked north and south of the railway, remnants of the 2nd East Yorks, 1st KOYLI, 2nd Kings Own, 3rd Monmouth's, 5th Kings Own going up into support. At 3.30.p.m. 2nd East Surreys, 3rd Royal Fusiliers arrived and were sent up in support. The counter attack, practically unsupported by artillery, made slow progress and by 5.30.p.m. was held up at a line running from Verlorenhoek south over the railway. This line was consolidated with fresh troops during the night and eventually became the approximate position of the front line until the British advance in 1917.
In the meantime the 3rd Monmouth Battalion with the exception of B Coy was withdrawn and marched back to huts at Vlamertinghe. B Coy throughout the battle was separated from the rest of the battalion. It reinforced 1st York and Lancs, coming under orders of the CO of that Battalion, and took over a trench on the extreme right of the Brigade and Division from a company of K.R.R.C. 27 th Division. The next unit on the right was the "Princess Pats". The position was in front of the wood near Red Lodge, about 300 yards south of the Roulers railway. The trench was newly dug like the rest of the line and not deep. It was also on a forward slope and the only communication trench was full of mud and impassable. Further, it lay along a lane with a hedge on one side and a line of poplars on the other, so that it was an admirable mark for the enemy's artillery observing on Westhoek Ridge. On May 5 th and in a smaller degree on May 6 th and 7 th the enemy bombarded the trench, but it was so narrow and well traversed that the damage was comparatively slight and casualties not as heavy as might be expected from such a bombardment. Sgt. Nash, a Territorial with much service, was killed on the 6th .
The attack in front was beaten off and the afternoon in the immediate neighbourhood proved quiet, but there was a great danger of the company being surrounded.. The P.P.C.L.I on the right were forced back to their support trench and on the left to the north of the wood there was a large gap and both flanks were more or less in the air. Accordingly Capt. Gattie went to the HQ of the Rifle Brigade, near Bellewaarde Lake, for reinforcements to protect the exposed flanks, especially to the north, and was able to guide them as far as the P.P.C.L.I. support trench, but machine gun fire prevented them from advancing further until dark. Meanwhile a party of the Monmouth's and KOYLI were in fact in advance of all other British troops with both flanks exposed. Towards the evening the bullets of our troops counter-attacking up the railway were beginning to take them in the rear, so that it was clearly impossible to hold on.
The party was now completely cut off from its own HQ, so Capt. Gattie proceeded to Brigade HQ for orders, leaving the remains of B Company under 2/Lt. Somerset. Under cover of darkness the men of both units filed out of the right end of the trench and were sorted out, and the men in the wood were ordered to re-join. This party had received no orders to advance in the morning and had been left behind. The senior soldier, Cpl. Sketchley, had kept them together during the day and now led 30 men out to join the Company. The enemy attack up the railway on his left had come so near that his party had taken a prisoner and they now brought him with them. Cpl. Sketchley received the D.C.M. for his great initiative and pluck at this period. Capt. Mallinson was awarded the D.S.O., for his fine leadership in maintaining this position and finally in extracting his party from a very difficult position. The enemy did not attempt to harass the withdrawal and the whole mixed party got safely back to Rifle Brigade HQ. After a halt there they proceeded across the railway to the Potijze road intending to rejoin the Brigade at Vlamertinghe.

9th May 1915 Hard fighting on Frezenberg Ridge  Under cover of darkness, the remnants of B Coy 3rd Monmouths began to withdraw to rejoin the rest of the battalion. Just as they got back to the GHQ line at dawn on May 9th a staff officer ordered them back into the front line.

22nd May 1915 The Amalgamated Monmouthshire Battalions   After the heavy casualties of the 2nd Battle of Ypres, the three Monmouthshire Battalions barely mustered the strength of one Battalion; on May 22nd orders were received for the remains of the three battalions to amalgamate under the command of Major WS Bridge.

22nd May 1915 Reorganisation

23rd May 1915 3rd Monmouths on the move  The 3rd Mons left Winnezeele and joined the 1st Mons that night in bivouacs in the Vlamertinghe Woods.

24th May 1915 Germans attack Ypres  On 24th May the Germans launched a fresh bombardment and infantry attack on Ypres and the Monmouths again found themselves in the front line, this time at the infamous "Hellfire Corner". This marked the last serious attempt of the enemy to push through in the 2nd Battle of Ypres. At about 8 p.m. a Highland Battalion relieved the Monmouthshire's.

27th May 1915 2nd Monmouths amalganate  The 2nd Monmouth's joined the amalgamated Battalion on May 27th and the official amalgamation of the battalions took place on May 28th. Also the amalgamated battalions moved to Herzeele where the Brigadier (General Bols) who stated that the three battalions would be eventually reformed addressed them. It is interesting to note the strength of the three units on July 24th, when they were still far below strength:- 1st Battalion: 7 Officers 193 Other ranks, 2nd Battalion: 12 Officers 476 Other ranks, 3rd Battalion: 8 Officers 273 Other ranks.

28th May 1915 Monmouths Amalgamate  The 2nd Monmouth's joined the 1st and 3rd Battalions on May 27th and the official amalgamation of the battalions took place on May 28th. The amalgamated battalions moved to Herzeele where the Brigadier, General Bols, addressed them and stated that the three battalions would be eventually reformed.

28th May 1915 Reorganisation

29th May 1915 Monmouthshires re-equip  The period from May 29th to June 10th was busily spent in organising and re-equipping. It was in this period that the first real protection against gas was issued and considerable time was given to training in the use of the new gas helmet. A party from the Monmouth's had taken part in the initial tests which, owing to the shortage of gas, were carried out inside a motor omnibus. Since the surprise use of gas various temporary solutions had been adopted to help protect the troops against the effects. These new gas helmets, quickly produced, were remarkably simple and effective under the circumstances. They remained in service for about 9 months when new forms of protection were required due to the introduction of other forms of gas as a weapon of war.
It is interesting to note the strength of the three units forming the amalgamated Battalion was still far below strength: 1st Battalion 7 Officers 193 Other ranks; 2nd Battalion 12 Officers 476 Other ranks; 3rd Battalion 8 Officers 273 Other ranks

29th May 1915 Parade

9th Jun 1915 Refitting

11th Jun 1915 On the march

11th Jun 1915 On the Move

17th Jun 1915 Under Shellfire

19th Jun 1915 Reliefs

26th Jun 1915 Reliefs

3rd Jul 1915 Reliefs

5th Jul 1915 Monmouth Battalions to reform  On July 5th the first steps were taken to reform the three battalions. This lead to the 2nd Monmouth's being detached away on July 24 th and subsequently the final partition between 1st and 3rd Monmouth's on August 11th. The 3rd Monmouth's were reattached to the 83rd Brigade and reorganised into four Companies under Lt JM Jones, Captain HG Tyler, Lt LD Whitehead and Lt HA Hodges.

5th Jul 1915 Reorganisation

9th Jul 1915 Sports

10th Jul 1915 Reliefs

14th Jul 1915 Reliefs

15th Jul 1915 On the March

16th Jul 1915 On the March

19th Jul 1915 On the March

22nd Jul 1915 Orders

24th Jul 1915 2nd Monmouths detached  The 2nd Monmouths were detached from the amalgamated battalions of the Monmouhs, the first to reform as an independent unit.

24th Jul 1915 Reorganisation

26th Jul 1915 Reinforcements

28th Jul 1915 Reliefs

29th Jul 1915 Retaliation

1st Aug 1915 Mining

2nd Aug 1915 Reliefs

7th Aug 1915 On the March

9th Aug 1915 Reorganisation

10th Aug 1915 Reorganisation

11th Aug 1915 1st and 3rd Monmouths reform  The 1st and 2nd Monmouths separated from the amalgamated battalion to be independent units once more. The 3rd Monmouth's were reattached to the 83rd Brigade and reorganised into four Companies under Lt J.M. Jones, Captain H.G. Tyler, Lt L.D. Whitehead and Lt H.A. Hodges.

11th Aug 1915 Reorganisation

3rd September 1915 Reorganisation

7th Oct 1915 Planning

13th Oct 1915 Support Battalions Advance

16th Oct 1915 Pride

16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme

1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets

11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment

10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens

9th February 1916 Call Ups

1st May 1916 Posting

1st Jun 1916 Working Parties

2nd May 1916 Inspection

3rd May 1916 Orders Received

4th May 1916 Reinforcements

5th May 1916 On the March

6th May 1916 On the March

7th May 1916 On the March

8th May 1916 Training

9th May 1916 Training

10th May 1916 Concert

11th May 1916 Training

12th May 1916 Visit

13th May 1916 Training

14th May 1916 Training

15th May 1916 Training

16th May 1916 Training

17th May 1916 Training

18th May 1916 Training

19th May 1916 Training

20th May 1916 Training

21st May 1916 Church Parade

22nd May 1916 Communications

23rd May 1916 Working Parties

24th May 1916 Working Parties

25th May 1916 Working Parties

26th May 1916 Working Parties

27th May 1916 Working Parties

28th May 1916 Working Parties

29th May 1916 Preparations

30th May 1916 Working Parties

31st May 1916 Working Parties

28th of February 1918 Divisional Defence Scheme

10th of March 1918 5th Dorsets on Patrol

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Want to know more about 1st Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment?

There are:5346 items tagged 1st Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment available in our Library

These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.

Those known to have served with
1st Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment
during the Great War 1914-1918.

Betts Richard Thomas . Pte.
Fryer William Francis. Pte.
Griffiths Thomas Henry. L/Cpl. (d.8th May 1915)
Herbert MM. Frank Harold. Rfmn.
Hollingsworth Frank. Pte. (d.9th Aug 1917 )
Hord Horace. Pte. (d.12th April 1918)
Jones Henry. Pte.
Lake Isaac. Rfmn. (d.12th Sep 1918)
Mansfield James Michael. A/Sgt. (d.8th Oct 1918)
Taylor Francis Cyril. Rflmn. (d.8th May 1915)
Walker John. Rflmn. (d.8th October 1918)
Wall George. Cpl. (d.28th April 1915)
Walters Thomas David. Pte. (d.8th Oct 1918)
Warman Francis. Pte. (d.8th May 1915)
Williams Reginald John. Rifleman (d.8th Oct 1918)

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Cpl. George Wall 1st Btn. Monmouthshire Regiment (d.28th April 1915)

George Wall died on the 28th of April 1915, aged 39. Buried in the Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension in France, he was the husband of M. E. Williams (formerly Wall), of 95 Lower Rd., Cwmsyfiog, New Tredegar, Mon.
s flynn

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Pte. Richard Thomas Betts 1st Btn. Monmouthshire Regiment

Richard Betts was my grandfather and never talked about his time in France during WW1. It left him traumatised for years afterward with what we now know as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He was discharged in February 1919. His military record card shows he had medals, but I assume these have been lost now.
Susan Betts

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A/Sgt. James Michael Mansfield 1st Btn. Monmouthshire Regiment (d.8th Oct 1918)

James Mansfield died age 20 and is buried in Guizancourt Farm Cemetery, Gouy.
Marilyn Spears

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Pte. Horace Hord 1st Battalion, C Coy. Monmouthshire Regiment (d.12th April 1918)

Horace Hord is my husband's great, grand uncle, the brother of his great grandmother Frances Hord Howorth. Horace was born near Bacup, Lancashire, England in about 1897. Frances' husband, James Howorth, also served in WWI, we believe in the Royal Flying Corps.
Mary Howorth

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Rflmn. John Walker 1st Btn. Monmouthshire Regiment (d.8th October 1918)

John Walker was my great, great grandfather's brother. He was buried at Sequehart British Cemetery No 1. And the inscription on his head stone reads "Gone But Not Forgoten".
Helen Nelson

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Rfmn. Isaac Lake 1st Btn. Monmouthshire Regiment (d.12th Sep 1918)

Isaac Lake was the son of Horatio Nelson Lake and Margaret Catherine Lake of Wesley Place, Denbigh.
Richard Roberts

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Pte. Francis Warman 1st Btn. Monmouthshire Regiment (d.8th May 1915)

Frank Warman was my husband's great-uncle. He enlisted at Chepstow and was sent to France with the 1st Monmouthshire Regiment on 13th of February 1915. He was killed in the intense fighting on 8th of May 1915 near Ypres aged 18 years. His little sister, Joyce, remembered the day the telegram came to her parents to say he was missing. Her mother was greatly distressed and could not be calmed down. Frank's body was never found and his name is on the Menin Gate in Ypres.
Enid Jarvis

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L/Cpl. Thomas Henry Griffiths 1st Btn. Monmouthshire Regiment (d.8th May 1915)

Thomas Griffiths served with the 1st Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment
Paul White

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Rflmn. Francis Cyril Taylor 1st Btn. Monmouthshire Regiment (d.8th May 1915)

Immediately following the outbreak of World War 1 in August 1914, Francis Taylor volunteered for the Army. Although, at age 17, he was legally too young, he was not truthful about his age and since he was over 6 feet tall at the time had little trouble convincing the recruiting officer. He was aided in this deception by his mother who had accompanied him to the recruiting station and supported his statement of age, an act which she regretted for the rest of her life.
He joined the 1st Battalion of the Monmouthshire Regiment a unit of the Territorial Force with its HQ in Stow Hill, Newport. They proceeded to France on the 13th of February to join 84th Brigade in 28th Division. Both the 1st Battalion and 2nd Battalion of the Monmouthshire Regiment landed at Le Havre on 14 February 1915.
In mid-March 1915 the battalion was sent into the front line near Ypres.
When the warring armies dug in during the winter of 1914-1915, the Allied lines developed a large bulge around the Belgian town of Ypres. This was the infamous "Ypres Salient" and the lay of the land meant that the British forces in this area were surrounded on three sides by the opposing German armies. On 22nd April the Germans opened a furious artillery bombardment at 5pm followed by the release of Chlorine gas.
Unprotected against gas, French troops fled in panic, creating a major breach in the Franco-British lines. Rushing forward to close the gap, The 1st Canadian Division overcame the immediate crisis. However, German attacks continued and by 1st May British troops began to withdraw to a new defensive line closer to Ypres itself.
The opening of an intense German artillery bombardment on 4th May marked the beginning of another stage in the battle, causing heavy casualties amongst the troops defending the Frezenberg Ridge, and on 6th May the 1st Monmouths received orders to move up to the front line. Reaching the front line on 7th May in darkness they took over badly damaged trenches and began a desperate attempt to make repairs before dawn
On 8th May, with the 2nd Battalion to the north and the 3rd Battalion to the south, all three battalions of the Monmouths were in the line as dawn broke. The British defenders were massively outnumbered, both in terms of infantry and artillery. Intense German artillery fire was followed by powerful infantry attacks and in the centre of the defensive ring around Ypres the order was given to retire. As British troops pulled back, a gap opened up in the line. It now fell to those units to the north, including the 1st Monmouths, to face German attacks from both their front and from their flank.
Finding themselves in the middle of a storm of shellfire and machine gun fire, the Monmouths lost contact with both their artillery and headquarters. As the scant British artillery support faded, officers of the battalion HQ moved forward to direct the desperate defence. The adjutant, Captain Dimsdale, was killed in an attempt to lead a counter attack, as was the second in command, Major Williams. The Monmouths were now in danger of being overwhelmed and an attempt to provide reinforcements failed as those sent forward were decimated by shellfire.
The situation was critical as the Monmouths attempted to hold off attacks from their front and deal with Germans who had taken over the trenches to their right. Captain Edwards attempted to organise a flank using a communication trench, but was soon almost surrounded. Called on to surrender and uttering the phrase which became part of regimental history, "surrender be damned," he was last seen firing his revolver at his attackers, a scene commemorated in the painting in the entrance of Newport Civic Centre.
The battalion commander, Colonel Robinson, now gave the order for the Monmouths to be pulled back from the front line to form a flank against the German attacks from the right, after which he too was shot through the neck and killed. It was now the afternoon and the situation was clearly hopeless.
With no alternative before them other than annihilation, the remaining isolated groups of the Monmouths pulled back to their support trenches. From these reserve trenches The Monmouths and the Royal Irish Rifles were able to hold off further German advances. With this, the involvement of the 1st Monmouths in the Second Battle of Ypres came to an end and the remains of the battalion were withdrawn to Brielan the following day. Here the extent of the casualties suffered became clear: of the 23 officers and 565 other ranks who had left Brielen on 7th May, 3 officers and 126 other ranks returned.
Cyril Taylor died during this battle. His body was never identified. Along with over 54,000 other British and Commonwealth officers and men who died at Ypres and who have no known graves he is memorialized on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres.
Brian Morris

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Pte. Frank Hollingsworth 1st Btn. Monmouth Regiment (d.9th Aug 1917 )

Frank Hollingsworth is a 4th cousin 2 times removed who I came across researching my late father's family history. Frank was born 3rd April 1897 in Owen Street, Tipton, Staffordshire. Baptized 23rd May 1897 at Saint Matthew's Church in Tipton. He never met his father Frank who died towards the end of 1896. His mother Marion Amelia nee Tomkys died just before his 8th birthday. He was counted in the 1911 census with his aunt, Maud Crowther, also born in Tipton, uncle John Crowther, a grocer's manager and cousins Edgar 11 & Dennis 4 at 38, Stafford Road, Oakengates, Shropshire.
Frank, a grocer's assistant enlisted on the 10th December 1915, aged 18 years 8 months and was posted to army reserve. Next of kin is given as his aunt Maud Crowther, at the address above in Shropshire. At his regular army medical on the 18th of April 1916 at Shrewsbury his height is given as 5' 1 1/4", weight 105 lbs, Chest 32 1/2" (2 1/2" expansion), physical development fair, 2 vaccination marks on left arm from infancy). He was mobilized on 13th October 1916, joining the British Expeditionary force the next day, and embarked from Southampton 10th June 1917, disembarking at Rouen 11th June 1917.
On the 30th June 1917 he was transferred to the 1st (T.F.) Monmouth Regiment & posted to the 10th South Wales Borderers. On the 7th of July 1917 he joined the battalion in the field. On 9th August 1917 age 20 Frank died of his wounds. He is buried in Dozinghem Military Cemetery, Westvleteren - Poperinge, Belgium.
Gordon Thursfield

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Pte. William Francis Fryer 1st Btn. Monmouthshire Regiment

Bill Fryer was a tunneller and was rescued and captured by the Germans and became a prisoner of war in 1915. He survived the war and was ever grateful to the Germans for saving his life.
Simon Dore

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Rfmn. Frank Harold Herbert MM. 1st Btn. Monmouthshire Regiment

Frank Herbert was awarded a Military Medal for his actions as a stretcher bearer on the 8th of October 1918.
Karen Davies

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Pte. Henry Jones 1st Btn Monmouthshire Regiment

Henry Jones was my Great Grandfather. He arrived in France on the 13th February 1915. The recent discovery of the two postcards in some old photo's belonging to one of his daughters, shows him being a POW at Giessen nr Frankfurt. Henry never talked about his time in the war and his two living daughters did not know that he was a POW or even fought in the war. I don't think that any of his children ever knew. He was almost certainly at the 2nd Battle of Ypres at which most of the regiment was annihilated. It is probable that he was taken prisoner at this time and spent the rest of the war in Germany. The book "the war behind the wire" tells that this was as horrendous as life in the trenches and in some cases death was just as common.
Ricky Ford

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Rifleman Reginald John "Reggie" Williams 1st Batallian Monmouthshire Regiment (d.8th Oct 1918)

Reggie Williams is my great great uncle. He is documented in the book "Surrender be Damned: History of the 1/1st Battalion the Monmouthshire Regiment, 1914-18 by John Dixon". He is buried in Sequehart British Cemetery No.1 Sequehart, Aisne France, in Grave 17a. His "Death plate" with the accompanying letter from George 5th was donated to the Regimental Museum in Brecon.
Jason

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Recomended Reading.

Available at discounted prices.

Surrender be Damned: History of the 1/1st Battalion the Monmouthshire Regiment, 1914-18

Les Hughes & John Dixon

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$\image of book cover$

Surrender be Damned: History of the 1/1st Battalion the Monmouthshire Regiment, 1914-18

Les Hughes & John Dixon

More information on:

$\image of book cover$

Surrender be Damned: History of the 1/1st Battalion the Monmouthshire Regiment, 1914-18

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