|
|
|
4th (Denbighshire) Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers
4th (Denbighshire) Btn, Royal Welsh Fusiliers was a unit of the Territorial Force with their HQ in Wrexham, at the outbreak of war in 1914, they were part of the North Wales Infantry Brigade, Welsh Division. When war broke out in August 1914, they were mobilised and moved at once to Conway and then at the end of August they went to Northampton. They left the Brigade and proceeded to France on the 6th of November 1914 landing at Le Havre. On the 7th of December 1914 they joined 3rd Brigade, 1st Division. In 1915 they were in action during The Battle of Aubers and on the 1st of September 1915 they transferred to 47th (2nd London) Division as a Pioneer Battalion and saw action at The Battle of Loos and The subsequent Actions of the Hohenzollern Redoubt. In 1916 they fought during The German attack at Vimy Ridge, and on The Somme in The Battle of Flers-Courcelette capturing High Wood, The Battle of the Transloy Ridges in which the captured Eaucourt l'Abbaye and The attacks on the Butte de Warlencourt. In 1917 they were in action in The Battle of Messines, the Third Battles of Ypres and The Cambrai Operations where they captured Bourlon Wood and fought against the German counter attacks. In 1918 they were in action on The Somme and the Final Advance in Artois including making the official entry into Lille. At the Armistice the the forward units of the Division had reached Franses-lez-Buissenal. They marched back to Tournai and on the 26th of November moved on to the Bethune area where demobilisation began with the first parties returning to England in the first week of January 1919.
25th Jan 1915 Swift Reinforcements 
1st Feb 1915 Inspection
2nd Feb 1915 Exercise
3rd Feb 1915 Divisional Exercise
12th Feb 1915 Exercise
12th Feb 1915 Divisional Exercise
22nd Feb 1915 Exercise
22nd Feb 1915 Exercise
9th Mar 1915 Musketry
15th Mar 1915 On the Move
18th Mar 1915 On the Move
22nd Mar 1915 Inspection
23rd Mar 1915 Orders
23rd Mar 1915 Praise
24th Mar 1915 Instruction
25th Mar 1915 Instruction
26th Mar 1915 Instruction
27th Mar 1915 Frost
28th Mar 1915 No Wood
29th Mar 1915 Orders
30th Mar 1915 Orders Received
31st Mar 1915 Instruction
22nd May 1915 Fear of Bombardment.
1st Sep 1915 Reorganisation
25th Sep 1915 Assualt Launched At 6.30 on the morning of 25th of September 1915, the four-day artillery bombardment paused, gas and smoke was released and the infantry assault was launched. The gas released on I Corps front hung between the lines or blew back into British positions, notably on the northern flank around the Brickstacks. To the northern edge of the battlefield, advancing infantry emerging from the cloud suffered high losses as they were met with devastating machine gun fire. The second wave advanced once the gas at cleared, only this time to be cut down by a hail of machine gun fire and a shower of bombs. Gas was far more effective on IV Corps front south of the Grenay Ridge, in front of 15 & 47 Division sector the gas drifted towards the German trenches and the advance more successful.
On some divisional fronts the gas was supplemented with smoke candles, as gas was not available in sufficient quantity. Even though it would not cause casualties, the smoke looked the same as gas and so forced the defenders to continue taking all the inconvenient anti-gas precautions. It had been estimated that to clear the German positions would require two hours of gas: but there was only enough for forty minutes, which even then, had to be supplemented with smoke.
Many of the British units achieved their first objectives, but the reserve troops urgently needed to exploit these initial successes were a long way back and after a long exhausting march did not go into action until the following day. By which time the German reinforcements were counter-attacking and the British were driven back.
By the end of the day the Allies had lost 13 Battalion commanders, over 400 officers and 8,500 men of other ranks.
25th Sep 1915 The Artois Campaign
25th September 1915 Gas attack
11th October 1915 Operational Order 31.
16th Oct 1915 The Derby Scheme
21st October 1915 140th Infantry Brigade. Operational Order No.34.
21st October 1915 Operational Order No.34.
1st November 1915 Wounded German prisoner.
3rd November 1915 Trench Boards
9th November 1915 Men suffering from frost bite
12th November 1915 Instructions for Entrainment
13th November 1915 Rained steadily all day.
13th November 1915 Operational Order No.42.
13th November 1915 Operational Order 43.
13th November 1915 Schedule of Movement.
18th November 1915 Issue of Rice in lieu of biscuits
1st Dec 1915 Derby Scheme Armlets
11th Sep 1915 Last day of Derby Scheme Recruitment
24th December 1915 Support Battalion moved in to O.B.1.
25th December 1915 Officer shot man of German patrol in early morning.
26th December 1915 German T.M. located at G.12.a.45.
26th December 1915 Operational Order No. 47.
10th Jan 1916 Group System Reopens
6th February 1916 Cleaning trenches and billets under R.E.
9th February 1916 Call Ups
9th February 1916 R.E. exploded a mine
12th February 1916 Trench Work
13th February 1916 Machine Gun attacks were carried out.
14th February 1916 Enemy exploded a mine
11th Mar 1916 A Shocking Accident The Wrexham Advertiser of the 11th of March 1916, reported: "A shocking accident occurred at Moss on Thursday resulting in a child being killed outright and in six other persons being terribly injured, three of whom subsequently died.
It appears that Pte Bagnall, 4th RWF, 2 Red Lion Cottages, Moss, who returned home from the front on Monday after 18 months' service, was cleaning an unexploded German fuse shell, which he had brought with him as a souvenir.
In the small cottage at the time of the explosion were Pte Bagnall's wife, Mary; daughter Sarah, age two; a niece, Violet, age seven; and sister-in-law Sarah Roberts along with her two children, Mary and Ethel, aged five and 15 months.
Ethel, the youngest child, was killed instantly. The other three girls died later in hospital. Others sustained terrible injuries, including Pte Bagnall himself, who lost a leg, while Ms Roberts lost both legs. Pte Bagnall had thought the shell was safe as it had been "chucked around in the barracks and trenches" for six months without any ill-effects before he returned to North Wales."
A community fundraising event was held to pay for the funeral of the children which saw one of the largest ever funeral processions in the area. But the four little girls have no headstone, members of Broughton and District History Group are hoping to erect a memorial to them on the centenary of their death and are trying to trace family members. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-34996881
26th March 1916 Firesteps built
28th March 1916 Working Party
30th March 1916 Flammenwerfer demonstrations
31st March 1916 Working party
3rd April 1916 Artillery and Trench Mortar bombardment.
4th April 1916 Trench Work
6th April 1916 Deepening Fire and Communications Trenches.
7th April 1916 Artillery Fire
14th September 1916 Operational Order No.106
15th September 1916 Assembly Trenches
16th September 1916 Operations on the Brigade front
21st Mar 1918 In Action
23rd Mar 1918 Retreat
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
|
| Want to know more about 4th (Denbighshire) Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers ? There are:5297 items tagged 4th (Denbighshire) Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers 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 with4th (Denbighshire) Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers during the Great War 1914-1918. - Belton John. Cpl. (d.22nd March 1918)
- Breeze John Stephen. (d.3rd April 1915)
- Davies Arthur. Sgt. (d.11th May 1915)
- Davies Richard Lewis. Pte. (d.1917)
- Davies Thomas Pryce. Pte. (d.6th October 1916)
- Edwards David Thomas. Pte.
- Edwardson Frederick Charles Henry. Lt.
- Evans William. L/Cpl. (d.9th May 1915)
- Holt Joseph. Pte. (d.5th April 1918)
- Howe Claude Arthur. Capt. (d.30th November 1917)
- Hughes Robert Thomas. Pte. (d.25th Sept 1915)
- Jones MM Alfred. Sgt. (d.30th Jan 1919)
- Jones Edward. Pte. (d.19th April 1918)
- Jones Edward Stanley. Pte. (d.3rd December 1917)
- Jones Elias A.. Cpl. (d.9th April 1917)
- Jones John Milton. Pte. (d.10th Mar 1915)
- Jones Thomas Edward. Pte.
- Langton DSO John Henry. Major
- Lewis Reginald.
- Lloyd Edward. Pte. (d.9th August 1915)
- Lucas William. Pte. (d.5th February 1917)
- McLaren James Davie. Sgt. (d.6th Oct 1916)
- Morgan Edward. Pte. (d.25th Jan 1915)
- Parry Robert John. Pte. (d.6th Sep 1915)
- Pierce Oswald. Pte.
- Pierce Oswald. Pte.
- Powell Edward. L/Cpl (d.20th April 1917)
- Price Llewelyn. Cpl.
- Price Llewelyn. Lt.
- Roberts Thomas. Pte. (d.25th January 1915)
- Roberts William. Pte. (d.15th February 1919)
- Sharpe Thomas Breedon. Pte. (d.18th May 1916)
- Thomas John Price. Pte. (d.25th January 1915)
- Turtle Arthur Henry. Pte. (d.4th Oct 1916)
- Watson Thomas Henry. Pte.
- Wilde William Stanley. Pte. (d.7th Apr 1915)
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 4th (Denbighshire) Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers from other sources.
|
|
The Wartime Memories Project is the original WW1 and WW2 commemoration website.
- 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.
|
Want to find out more about your relative's service? Want to know what life was like during the Great War? Our
Library contains many many diary entries, personal letters and other documents, most transcribed into plain text.
|
Looking for help with Family History Research?
Please see Family History FAQ's
Please note: We are unable to provide individual research.
|
|
Can you help?
The free to access section of The Wartime Memories Project website is run by volunteers and funded by donations from our visitors.
If the information here has been helpful or you have enjoyed reaching the stories please conside making a donation, no matter how small, would be much appreciated, annually we need to raise enough funds to pay for our web hosting or this site will vanish from the web.
If you enjoy this site
please consider making a donation.
Announcements
- 19th Nov 2024
Please note we currently have a massive backlog of submitted material, our volunteers are working through this as quickly as possible and all names, stories and photos will be added to the site. If you have already submitted a story to the site and your UID reference number is higher than
264989 your submission is still in the queue, please do not resubmit.
Wanted: Digital copies of Group photographs, Scrapbooks, Autograph books, photo albums, newspaper clippings, letters, postcards and ephemera relating to the Great War. If you have any unwanted
photographs, documents or items from the First or Second World War, please do not destroy them. The Wartime Memories Project will give them a good home and ensure that they are used for educational purposes. Please get in touch for the postal address, do not sent them to our PO Box as packages are not accepted.
|
World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great battalion regiment artillery
Did you know? We also have a section on World War Two. and a
Timecapsule to preserve stories from other conflicts for future generations.
|
|
|
Pte. Joseph Holt 4th Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.5th April 1918) Joseph Holt died from wounds on the 5th of April 1918, aged 29 and is buried in the Etaples Military Cemetery in France.
He was the husband of Mrs Holt, 15 Lionel Street, Burnley.
A weaver at Messrs. Walmsley's Peel Mill, Rosegrove prior to enlisting, he was married with one child. He died from wounds to the "lower part of his body."
|
Major John Henry Langton DSO 1/4th Btn. Welsh Fusiliers Served with the 1\4 RWF 2nd February 1917 through to end of hostilities, leading the Battalion as Lt Col in the final 100 days.
|
L/Cpl Edward Powell 4th (Denbighshire) Battalion Welsh Fusiliers (d.20th April 1917) Edward Powell, known as Edwin and his brother, Joseph Harold Powell were both in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. They were two of six sons (of fourteen children) of John and Sarah Anne Powell living in Vron, Brymbo. Edward was married to Elizabeth (nee Ledsham) and they lived at 4 Station Road, Southsea, Wrexham. The family story is that Edward was shot and wounded, and whilst his brother was carrying him back to safety was shot again by a sniper and killed in his brother's arms. Joe survived to war and emigrated to Alberta, Canada where he died in 1967.
|
Pte. Thomas Henry Watson 29th Btn. Middlesex Regiment Thomas Watson was born 1888 in Chelsea. He enlisted 1915 with 29th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment. He was living at 64 Cromwell Road, West Croydon, Surrey and was married to Nellie Wright At the time of his enlistment a son Thomas, a daughter Alice, 2rd son Robert. It is believed that he served in 4th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusillers. Not much is known about my grandfather.
|
Capt. Claude Arthur Howe 1/5th Btn. Loyal North Lancashire Regiment (d.30th November 1917) Captain and Adjutant Claude Arthur Howe served with 5th Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. He was born 17th October 1896 in Kent, son of Frank and Annie Howe. He attended St. Albans Grammar School, Bedford Modern School and then onto Leeds University.
He enlisted on 1st of January 1916 with the London Regiment (Artists Rifles), gazetted to Second Lieutenant in July 1916 with The 4th (Denbighshire) Battalion (Territorial) Royal Welsh Fusiliers and in October the same year was attached to 1/5th (Territorial) Battalion, The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. He was reported missing and wounded at Gloucester Road, Epehy on 30 November 1917 and then assumed killed in action on that date. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial, France.
His commanding officer wrote "He was a very promising young officer and a great favourite of mine... and was a most popular officer."
A pupil of Bedford Modern School 1912-13, he is commemorated on the School War Memorial, which was unveiled in 1923 and in the Roll of Honour, published in The Eagle, December 1923.
His elder brother, Sapper C. A. Howe served with 483rd Field Coy. Royal Engineers and was killed in action on 13 March 1917. Tragically his parents losing both sons to the War.
Information courtesy of www.roll-of-honour.com
|
Pte. Robert John Parry 4th Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.6th Sep 1915) Robert Parry was a cousin of my grandmother, his grandmother was Margaret Parry, sister to Robert and father of Samuel.
|
Pte. William Lucas 4th Battalion Royal Welsh fusiliers (d.5th February 1917) All I know about my great uncle, William Charles Lucas, is that he was wounded on the Somme where he was between July and September 1916.
He was shipped home to the UK and in early February 1917. He died and is buried at St.Asaph Church Cemetery in North Wales, he was 27 years old.
I have so far been unable to verify if he died from his wounds as I've been unable to trace any medical records for him.
|
Pte. Oswald Pierce 4th Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers Oswald Pierce enlisted on the 20th of March 1912 at Wrexham. He entered theatre of operations with his battalion, in November 1914. He was wounded during German attack on the battalion's front in January 1915 and is mentioned on bases wounded list dated 2nd of February 1915. He was discharged because of wounds on the 16th of February 1916.
|
Pte. Thomas Breedon Sharpe 4th Btn. Royal Welch Fusiliers (d.18th May 1916) Thomas Sharpe joined up in Wrexham on 8th February 1915 and was posted to 3/4th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers on 20th February 1915. He was then posted to 1/4th Battalion on 28th March 1915. Thomas was killed in action on 18th May 1916. He died by a shot to the head from a machine gun while working in a mine crater east of Souchez, France. He was first buried in Ablain Saint Nazaire, then in 1921-22 exhumed and reburied at Caberat-Rouge Cemetery, France.
|
Pte. John Price Thomas 4th Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.25th January 1915) John was the son of Mr William Thomas, Park Street, Denbigh.
|
Pte. Thomas Roberts 4th Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.25th January 1915) Thomas was the son of Robert and Anne Roberts, Llanfwrog, Ruthin, Denbs; husband of Frances Jane Roberts and father to their six children, Henllan Street, Denbigh.
|
Cpl. Elias A. Jones 4th Btn Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.9th April 1917) Elias A Jones was the son of Elias and Martha Ellen Jones of Gwynfryn Lodge, Denbigh.
|
Pte. Robert Thomas Hughes 4th Btn Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.25th Sept 1915) Robert Thomas Hughes was the son of Robert and Sarah Hughes of Mill bank, Llanrhaeadr, Denbs.
|
L/Cpl. William Evans 4th Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.9th May 1915) William Evans was the son of John and Catherine Evans of 37 Love Lane, Denbigh.
|
Reginald Lewis 4th Btn Royal Welsh Fusilers Reg Lewis was wounded at Aubers Ridge in May 1915. His younger brother was in the same battalion and was awarded the Military Medal for gallantry at Aubers Ridge
|
Pte. David Thomas Edwards 1/4 Btn. Territorials Royal Welsh Fusiliers David Edwards was a Territorial with the 1/4 Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers. He died in 1972.
|
Pte. John Milton Jones 4th Btn. G Coy. Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.10th Mar 1915) John Milton Jones served with G Coy. 4th Bn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers
|
Sgt. James Davie McLaren 4th Btn. Royal Welch Fusiliers (d.6th Oct 1916) James McLaren served with the 4th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers and died on 6th October 1916.
|
Pte. William Stanley Wilde 4th Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.7th Apr 1915) William Stanley Wilde, Private 6315, enlisted Wrexham and served in the 4th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers. He died of wounds age 24 on the 7th April 1915 and is remembered at Jarrow Library and is buried in Boulonge Eastern Cemetery. His medal card records the award of the 1914 Star, War and Victory Medals also that he died of wounds.
William was born in Wrexham 1891 and his sister was Mrs Lilian Watt of 40 Northbourne Road, Jarrow. His father Joseph then 37 was a gas stoker from Oldham. His mother Elizabeth L then 32 was from Oxford. In the 1911 census the remainder of the family was living at 33 Hightown Road, Wrexham with the eldest sister Elizabeth Louise(31) single, as head of family, housekeeper, Thomas Henry(22)single, a gas labourer, William Stanley(20) single, a labourer as is George Albert(18). Lilian Alice (13) and Frances May(10) are both attending school.
|
Lt. Llewelyn Price 1/4 Btn Royal Welsh Fusiliers Llewelyn Price was a steelworker at Brymbo Steel Works near Wrexham before the war.
|
Recomended Reading.Available at discounted prices.
|
|
|
Site Home
Help & FAQs
