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53rd (Welsh) Division    53rd (Welsh) Division was a formation of the Territorial Force. It was formed as the Welsh Division as a result of the reforms of the army carried out in 1908 under the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane and was one of 14 Divisions of the peacetime TF. 1914 The units of the Division had just departed for annual summer camp when emergency orders recalled them to the home base. All units were mobilised for full time war service on 5 August 1914 and moved to their allotted positions at Shrewsbury, Wellington, Oswestry and Fort Scoveston by 11 August 1914. At the end of the month the entire Division moved to Northampton. Several of the Division's units left in the period November 1914 - February 1915. They were gradually replaced by second line units, but these suffered from shortages of arms, slowing training. These units were subsequently replaced in early 1915. The Division received a warning order on 18 November, advising preparation for a move to India, but this was cancelled a week later and eventually the 2nd Wessex Division went in its place. The Welsh Division moved to Cambridge in December. 1915 King George V inspected the Division on 11 February 1915. The Division moved to Bedford in May. On 2 July the Division was ordered to refit for service in the Mediterranean. Leaving the artillery and train behind, the rest of the Division left 14-19 July and embarked at Devonport. Sailing via Alexandria (25-30 July), the ships reached Lemnos 29 July - 7 August. On 9 August units landed at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli. The Division was then involved in the following moves and engagements: The landing at Suvla Bay Operations in the Suvla Bay area The effects of fighting, few reinforcements and the dreadful blizzard of November reduced the Division to just 162 officers and 2428 men (about 15% of full strength). On 11th and 12th of December the Division was evacuated to Mudros and then went on to Alexandria, where it began to arrive 20th of December. The last units reached Wardan three days later. 1916 The divisional artillery rejoined at Wardan 11-22 February 1916. The Battle of Romani - Palestine. 1917 Ongoing Palestine Campaign Activity The First Battle of Gaza (158th Brigade only) The Second Battle of Gaza The Third Battle of Gaza including the Capture of Beersheba and the Capture of Tell Khuweilfe The Capture of Jerusalem The Defence of Jerusalem 1918 Continued campaign in Palestine The Battle of Tell'Asur Between 4 June and 29 August 1918 the Division, other than the artillery, was "Indianised", which meant that Indian units arrived to replace most of the British ones. Many of the latter were ordered to France. The battle of Nablus - Battles of Megiddo On 26 September the Division was withdrawn for rest and moved back to Tell'Asur. By 12 October it had moved to Ramle, and on 27 October began entraining for Alexandria. It was there when the Armistice with Turkey took effect on 31 October. The first parties to be demobilised left for England on 22 December.The final cadres sailed home from Port Said on 15 June 1919. The Division reformed as part of the Territorial Army in April 1920. Order of Battle of the 53rd (Welsh) Division 158th (North Wales) Brigade This Brigade served under command of 2nd Mounted Division between 31 October and 28 November 1915 1/4th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers left November 1914 1/5th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers 1/6th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers amalgamated with 1/5th on 2 August 1918 1/7th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers left for 160th Brigade 24 June 1918 1/1st Battalion, Herefordshire Regiment joined from 160th Brigade 24 April 1915, left 1 June 1918 158th Machine Gun Company formed 26 April 1916, moved to 53rd Battalion, MGC 25 April 1918 158th Trench Mortar Battery formed 22 July 1917 4/11th Ghurka Rifles joined 4 June 1918 3/153rd Infantry joined 10 June 1918 3/154th Infantry joined 3 August 1918 159th (Cheshire) Brigade This Brigade served under command of 2nd Mounted Division between 29 November and 9 December 1915 1/4th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment left 31 May 1918 1/5th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment left February 1915 1/6th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment left November 1914 1/7th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment left 1 June 1918 2/6th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment joined November 1914, left April 1915 2/5th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment joined February 1915, left April 1915 1/4th Battalion, Welsh Regiment joined 17 April 1915 1/5th Battalion, Welsh Regiment joined 17 April 1915, between 8 October 1915 and 20 February 1916 merged with 1/4th to form 4th Welsh Composite Battalion and fully amalgamated 30 July 1918 159th Machine Gun Company formed 20 April 1916, moved to 53rd Battalion, MGC 25 April 1918 159th Trench Mortar Battery formed 28 June 1917 3/152nd Infantry joined 4 June 1918 2/153rd Infantry joined 5 June 1918 1/153rd Infantry joined 2 August 1918 160th (Welsh Border) Brigade 1/1st Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment left February 1915 1/2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment left November 1914 1/3rd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment left February 1915 1/1st Battalion, Herefordshire Regiment left for 158th Brigade 24 April 1915 2/4th Battalion, Queen's joined 24 April 1915, left 31 May 1918 1/4th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment joined 24 April 1915, left 30 May 1918 2/4th Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment joined 24 April 1915, left 25 August 1918 2/10th Battalion, Middlesex Regiment joined 24 April 1915, left 19 August 1918 160th Machine Gun Company formed 11 May 1916, moved to 53rd Battalion, MGC 25 April 1918 160th Trench Mortar Battery formed 26 June 1917 21st Punjabis joined 26 May 1918 110th Mahratta Light Infantry joined 28 June 1918, left 19 July 1918 1st Cape Corps joined 22 July 1918, left 15 May 1919 17th Infantry joined 6 August 1918 Divisional Troops 2/1st Battalion, London Regiment joined 15 January 1916, left April 1916 2/3rd Battalion, London Regiment joined 15 January 1916, left April 1916 2/2nd Battalion, London Regiment joined 22 February 1916, left April 1916 2/4th Battalion, London Regiment joined 22 February 1916, left April 1916 155th Infantry joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion, 12 August 1918 53rd Battalion MGC formed at Ain Sinia 15-25 April 1918 Cape Corps Machine Gun Company joined 17 September 1918 and added to 53rd Bn MGC Divisional Mounted Troops Welsh Divisional Cyclist Company formed May-June 1915 A Sqn, the 1/1st Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry joined 1 February 1917, left for XXI Corps Cavalry Regiment on 23 August 1917 Divisional Artillery The Divisional Artillery did not leave England when the Division embarked for service at Gallipoli. It remained at Bedford and was there rearmed. It sailed for France from 20 November 1915 and concentrated near Pont Remy by five days later. Entrainment began on 1 February 1916, embarkation at Marseilles began two days later and by 22 February 1916 the artillery had concentrated at Beni Salama and came once again under command of this Division. CCLXV (I Welsh) (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA broken up 26 May 1916 CCLXVI (II Welsh) Brigade, RFA renumbered CCLXVII 25 December 1916 CCLXVII (Cheshire) Brigade, RFA renumbered CCLXV 25 December 1916 CCLXVIII (III Welsh) Brigade, RFA renumbered CCLXVI 25 December 1916 Welsh (Caernarvonshire) Heavy Battery, RGA did not sail with the Division; moved independently to France 3 March1916 and joined XXIII HA Brigade 53rd Divisional Ammunition Column RFA Royal Engineers 436th (1st Welsh) Field Company renumbered on 4 February 1917 Cheshire Field Company left November 1914 439th (2/1st Cheshire) Field Company joined November 1914, renumbered on 4 February 1917 437th (2/1st Welsh) Field Company sailed 4 October 1915, landed at Suvla 24 October and was initially attached to IX Corps, joining Division at Lala Baba 2 December 1915, renumbered on 4 February 1917, left 9 April 1918 53rd Divisional Signals Company HQ and No 1 Section of this Company was attached to 54th (East Anglian) Division at Suvla between 10-23 August 1915; on 15 December 1915 it was ordered to Salonika and joined XII Corps there on 27 December 1915; it landed at Alexandria 21 January 1916 and came back under orders of this Division at Wardan next day 72nd Company, 3rd Sappers & Miners joined 5 August 1918 Royal Army Medical Corps 1st Welsh Field Ambulance left 21 August 1918 2nd Welsh Field Ambulance absorbed into 170 Combined Field Ambulance on 11 September 1918 3rd Welsh Field Ambulance attached to 54th (East Anglian) Division at Suvla between 11-18 August 1915, absorbed into 171 Combined Field Ambulance on 8-11 September 1918 53rd Sanitary Section formed April 1915 113th Combined Field Ambulance joined 3 July 1918 170th Combined Field Ambulance joined 29 August 1918 172st Combined Field Ambulance joined 23 August 1918 Other Divisional Troops 53rd Divisional Train ASC comprising 479, 480, 481 and 482 Companies ASC, the original Train did not sail with the Division. It transferred to join 11th (Northern) Division for service in France. The units of 29th Divisional Train joined this Division on 17 March 1916, comprising 246, 247, 248 and 249 Companies ASC 53rd (Welsh) Mobile Veterinary Section AVC formed 27 June 1915, did not sail with the Division, embarked 21 March 1916 and rejoined Division 11 April 1916 There is a memorial to the 53rd (Welsh) Division in Ramleh War Cemetery, which is now in Israel. 3rd Jul 1915 Instructions 6th Jul 1915 Equipment 8th Jul 1915 Inspection 13th Jul 1915 On the Move 14th Jul 1915 Embarkation 15th Jul 1915 Embarkation 16th Jul 1915 On the Move 17th Jul 1915 Embarkation 19th Jul 1915 On the Move 22nd Jul 1915 On the Move 25th Jul 1915 On the Move 26th Jul 1915 Refuelling 29th Jul 1915 Arrival 30th Jul 1915 Arrival 31st Jul 1915 Repairs 8th Aug 1915 Advance Party 8th Aug 1915 On the Move 8th Aug 1915 On the Move 8th Aug 1915 On the Move 8th Aug 1915 Orders 8th Aug 1915 Attack Made 9th Aug 1915 In Action 9th Aug 1915 Landings 9th Aug 1915 Landings 9th Aug 1915 Shelling 9th Aug 1915 Landings 9th Aug 1915 Landings 9th Aug 1915 On the Move 9th Aug 1915 Landing 9th Aug 1915 Landing 9th Aug 1915 Orders Received 9th Aug 1915 Shelling 9th Aug 1915 Disembarking 9th Aug 1915 Attack Made 9th Aug 1915 Landings 10th Aug 1915 In Action 10th Aug 1915 Attack Made 10th Aug 1915 In Action 11th Aug 1915 Snipers 11th Aug 1915 Consolidation 11th Aug 1915 Digging In 12th Aug 1915 Trench Work 12th Aug 1915 Attack Made 12th Aug 1915 Attack Made 13th Aug 1915 Attack Made 13th Aug 1915 Touch Attempted 13th Aug 1915 In Support 14th Aug 1915 In the Trenches 14th Aug 1915 Confusion 14th Aug 1915 Confusion 14th Aug 1915 In Support 15th Aug 1915 In the Trenches 15th Aug 1915 Poor Communications 15th Aug 1915 In Support 16th Aug 1915 Relief Complete 16th Aug 1915 Information 16th Aug 1915 In Support 17th Aug 1915 Advance 17th Aug 1915 Orders Received 17th Aug 1915 Orders Received 18th Aug 1915 Trench Work 18th Aug 1915 Instruction 18th Aug 1915 Digging In 19th Aug 1915 Trench Work 19th Aug 1915 Poor Co-ordination 19th Aug 1915 New Line Advanced 20th Aug 1915 Trench Work 20th Aug 1915 Trench Work 21st Aug 1915 Reinforcements 21st Aug 1915 Vigilance 22nd Aug 1915 Trench Work 22nd Aug 1915 Trench Work 23rd Aug 1915 Trench Work 23rd Aug 1915 Relief 24th Aug 1915 Trench Work 24th Aug 1915 New CO 25th Aug 1915 Trench Work 25th Aug 1915 Line Reorganised 26th Aug 1915 Trench Work 26th Aug 1915 Quiet 27th Aug 1915 Relief 27th Aug 1915 Relief 28th Aug 1915 In Rest Camp 28th Aug 1915 In Reserve 29th Aug 1915 In Camp 29th Aug 1915 Enemy Artillery 30th Aug 1915 In Camp 30th Aug 1915 Specialists 31st Aug 1915 Reliefs 31st Aug 1915 Reliefs 1st Sep 1915 Holding the Line 2nd Sep 1915 Holding the Line 3rd Sep 1915 Holding the Line 4th Sep 1915 Holding the Line 5th Sep 1915 Holding the Line 6th Sep 1915 Holding the Line 7th Sep 1915 Holding the Line 8th Sep 1915 Reliefs 9th Sep 1915 In Camp 11th Sep 1915 In Camp 12th Sep 1915 Reliefs 13th Sep 1915 In Reserve 14th Sep 1915 In Reserve 15th Sep 1915 In Reserve 16th Sep 1915 Reliefs 17th Sep 1915 Holding the Line 18th Sep 1915 Shelling 19th Sep 1915 Quiet 20th Sep 1915 Reliefs 21st Sep 1915 In Reserve 22nd Sep 1915 In Reserve 23rd Sep 1915 In Reserve 24th Sep 1915 In Reserve 25th Sep 1915 In Reserve 26th Sep 1915 In Reserve 27th Sep 1915 In Reserve 28th Sep 1915 In Reserve 29th Sep 1915 In Reserve 30th Sep 1915 In Reserve 1st Oct 1915 In Reserve 2nd Oct 1915 In Reserve 9th Oct 1915 Corps Reserve 16th Oct 1915 In Reserve 19th Oct 1915 Rifles 25th Oct 1915 In Reserve 31st Oct 1915 In Reserve 1st Nov 1915 Defences 6th Nov 1915 Defences 9th Nov 1915 Orders Received 10th Nov 1915 Ready 11th Nov 1915 Ready to Move 12th Nov 1915 In Reserve 13th Nov 1915 In Reserve 14th Nov 1915 In Reserve 15th Nov 1915 In Reserve 16th Nov 1915 In Reserve 17th Nov 1915 In Reserve 18th Nov 1915 Orders Received 19th Nov 1915 In Reserve 20th Nov 1915 Orders 21st Nov 1915 Defences 22nd Nov 1915 Defences 23rd Nov 1915 In Defence 24th Nov 1915 In Defence 25th Nov 1915 In Defence 27th Nov 1915 In Reserve 28th Nov 1915 In Reserve 29th Nov 1915 In Reserve 30th Nov 1915 In Reserve 1st Dec 1915 In Reserve 2nd Dec 1915 In Reserve 3rd Dec 1915 In Reserve 3rd of December 1915  Observation Difficult 4th Dec 1915 In Reserve 4th of December 1915 Patrol 5th Dec 1915 In Reserve 6th Dec 1915 In Reserve 7th Dec 1915 In Reserve 8th Dec 1915 In Reserve 9th Dec 1915 Defence Work 10th Dec 1915 Defence Work 11th Dec 1915 Defence Work 12th Dec 1915 Move 13th Dec 1915 On the Move 14th Dec 1915 On the Move 15th Dec 1915 On the Move 16th Dec 1915 On the Move 17th Dec 1915 On the Move 18th Dec 1915 On the Move 19th Dec 1915 In Camp 20th of December 1915 Deserter Taken 24th Dec 1915 In Camp 25th Dec 1915 In Camp 25th of December 1915 Patrols 31st Dec 1915 In Camp 1st Jan 1916 In Camp 8th of January 1916 Moves   1st Apr 1916  Defences 5th January 1917 S.G. 5/14 issued 1st February 1917 G.A. 119 received 7th February 1917 Brigade Training. 13th February 1917 G.R. 24/5/15 received 20th February 1917 52nd Division Order No.40 received 24th Feb 1917 Reliefs 14th March 1917 Working Party 26th Mar 1917 In Action   27th Mar 1917 Shelling 5th May 1917 Orders   5th May 1917 Brigade Operation Order No. 8.   6th May 1917 For Communication 7th May 1917 155th Brigade Order No. 44.   5th July 1917 52nd Division Order No.62.   24th Dec 1917 Reorganisation 21st Jan 1918 Course 5th Feb 1918 Course Ends 13th Feb 1918 Personnel 21st Feb 1918 Reorganisation 1st March 1918 Defence Scheme.   8th Mar 1918 Hard Fighting 12th of April 1918 Enemy Advances   27th Apr 1918 Orders Cancelled 19th Sep 1918 Attack Made 20th Sep 1918 Attacks Made 12th of November 1918 Report   If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. Want to know more about 53rd (Welsh) Division? There are:214 items tagged 53rd (Welsh) Division 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 53rd (Welsh) Division during the Great War 1914-1918. Jones John Frederick. Pte. 7th Btn. (d.26th Mar 1917) Lawrence Frederick George . Dvr. 1st Monmouthshire Bty. Lenthall Charles. Cpl. 2nd (Welsh) Field Ambulance Powell Wifred John Godfrey Mercy. Pte. 2nd Btn. Rees William Nelson. Pte. 9th Btn. (d.15th Nov 1916) 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 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. 1206080 Dvr. Frederick George Lawrence 1st Monmouthshire Bty. Royal Field Artillery Frederick George Lawrence served with 1st Monmouthshire Battery, 1/4th Welsh Brigade, Royal Field Artillery during WW1. Stephen Dalton Add to this record. 262570 Pte. Wifred John Godfrey Mercy Powell 2nd Btn. Monmouthshire Regiment Wilfred Powell was born in Redbrook near Gloucester in 1890, but around 1895 he moved with his parents Henry and Rose and his sister Annie, to Pontnewydd, Cwmbran where his father worked in the tinplate works. Wilfred married Alice Flippance in 1910 and worked as a haulier underground at Cwmbran Colliery. Although only 5 feet 3 inches tall Wilfred had joined the 2nd Battalion of the Monmouthshire Regiment, a territorial unit prior to getting married. Pension records say he enlisted on 5th March 1907 but silver war badge records say 16th of March 1909, he was still a part-time soldier when war was declared in August 1914. The 2nd Battalion was immediately mobilised at Pontypool and then in quick succession moved through Pembroke Dock, Oswestry and Northampton before landing at Le Havre in France on the 7th of November 1914 as part of the 12th Brigade in the 4th Division of the British Expeditionary Force. Like many others, Wilfred Powell's service records were destroyed by bombing during WW2. Family history tells us he fought with the Monmouthshires at the Second Battle of Ypres in western Belgium in April and May 1915 and that he also spent some time as a tunneller, before joining the Royal Army Medical Corps. The records that do survive suggest that he never formally joined the Royal Engineers as a tunneller but he may well have been attached to the tunnellers as were many men from the Monmouthshires. It's also possible that he was one of the men drawn from the 2nd Battalion who, under Captain Arthur Edwards of Blaenafon, formed the 4th Divisions' Mining Party and exploded the first British mine of the war. What we do know is that the 2nd Battalion fought in the battles of the Marne, Aisne and Messines in 1914 and in the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915. The 2nd suffered so many casualties in the latter battle that it had to be amalgamated with its sister battalions for several months before its ranks could be refilled. The photograph shows him wearing his Monmouthshire cap badge, a wound stripe and two service chevrons suggesting it was taken in the late summer or autumn of 1916. From November 1916 to January 1917 he spent time in Whitchurch hospital recovering from a bought of trench fever. By the end of 1916 he had transferred to the Royal Army Medical Corps and the 1st Welsh Field Ambulance where he became a stretcher bearer. Silver war badge records show him as being in 1st Welsh Field Ambulance but this unit served with the 53rd Welsh Division in the Middle East? There is no indication anywhere else that he served anywhere other than the Western Front. Family history says that on hearing the gas whistle Wilfred stopped to help an injured soldier with his gas mask before putting on his own and was exposed to gas as a result. He was invalided out the army just two months before the end of the war but due to his injuries he was unable to return to his job at Cwmbran Colliery. Wilfred gave his daughter Francis, born in 1914, the middle name Louvain in memory of the Belgium town that was destroyed by the Germans in the first month of the war. For his service in WW1 Wilfred received the 1914 Star, British and Victory medals, an honourable discharge and a Silver War Badge. He died in 1941 aged 51. Mark Lucas Add to this record. 260391 Pte. William Nelson Rees 9th Btn. Welsh Regiment (d.15th Nov 1916) William Rees was attested on 5th of August 1914 at Abergavenny Depot, then was recalled to headquarters of the Monmouthshire Regiment at Abergavenny. On 6th August, he went to Pembroke Dock for training as part of the Welsh Border Brigade, and then on 10th August he was sent to training camp at Oswestry. On the 31st, he went for training and equipping to the Northampton race course with the 53rd (Welsh) Division, where they billeted with and were well liked by the local people. In October 1914, he and the 3rd Monmouthshires were sent to Bury St. Edmunds in East Anglia to train on digging trenches and setting up defensive works. On 1st December, they went to Cambridge in January 1915 for rifle training, and on 11th February 1915, they were inspected by King George V. On 13 February 1915, the 3rd Monmouthshires proceeded by train to Southampton and sailed for France on the S.S. Chyebassa. The next morning, they arrived at Le Havre and proceeded by train to Cassel, where the GHQ of the French Northern Army was located. On 28th February 1915, they left Steenvorde on a fleet of double-decker London buses and went into action in the front lines. During the next seven months, 3rd Battalion participated in the following battles: Messines-Wytschaete Ridge; Wulverghem; Polygon Wood (in which they were attached to the Northumberland Field Company and the 171st Tunnelling Company R.E); Hill 60; Frezenberg Ridge; Hooge Chateau; Vlamertinghe; Poperinghe; Hellfire Corner; Reninghelst; Yser Canal; Caesar’s Nose; Lindenoek; Locre; Kemmel; and Elverdinghe Chateau. In September 1915, the 3rd Battalion was detached to the 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division as a pioneer battalion and engaged in repairing roads and digging trenches and dugouts. In December, the 3rd Battalion rejoined the rest of the Monmouthshire Regiment, which was encamped at Elverdinghe Chateau. On the 29th December, while on parade there, a large German shell fired from a nearby forest exploded, wounding 30 of the Battalion and killing 39, all of whom are buried at Ferme-Olivier cemetery in Belgium. During the first six months of 1916, 3rd Monmouthshires participated in the following actions: Albert; Brucamps; Candas; Neuville; St. Vaast; Agnieres; Pommier; and Foncquevillers. On the 1st July, the Battalion took part in the Battle of the Somme in support of the 36th Ulster Division’s attack on a German strong-point. In August 1916, the 3rd Battalion fought at Acheux, Hedin, and Capelle. There were failed attacks on enemy trenches and many casualties, and the Battalion was ordered to retire. At the end of the month, 3rd Battalion heard the unwelcome news that, owing to the difficulty in finding replacements, the unit would be broken up and distributed among other Welsh regiments. On 24th August, Private Rees learned that he was one of 200 men to be assigned to the new 9th Entrenching Battalion, which had been formed from the remnants of the 3rd Monmouthshires. Then on 20th September, he was transferred to the 9th Battalion, Welsh Regiment. On 15th November 1916, Private Rees was with a bomb and bayonet detachment near Le Sars in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, when a hidden German machine gun opened up on the detachment. One officer was wounded. Thirty other soldiers were wounded or missing. One of these was Willie, as he was known. His body was never identified. His name is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. David Taylor Add to this record. 259729 Cpl. Charles Lenthall 2nd (Welsh) Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps With the RAMC, Charles Lenthall made a desert crossing on foot from Cairo to Jerusalem through Sinai and Palestine. He bought a mummified head from a tomb raider. He travelled from Kantara to Jerusalem (with friend Norman Johnston), and was ordered to move to Ali Mind in charge of 4 mule-driven ambulances 1 mile from the front line. For his length of overseas service, Cpl. Lenthall earned four blue chevrons. Judy Goodfellow Add to this record. 218329 Pte. John Frederick Jones 7th Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.26th Mar 1917) John Frederick Jones served with the 7th Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers during WW1. He was killed in action on the 26th March 1917, aged 23, and is commemorated in the Jerusalem War Cemetery. He was the son of John Thomas Jones and Jane Jones, of 39, Smithfield St., Llanidloes, Montgomeryshire. S Flynn Add to this record.

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