218547 Pte. Richard Seccombe British Army 8th Btn. Welsh Regiment from:17 Maesteg Row, Maesteg, Bridgend, Wales (d.8th Aug 1915) Richard Seccombe was my great-grandfather; my grandmother's father, who she could hardly remember as he was killed when she was 5 years old. She was named Violet and she was the eldest with three younger siblings: Clara, Caroline and her brother Jonny. Her mother Gertrude was also pregnant at the time but miscarried the baby on hearing the news of her husband's death.
My grandmother did talk about her father. One of the things she remembered was that he was a Master Stonemason working in the quarry that was in Maesteg, but that has now been filled in and houses built on top. She said she on the day he left in his uniform he knelt down and hugged them all very hard and kissed them all over their faces, and that was the last time she saw him.
I have since discovered that he joined up in Porthcawl, and then travelled near to Brighton to do his training. He was then transported by ship to Gallipoli in Turkey and arrived on August 5th 1915. He was killed three days later aged 32. I do not know where he was buried but he is commemorated on Panel 140 to 144 of the Helles Memorial on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The battle area where he died was fought over for another four months and then all the Allies were pulled out not having gained any ground after very stiff Turkish resistance. All those men from both sides killed for nothing. What a waste.
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