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2nd Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers
2nd Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers were in Portland when war broke out in August 1914. They proceeded to France on the
11th of August landing at Rouen and taking on duties as Lines of Communication troops. On the 22nd they became attached to 19th Infantry Brigade, which was an independent command at this time, not attached to any division. On the 12th of October 1914 the battalion transferred with 19th Brigade to 6th Division. On the 31st of May 1915 they transferred with 19th Brigade to 27th Division, then on the 19th of August to 2nd Division. On the 25th of November 1915 the battalion transferred with 19th Brigade to the newly arrived 33rd Division. In 1916 they were in action on The Somme, in 1917 at Arras, on the Hindenburg Line, during the Operations on the Flanders Coast and in the Third battles of Ypres.
On the 6th of February 1918 the 2nd Welsh Fusiliers transferred to 115th Brigade, 38th (Welsh) Division, they were in action on The Somme, in the Battles of the Hindenburg Line and the Final Advance in Picardy.
31st January 1915 Reinforcements 
3rd February 1915 2nd Btn Royal Welsh Fusiliers posting (Armentières Lt Haydon posted to temporary medical charge of the 2/RW Fusiliers in relief of Lt Harbison proceeding to England on 8 days leave.
War Diary 19th Field Ambulance RAMC
12th February 1915 Officer changes at 2nd Royal Welsh Fusiliers Lt Haydon rejoined today on return of Lt Harbison, MO 2/RW Fusiliers from leave.War Diary 19th Field Ambulance RAMC, Armentières
9th May 1915 The Battle of Aubers Ridge: The Souther pincer Richebourg L’Avoue. At 4.06am: sunrise and all very quiet on this front.
5.00am: British bombardment opens with field guns firing shrapnel at the German wire and howitzers firing High Explosive shells onto front line. German troops are seen peering above their parapet even while this shelling was going on.
5.30am: British bombardment intensifies, field guns switch to HE and also fire at breastworks. The lead battalions of the two assaulting Brigades of 1st Division go over the top to take up a position only 80 yards from German front. (2nd Brigade has 1/Northants and 2/Royal Sussex in front and 2/KRRC and 1/5th Royal Sussex in immediate support; 3rd Brigade has 2/Royal Munster Fusiliers and 2/Welsh in front, with 1/4th Royal Welsh Fusiliers in support). Heavy machine-gun fire cuts the attackers down even on their own ladders and parapet steps, but men continue to press forward as ordered.
In the area of the Indian Corps, the lead battalions of the Dehra Dun Brigade of the Meerut Division (2/2nd Ghurkas, 1/4th and 1st Seaforth Highlanders) were so badly hit by enemy fire that no men got beyond their own parapet and the front-line and communications trenches were soon filled with dead and wounded men.
5.40am: British bombardment lifts off front lines and advances 600 yards; infantry assault begins. Despite the early losses and enemy fire the three Brigades attempted to advance across No Man's Land. They were met by intense crossfire from the German machine-guns, which could not be seen in their ground-level and strongly protected emplacements. Whole lines of men were seen to be hit. Few lanes had been cut in the wire and even where men reached it they were forced to bunch, forming good targets for the enemy gunners. The leading battalions suffered very significant losses, particularly among officers and junior leaders. Around 100 men on the Northants and Munsters got into the German front, but all were killed or captured. The advance of the supporting battalions suffered similarly, and by 6.00am the advance had halted, with hundreds of men pinned down in No Man's Land, unable to advance or fall back.
6.15am: A repeat of the initial bombardment is ordered, with the added difficulty of uncertain locations of the most advanced troops.
7.20am: Major-General Haking (CO, 1st Division) reports failure and asks if he should bring in his last Brigade (1st (Guards)). He offered his opinion that it would not be successful.
7.45am: A further one hour bombardment starts, ordered by Lieut-General Anderson (CO, Meerut Division). Its only impact is to encourage German artillery to reply, bringing heavy shelling down onto British front and support trenches. German fire continued until about 10.30am.
8.00am: First reports reach Haig, but they underestimate losses and problems. Haig also hears of early French successes in Vimy attack; he resolves to renew the effort in the Southern attack, with noon being the new zero
hour. This was subsequently moved when it was learned from I Corps how long it would take to bring supporting units up to replace those that had suffered in the initial attacks. The new attack at 2.40pm would again be preceded by a 40 minute bombardment. The various movements of relief forces were achieved only with much confusion and further losses under renewed enemy shellfire. The time was again moved, to 4.00pm. In the meantime, the German infantry in the Bois de Biez area was reinforced.
3.20pm: Bombardment repeated and seen to be a little more successful, blowing gaps in the wire and in the enemy front-line.
3.45pm: Bareilly Brigade, moving up to relieve the Dehra Dun, loses more than 200 men due to enemy shelling.
3.57pm: The leading companies of the 1/Black Watch of 1st (Guards) Brigade, brought in to replace the shattered 2nd Brigade, went over the top despite the 1/Cameron Highlanders being late to arrive and moved at the double across No Man's Land. Some reached the German breastwork just as the bombardment lifted; most were however killed or captured in the German firing trench although a small party reached the second position. The two lead companies of the Camerons, coming up on the left of the Black Watch a few minutes later, suffered heavy machine-gun casualties in crossing between the front lines. At approximately the same time, the two fresh battalions of the 3rd Brigade, the 1/Gloucestershire and 1/South Wales Borderers began to advance but were cut down without reaching the enemy. Meerut Division orders Bareilly Brigade to advance, even though it is clear that conditions are unchanged: few men even reached a small ditch 20 yards in front of their own front line, and the Brigade suffered more than 1000 casualties within minutes.
4.35pm: 1st Division orders another 10 minutes shelling but it is seen to have no effect.
4.40pm: Large explosion at German ammunition dump in Herlies, hit by a long-range British heavy shell. Smoke clouds drifting towards British lines caused a gas alarm. Br-Gen. Southey (CO, Bareilly Brigade) reports that further attempts to advance would be useless.
5.00pm: General Haig, hearing of the continued failure of the Southern attack, orders 2nd Division to relieve 1st Division with a view to a bayonet attack at dusk, 8.00pm.
11th June 1915 Training by 2nd Royal Welch MO Lts. Mawe and Bell proceeded to trenches of 2nd Royal Welch Fusiliers and instruction given by Lt. Harbison Medical Officer of that Regiment.
War diary RAMC 19th Field Ambulance, Erquinghem-Lys
25th Sep 1915 19th Brigade in Action
6th Nov 1915 Reliefs
1st Dec 1915 Reliefs
2nd Dec 1915 Poor Conditions
4th Dec 1915 Quiet
6th Dec 1915 Bombardment
7th Dec 1915 Artillery Active
8th Dec 1915 Mine Exploded
9th Dec 1915 Wet Day
10th Dec 1915 Moves
11th Dec 1915 Reliefs
12th Dec 1915 Flooding
12th Dec 1915 Training
15th Dec 1915 Training
17th Dec 1915 Instructions Issued
19th Dec 1915 Instructions
21st Dec 1915 Storm
22nd Dec 1915 Conference
23rd Dec 1915 Orders Issued
24th Dec 1915 Flooding
26th Dec 1915 Flooding
27th Dec 1915 On the March
28th Dec 1915 Reliefs
29th Dec 1915 Reliefs
30th Dec 1915 Reliefs
31st Dec 1915 Shelling
2nd April 1916 Reliefs
7th Apr 1916 Instruction
20th July 1916 Attack Made
If you can provide any additional information, please add it here.
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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 with2nd Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers during the Great War 1914-1918. - Adams George William. Pte
- Bennett John. Cpl. (d.1st Sep 1916)
- Courtney MM. Ernest. Sgt. (d.26th Sep 1917)
- Davies Thomas. Pte (d.17th May 1915)
- Donegan Thomas. Pte. (d.20th March 1918)
- Eaton John. Pte. (d.25th Apr 1917)
- Ebbrell Thomas. Pte. (d.26th Sep 1917)
- Elliott MM. S.. Pte.
- Evans James. Pte. (d.26th Sep 1917)
- Fox Richard. Pte. (d.30th Nov 1917)
- Holden Albert. Pte. (d.25th Nov 1917)
- Humphreys William. L/Cpl. (d.13th September 1918)
- Johnson Charles Edward. Pte. (d.26th Oct 1914)
- Jones Robert Thomas. Pte. (d.16th May 1915)
- Lloyd MM. Charles. Sgt.
- Lloyd Evan. L/Cpl. (d.22 June 1916)
- Lloyd Thomas. Pte. (d.23rd September 1917)
- Meyler Enoch William. Pte.
- Mules Arthur George. Pte. (d.26th Sep 1917)
- Parker Thomas Henry. A/Cpl. (d.6th Nov 1916)
- Penny David Ernest. Sgt. (d.27th May 1917)
- Pierce Reginald. Sgt. (d.10th Nov 1918)
- Pugh Joseph. Pte. (d.11 November 1916)
- Ricketts Ernest. Pte. (d.26th Apr 1915)
- Sproule James Chambers. Lt.
- Stevens William. Pte. (d.20th July 1916)
- Thomas Samuel Z.. Pte. (d.20th August 1916 )
- Threlfall William Henry. Pte. (d.24th Aug 1918)
- Vickers George Fosbery.
- Vickers Percival. Pte. (d.22nd Apr 1918)
- Ward Robert. Pte. (d.30th Nov 1917)
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 2nd Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers from other sources.
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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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Pte. William Henry Threlfall 2nd Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.24th Aug 1918) William Threlfall was killed in action on the 24th of August 1918, aged 29. Buried in Bouzincourt Ridge Cemetery, France, he was the husband of Minnie Threlfall, of 19, King's Terrace, Burnley.
William enlisted on May 17th, 1916 having previously worked as a weaver for Messrs. Whitehead and Leaver. He had been overseas since June 13th, 1917. His wife, Minnie received news of his death from one of his friends in the battalion:
"He was on a night stunt, and when they called the roll next morning he was not there. I and a lad from Waterfoot could not rest, so we went over the ground to look for him, and found him, to our sorrow, dead."
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Pte. Albert Holden 2nd Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.25th Nov 1917) Albert Holden was my wife's great uncle, born in April 1889 .
We visited Ypres and Tyne Cot Cemetery.
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George Fosbery Vickers 2nd Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers George Vickers served with the 2nd Royal Welsh Fusiliers. His brother Percy was killed alongside him in the Battle for Bouzincourt Ridge. George survived the war and married Margaret Elizabeth Smith. They had two daughters.
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Pte. Percival Vickers 2nd Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.22nd Apr 1918) Percy Vickers fought in the trenches alongside his brother George. Percy is buried in Bouzincourt Ridge Cemetery.
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Pte. Enoch William Meyler 23rd Btn. Royal Welsh Fusliers Enoch Meyler was my step grandfathers father.
We can find no record of his death in the UK or Ireland.
He was a patient in the hospital for 10 days in June 1919 with myalgia before he was discharged.
We know he died when my step granfather was very small, so prob in the early 1920s.
His wife Elizabeth died around the same time leaving the 3 children orphans and being raised in an orphanage in Llanelly.
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L/Cpl. William Humphreys 2nd Btn. Royal Welch Fusiliers (d.13th September 1918) William Humphreys served with 2nd Btn Royal Welch Fusiliers and was awarded the British war and victory medals.
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Pte. Thomas Donegan 2nd Btn Royal Welch Fusiliers (d.20th March 1918) Thomas Donegan enlisted in the 1st Battalion, Connaught Rangers on 5th March 1892. In November 1902 he was tried by court martial and sentenced to 12 months imprisonment for destroying military property. On completion of his sentence he was discharged.
He re-enlisted on 18th of August 1914 in the 8th Battalion, Welsh Regiment and was transferred to the 6th Battalion, Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry on 8th of January 1915. He was discharged on 18th of February 1915, being listed as "unlikely to become an efficient soldier", due to chest trouble.
He re-enlisted again on 17th of August 1915 in the 2nd Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers. He served in France from 22nd of December 1915 to 5th of March 1916 when he was invalided to England. He served in Egypt from 20th of October 1916 to 17th of January 1918 when he was again invalided to England after attempting to shoot a fellow soldier. He was initially admitted to Netley Hospital on 1st of February 1918 and then to Dykebar War Hospital. Two weeks later he was admitted to Crookston Hospital where he remained until his death. He committed suicide by hanging on 20th of March 1918. Cause of death was returned as death by strangulation.
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Pte. Thomas Ebbrell 2nd Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.26th Sep 1917) Thomas Ebbrell is my great uncle on my fathers side.
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Pte. Richard Fox 2nd Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.30th Nov 1917) Richard Fox was my Great Uncle and enlisted in the Army in Birmingham on 20th Sep 1905, aged 17, following the untimely death of both his parents (my Great Grandparents) the year before.
During WW1 he was rated as a first class machine gunner and died of his wounds at 101st Field Ambulance in Flanders on 30th of November 1917.
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Sgt. Ernest Courtney MM. 2nd Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.26th Sep 1917) My Great Uncle Ernest Courtney was born in Cardiff in 1889.
He was the 6th child (3rd son) of a family of 13 children.
Ernest joined the 2nd Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers in 1907 aged 18yrs with the regimental number 9353. He was posted with his regiment to Roberts Barracks, Quetta then in India.
In August 1914 the battalion embarked from Portland to France as part of the B.E.F. During the early part of the war he served at the Battle of Mons.
He continued to serve with his battalion and on the 11th October 1916 was awarded the Military Medal, and was promoted Sergeant.
At about this time he received a chest wound (shot in the chest) and was invalided home.
Ernest returned to France and Belgium following his recuperation, and was killed in action at Polygon Wood during the Passchendaele offensive of 1917.
He is buried in the Tyne Cot Military Cemetery, Zonnebeke.
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Sgt. Charles Lloyd MM. 2nd Btn. Royal Welch Fusiliers "On recovering from his wound, Lieut Bernard S Marshall MC S.W.B. applied for transfer to the Royal Flying Corps and was gazetted in December 1916. After about 6 months training, he took his Wings and was immediately ordered to France again on the 1st of June 1917. His career as a Flying Officer was a short one for on 7th June while on his second flight that day he failed to return and was reported missing. Some months later his observer was found to be a prisoner in Germany and he reported that while on an offensive patrol they attacked a flight of enemy machines and an anti aircraft shell bursting near them hit Lt Marshall in the head and killed him instantaneously, the machine, a FE2B, was also extensively hit and crashed into a canal near Lille, the machine sank and Lt. Marshall's body was not recovered."
The observer, my grandfather, Charles Lloyd, although injured by the crash, managed to reach the bank with the help of two Germans and was immediately taken prisoner. He then received extensive surgery for his injuries. My grandfather told my aunt that a part of the AA shell had passed through the Lieutenant and wounded him. However, he amended the above account, which he had told Lt. Marshall's family by saying that though mortally wounded the pilot came round and recovered control of the aircraft to crash land it in the canal. After his release from the German hospital, he eventually finished the war as a POW working on a farm and became fairly fluent in German. They were both Swansea men.
In the 2nd Royal Welsh Fusiliers which granddad had joined in 1913, he was part of one of the battalion's Vickers MG crews.
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Pte. Arthur George Mules 2nd Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.26th Sep 1917) Arthur Mules is Remembered with Honour at Hooge Crater Cemetery. He served with 2nd Battalion. Royal Welsh Fusiliers and died on 26th of September 1917 aged 26
He was the brother of Mrs. Amy Martin, of 5 John St., Penarth, Cardiff. In Memory of Arthur Mules only he knows what happened.
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Sgt. Reginald Pierce 24th Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers (d.10th Nov 1918) Sgt. Reginald Pierce was a former police officer at Wrexham Police Station. He enlisted at Wrexham on the 13th of December 1915, he was posted with the 2nd Battalion to France on the 4th of July 1916 then posted back to United Kingdom because of illness. He was posted to 24th Battalion on the 16th of February and then to Eygpt, where he was wounded. On recovery transferred with Battalion to France in June 1918. The Battalion entered the line at Ingoyghem on the night of the 29th/30th of October 1918 and advanced on the 31st, being heavily shelled and engaged with rifle and machine gun fire, in the advance Sergeant Pierce was badly wounded and moved to the 3rd Australian Clearing Station where he died on the 10th of November 1918.
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Pte. S. Elliott MM. 2nd Btn. Royal Welch Fusiliers Recently obtained Bravery in the Field medal has inscribed on the edge 8309 Pte. S Elliott 2/R.W. FUS.
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Pte. Charles Edward Johnson 2nd Btn. Royal Welch Fusiliers (d.26th Oct 1914) Charles Johnson was only 25 when he was killed in France on 26th October 1914. He was the first soldier to die from Overton. His parents were Charlie and Annie and he had nine siblings. He is buried in Pont-Du-Hem Military Cemetery, La Gorgue.
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A/Cpl. Thomas Henry Parker 2nd Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.6th Nov 1916) Before the war, Thomas Parker had territorial service with North Staffordshire Regiment, No. T958
He attested in Birmingham on the 15th of November 1915, age 25 years & 1 month. Giving his trade as Policeman (Birmingham).
Thomas was appointed Acting Corporal on the 24th of November 1915
and on the 16th of August 1916, embarked onboard the SS Archangel at Southampton. Disembarking at Rouen the following day. He joined 2nd Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers in the field in France in the Somme battle sector on the 21st.
He was killed in action on the 6th of November 1916, aged 26 and is buried in London Road Cemetery, High Wood, Somme. He was the son of Henry and Frances (née Upton) Parker of Rugeley, Staffordshire.
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Pte. Robert Ward 2nd Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.30th Nov 1917) Robert Ward, Private 56556, enlisted at Jarrow and served with the 2nd Battalion Welsh Fusiliers. He died on the 30th November 1917 and is remembered at St. Paul's Church and Tyne Cot Military Cemetery. His medal card shows that he was awarded the War and Victory Medals. His older brother James was also one of the fallen.
Robert was born in Jarrow 1897, son of Hugh and Mary Elizabeth Ward nee Jamieson of 92 Hope Street, Jarrow. In the 1911 census the family are living at 3 Burn Street, Jarrow with Hugh(39)labourer in chemical works and his wife of 19 years Elizabeth(39) and their 6 children all single. Janet(18), James(15) catching rivets in shipyard, Robert(13), Bernard(8) and Ellen(6) are at school and John is age 4.
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Sgt. David Ernest Penny 2nd Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.27th May 1917) David Ernest Penny 36875. Enlisted 21/11/15. Prewar he was a gardener then a policeman. He was soon promoted to Acting Corporal (24/11/15) then Acting Serjeant (3/6/16). He was killed in action on 27/5/1917 during the Battle of Arras, "place not stated". He is commemorated on the Arras memorial.
The day before he was killed, by chance, he met his younger brother who survived the war
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Cpl. John Bennett 2nd Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.1st Sep 1916) John was one of three brothers who died in the War. Private Herbert Bennett served with the Northumberland Fusiliers and Private William Bennett with the Cheshire Regiment. Any info on this family please.
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Recomended Reading.Available at discounted prices.
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Old Soldiers Never Die Frank Richards
Frank Richards served in the 2/ Royal Welch Fusiliers along with (at one time or another) Robert Graves and Siegfried Sassoon, and Dr Dunn (compiler of the amazing 'The War That The Infantry Knew'- possibly THE best battalion history of WW1- and a good companion to this book as its interesting to cross reference small incidences somtimes...).
Anyway, Richards was slightly different to his literary contemporaries in that he was 'Other Ranks', and a miner by trade. He was recalled to the colours in 1914 after several years on the reserve, and served as a Private right through to 1918. He writes his story as one would imagine he spoke- and for me as I read it, it was a style as if he was telling me his war history in anecdotes down the pub or something, supping over a pint of mild: theres no deep soul searching here, but plenty of bitterness, a lot of detail, and what an experience he had...
So if you don't have this in your collection then get it now- one of the very few 'OR' books (I
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