2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment

   2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment was a unit of the Territorial Force with its HQ in Osbourne Road, Pontypool, 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 to defend Pembroke Dock. By the 10th of August they moved to Oswestry and by beginning of September they were at Northampton. They proceeded to France on the 7th of November 1914 landing at Le Havre to join 12th Brigade, 4th Division. They fought in The Second Battle of Ypres, then moved South to the somme where they were were attached to 36th (Ulster) Division, providing instruction to the newly arrived Division. On the 30th of January 1916 the Battalion left 4th Division and moved to the Lines of Communication. On the 1st of May 1916 they became a Pioneer Battalion, joining 29th Division who had just arrived from Egypt. In July they went into action in the Battles of the Somme. In 1917 they were in action in the The First, Second and Third Battle of the Scarpe during the Arras Offensive, then moved to Flanders and fought in the The Battle of Langemarck, The Battle of Broodseinde and The Battle of Poelcapelle. Before moving south for The Battle of Cambrai. In 1918 they were in action in The Battle of Estaires, at Messines and The Battle of Hazebrouck including the defence of Nieppe Forest and The Battle of Bailleul. They were involved in The Action of Outtersteene Ridge, The capture of Ploegsteert and Hill 63 during the Advance in Flanders. At the Armistice the 29th Division was selected to march into Germany to occupy the Rhine bridgehead, they crossed the Belgian-German border at Malmedy on the 4th of December 1918.

1st Nov 1914 Orders

20th February 1915 Instruction

28th February 1915 Instruction

8th Mar 1915 Trench Work

12th Mar 1915 Holding the Line

24th Mar 1915 Into Trenches

14th May 1915 7th Northumberlands into Trenches

16th May 1915 7th Northumberlands Relieved

19th May 1915 Working Parties and Attachments

19th May 1915 Working Parties and Attachments  At 9.10am 12th Brigade requested 149th Brigade to say when and where the 7th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers should report.
10am 7th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers arrived Hopital Ferme and bivouacked.
Fourth Division informed that 5th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers had been detailed for a period of attachment to 12th Brigade.
Brigadier General Feilding DSO granted four days leave of absence to proceed to England. At 12.30pm Brigadier General Feilding left HQ for England. Command of the Brigade devolved to Col. A.H. Coles CMG DSO 5th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers.
2pm Orders for following working parties received: 200 men to parade at their bivouacs at 7pm to work under Lt Bretherton RE on Divisional second line. 200 men to parade at their bivouacs at 8.30pm to work under Lt Green RE on French Switch line. At 2.15pm Orders issued to 7th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers to furnish first party and to 4th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers to furnish second party.
At 3pm Instructions received from 12th Brigade that 5th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers were to be attached as under. Companies to report at 11.30am. 20th inst:

1 Coy signals MO 2nd Essex Regiment HQ road in A21 a995.
1 Coy 1st Kings Own HQ South of road A23 G22
1 Coy 1 machine gun 1st/2nd Monmouths HQ Vlamertinghe Church
1 company 1 machine gun 2nd Royal Irish HQ A16 Central
HQ to 1/2nd Monmouths

3.15pm Orders issued to 5th Btn Northumberland Fusiliers in accordance with above instructions and 4th Division informed.
At 5.30pm Instruction received by Fourth Division that a relief of 11th Brigade by 12th Brigade the 6th Northumberland Fusiliers attached to the former should return to the brigade and go to the dugout in B27 or to Hopital Ferme as GOC 149th may direct.
149th Brigade war diary

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

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

25th Dec 1915 Handshakes, Gifts and Songs

2nd July 1916 Trenches in Poor State

3rd July 1916 Repairs

14th Aug1916 3rd Monmouths split  200 NCO's and men of the 3rd Monmouth Battalion left to join the 2nd Monmouthshire's

24th Jan 1917 Orders

27th Jan 1917 In Action

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There are:5271 items tagged 2nd 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
2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment
during the Great War 1914-1918.

Champ Arthur. Pte. (d.18th Aug 1917)
Cruickshank Raymond Alfred. 2nd Lt. (d.23rd Apr 1917)
Cruickshank Raymond Alfred. 2nd Lt. (d.23rd Apr 1917)
Downey William. Pte (d.6th August 1917)
James Thomas Francis. Pte.
James Thomas Francis. L/Cpl.
Knipe George Edward. Sgt. (d.28th Feb 1917)
Leinthall William Charles. Pte. (d.18th Aug 1917)
Lowe Albert Edward. Pte (d.12th April 1918)
Matthews Edgar Walter. Pte. (d.12th Apr 1918)
Payne Edward William. L/Sgt. (d.3rd Dec 1917)
Phillips James Harold. Pte. (d.17th December 1917)
Powell Wifred John Godfrey Mercy. Pte.
Turner Isaac. L/Cpl. (d.6th May 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 2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment from other sources.

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Pte. William Charles "Frank" Leinthall 2nd Btn Monmouthshire Regiment (d.18th Aug 1917)

William Leinthall joined the 3rd Btn Monmouthshire Regiment (Territorial Force) on 2nd September 1914. In 1915 he was posted to the 2nd Btn. He served France from 13 Feb 1915 to 1st Jul 1915, 29 Sep 1915 to 30 Oct 1915 and 15 Aug 1916 to 18 Aug 1917. He was wounded in action on 22nd April 1915. William was killed in action, undoubtedly, at the 3rd Battle of Ypres (Paschendale). His mother was Annie Leinthall of 39 Chapel Road, Abergavenny.
Paul Leinthall-Cowman

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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

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Pte. James Harold Phillips 2nd Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment (d.17th December 1917)

James Phillips died of wounds received on the 29th November 1917. He was a member of the Tredegar Territorial when they were mobilised, before he was 17 years of age. He went to France in June, 1916 and was wounded the first time in August of that year.
He was an all-round athlete, being an expert swimmer, a good cricketer and a skilled billiard player. He also had the distinction of being one of the best shots in the division, and was very popular with officers and men. He was on leave two months before his death. His great uncle, Mr James Dunbar, was one of the heroes of Rorke's Drift, and his name is on the scroll of honour of the famous 24th Regiment. His uncle is a commander in the Royal Navy.
Ruby

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Pte. Arthur Champ 2nd Btn. Monmouthshire Regiment (d.18th Aug 1917)

Arthur Champ is my great Uncle. I have been doing my family tree and came across his name with his death in France in 1917. I decided to look into it as it's 100 years since world war one has ended. From information gathered, I found he was the youngest son of Mr J Champ of Beatrice Road, Cadoxton Barry, Glamorgan. He was killed in France on 18th of August 1917 by a shell as he was returning from an attack to his trench. (I do not know as yet what battle this was)
Arthur was 19 and had joined up eighteen months before with his brother Private William Champ who was serving in France with the Warwickshire Regiment. William returned home after the War.
Elaine Romain

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Sgt. George Edward Knipe 2nd Btn. Monmouthshire Regiment (d.28th Feb 1917)

George Knipe was my grandfather's older brother. He left behind a wife and 2 young children. I only found out about him tracing the family tree. His name is inscribed on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France which I have visited.
Keith Lewis

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L/Cpl. Thomas Francis James 2nd Btn. C Company Monmouthshire Regiment

Thomas James served with C Company, 2nd Monmouthshire Regiment.
Terry Gravenor

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Pte. Thomas Francis James 2nd Btn. Monmouthshire Regiment

Private Thomas Francis James served with the 2nd battalion Monmouthshire Regiment, service nos. 11569 and 267481. He was a soldier who served and survived the First World War only to die by drowning in a local feeder pond after a bout brought on by the effects of gas at Passchendaele.
Terry Gravenor

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Pte. Edgar Walter Matthews 2nd Btn. Monmouthshire Regiment (d.12th Apr 1918)

I only know a small amount about Edgar Walter Matthews. I am researching my family history, if you know any more I would be grateful to know.
Darren Matthews

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Pte Albert Edward Lowe 2nd Btn. Monmouthshire Regiment (d.12th April 1918)

Albert Lowe was my grandfathers brother. He was killed in action in the Lys Battlefield Sector and is commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing. He was 21 when he died
Genet Bevan

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L/Sgt. Edward William Payne 2nd Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment (d.3rd Dec 1917)

Have just started to research my Great Uncle, Edward Payne. l have discovered his grave is at Flesquieres Hill British Cemetry, Nord, France. He was killed in action on 3rd December 1917.
Sue

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2nd Lt. Raymond Alfred Cruickshank 2nd Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment (d.23rd Apr 1917)

Raymond was born on 11th March, 1893, in Tregegar, Monmouthshire, the eldest son of William Henry and Martha Ann Cruickshank. He worked as a clerk and in his spare time, besides being a lay preacher, he studied theology. He also took great interest in Newport Rugby matches, going to many of their games. In September, 1914 he went to Canada for a while and joined a Canadian regiment then transfered to the 2nd Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment. He was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant with the 3rd Monmouths on the 25th of October 1916 and married Gladys Maud Green in December 1916.
The Monmouthshie Regiment was part of the Territorial Force. The 2nd Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment has itâ€™s origin in the Pontypool Volunteer Rifles Corps, which was established in 1858. Other Corps were founded at Abersychan, Abercarn, Ebbw Vale, Pontymoile and Tredegar. And in 1860 these, joining the Pontypool Corps became the 2nd Monmouthshie Rifle Corps. New Colours were presented by King Edward VII in 1908. these were deposited in the parish church of Trevethin and are now in the memorial Chapel. A memorial to those who fell in World War I was unveiled at Trevethin Church on March 3rd 1923.
Martyn Cruickshank

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2nd Lt. Raymond Alfred Cruickshank 2nd Btn. 2nd Monmouthshire Regiment (d.23rd Apr 1917)

Alfred Cruicksjhnk was the eldest son of William Henry & Martha Cruickshank of St Julians Avenue, Newport, Mon. He was in the 2nd Batt of the Monmouthshire Regiment, and commissioned in October 1916.
Martyn Cruickshank

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2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment
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2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment

Want to know more about 2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment?

Those known to have served with2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regimentduring the Great War 1914-1918.

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If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.

Announcements

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project
- 2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment during the Great War -

Those known to have served with
2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment
during the Great War 1914-1918.