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Want to know more about the Welsh Guards? There are:6588 items tagged Welsh Guards available in our Library
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 withWelsh Guards during the Great War 1914-1918. - Bagot Edward Luke Henry. 2nd Lt (d.10th Sep 1916)
- Bye VC. Robert James. Sgt.
- Caffrey Thomas Edward. Pte. 2nd Battalion
- Corbett Shadrach. Pte. 1st Btn. (d.16th Sep 1916)
- Drake Arthur John. Pte. 1st Btn. (d.11th October 1918)
- Driscoll Herbert Joseph. Pte. 1st Btn.
- Haywood William. Grdsmn. 1st Batt
- Herbert Percy Robert. Capt (d.13th Oct 1916)
- Hoggarth John Charles. Pte. 1st Btn. (d.6th Nov 1918)
- Hughes David. Pte. 1st Btn. (d.27th Dec 1916)
- Hughes Jesse. Pte 1st Btn (d.28th Nov 1917)
- Hughes John. Pte.
- Hughes Robert John. Pte. 1st Btn (d.21st June 1916)
- Lewis Benjamin Thomas. 1st Battalion
- Lewis Benjamin Thomas. Pte. 1st Btn.
- Lovis Reginald. Pte. 1st Btn. (d.10th Sep 1916)
- Rees Edward William. Pte. 1st Btn. (d.1st Dec 1917)
- Rees Lewis Thomas. Pte. 9th Bn (d.7th July 1916)
- Rowlands Edward. Pte. 1st Bn (d.11th Sep 1916)
- Rowlands MM. Edward David. Pte. 1st Btn (d.27th Sep 1918)
- Smith Fred. Pte. 1st Btn. (d.20th Oct 1918)
- Tarbuck Matthew. Pte. 1st Battalion (d.10th December 1916)
- Tibbatts John. Pte. 1st Battalion (d.1st Dec 1917)
- Williams William Morris. Pte. 1st Btn. (d.28th March 1918)
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.
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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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256585 Pte. Herbert Joseph Driscoll 1st Btn. Welsh Guards Herbert Driscoll served with the Welsh Guards.
He was awarded a Silver War Badge.
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253740 Pte. David Hughes 1st Btn. Welsh Guards (d.27th Dec 1916) David Hughes was my great grandfather who died in the Battle of the Somme.
He was already in the army and transferred to the Welsh Guards when it was formed.
He left behind two daughters one of which was my grandmother Marie.
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244623 Pte. Shadrach Corbett 1st Btn. Welsh Guards (d.16th Sep 1916) Shadrach Corbett was a distant relative of mine who lived in the next village to my grandparents who were miners. He was killed at the Battle of the Somme at the age of 26 and was an only child. Other than that I do not know.
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244500 Pte. Reginald Lovis 1st Btn. Welsh Guards (d.10th Sep 1916) Reginald Lovis died and is buried in Ypres, Belgium
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227036 Pte. William Morris Williams 1st Btn. Welsh Guards (d.28th March 1918) William was the husband of Emily Williams, Love Lane, Denbigh.
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226963 Pte. Robert John Hughes 1st Btn Welsh Guards (d.21st June 1916) Robert Hughes was the son of Thomas and Jane Hughes of Henllan, Denbighshire.
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221038 Pte. Fred Smith 1st Btn. Welsh Guards (d.20th Oct 1918) Fred Smith served with the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards during WW1 and was killed in action on the 20th October 1918, aged 29. He is commemorated on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial in France. He was the son of the late Hiram and Jane Smith, of Burnley and husband of Annie Smith, of 45, Belgrave St., Nelson, Lancs.
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220271 Pte. Edward David Rowlands MM. 1st Btn Welsh Guards (d.27th Sep 1918) Edward Rowlands joined the Welsh Guards in 1914. He died on 27th September 1918 of his wounds at the Battle of Cambrai.
Edward was unmarried and aged 34 on his death. He is buried at Beaumetz Crossroads Cemetery, Beaumetz Les Cambrai.
He was awarded the Military Medal at the Battle of Pilckem Ridge at the third battle of Ypres. His citation was printed in the London Gazette on 25th September 1917 but I am unable to find the details.
Three of his brothers had emigrated to Canada in 1910. Two returned and fought for their country one died in Egypt, another injured in Galipoli the third brother fought for the Canadians in the Alberta Rgt and died at Vimmy Ridge. Edward also lost two cousins with a further two injured.
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220270 Pte. Edward Rowlands 1st Bn Welsh Guards (d.11th Sep 1916) Edward Rowlands died in the Battle of the Somme. He is buried in Allonville Communal Cemetery. He was 36yrs old and unmarried.
He lost four cousins in the Great War with three further cousins injured.
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218792 Grdsmn. William Haywood 1st Batt Welsh Guards My grandfather, William Haywood was one of the first civillians to enlist in the Welsh Guards. He enlisted on 13th March 1915 at the age of 34. He left behind a wife and 5 children. On the same day as enlisting, he was put on a train to Caterham, where he underwent basic training for the next 157 days.
On completion of training he was shipped to France with the 1st Battalion on 17th August 1915, arriving at Havre on the 18th. They moved onto St Omer on 20th August, where they remained until 27th Sept 1915. At midday they received orders that they were to march to Loos at 2pm and were involved in the battle shortly after their arrival. Christmas Day 1915 was celebrated at La Gorgue and they remained there until 15th February 1916, whereupon they marched back to Estaires.
On 16th March the battalion was moved by train to Ypres where they again saw action up until July 1916. After the battle of Ypres they were sent to the Somme, which was by far the most outrageous encounter of all. After the battle they returned to Neuville and then by train to St Omer. They marched through the village of Compayne - it was exactly a year and 9 months since they had entered their first battle at Arques.
October 10th saw them back in action in the third battle of Ypres. The casualties totalled 451, which was less than in previous battles. Among the casualties was Guardsman 789 William Haywood, who received a gun shot wound to the head. My grandfather returned to Great Britain in November 1917, due to his injuries. His service record supplied to me by the Welsh Guards says that on 14th December 1918, 789 William Haywood discharged, surplus to military requirements, having suffered impairment since entering into the service.
Guardsman Haywood was batman to Captain Frank Lewis Thornhill Barlow, MC with whom he remained in contact after the war had ended and up to my grandfather's death in 1940.
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213595 Capt Percy Robert Herbert Welsh Guards (d.13th Oct 1916) Captain Percy Robert Herbert, Viscount Clive died on 13th of October 1916 at the age of 23, from wounds received in action during the Battle of the Somme. He died in the King Edward VII Hospital, Grosvenor Gardens, London and was buried in Welshpool, Montgomeryshire, Wales
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213590 2nd Lt Edward Luke Henry Bagot Welsh Guards (d.10th Sep 1916) Edward Luke Henry Bagot was killed in action aged 19 at the Battle of the Somme. He is buried in the Guards' Cemetery at Lesboeufs.
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213424 Pte. Lewis Thomas Rees 9th Bn Royal Welsh Fusiliers (d.7th July 1916) Private Lewis Thomas Rees 19976, 9th Bn., Royal Welsh Fusiliers
was the son of John and Hannah Rees, of Loughor, Glam. He died on the 7th of July 1916, aged 20 and is remembered with Honour at Heilly Station Cemetery Mericourt-l'Abbe.
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209636 Sgt. Robert James Bye VC. Welsh Guards Robert James Bye was born in Pontypridd. He was 27 years old, and a Sergeant in the 1st Btn., Welsh Guards, when the following deed took place on 31 July 1917 at the Yser Canal, Belgium during the Third Battle of Ypres for which he was awarded the VC. His citation reads:
"939 Sjt. Robert Bye, Welsh Guards (Penrhiwceiber, Glamorgan).
For most conspicuous bravery. Sjt. Bye displayed the utmost courage and devotion to duty during an attack on the enemy's position. Seeing that the leading waves were being troubled by two enemy blockhouses, he, on his own initiative, rushed at one of them and put the garrison out of action. He then rejoined his company and went forward to the assault of the second objective. When the troops had gone forward to the attack on the third objective, a party was detailed to clear up a line of blockhouses which had been passed. Sjt. Bye volunteered to take charge of this party, accomplished his object, and took many prisoners. He subsequently advanced to the third objective, capturing a number of prisoners, thus rendering invaluable assistance to the assaulting companies. He displayed throughout the most remarkable initiative."
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208078 Pte. John Tibbatts 1st Battalion Welsh Guards (d.1st Dec 1917) John Tibbatts was born on December 19, 1897, the youngest son of Albert and Bridget, and was baptised at St Catherine of Siena Church at the beginning of 1898. We know little of his early years, other than he attended St Catherine’s School. Albert, his father, believed that school was very important and it is certain that John completed his education before beginning his working life.
At the beginning of the Great War in 1914, John, who was by then 17 years old, joined the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards Regiment. After training, he was sent to France in 1916, to fight. Life in the trenches was unbearable and it is difficult to imagine the living conditions that these young men were to endure. I can only imagine what it must have been like to live in constant fear of dying, every minute of the day. History books teach us that these soldiers had not only to fear the enemy but also their superior officers, who often gave the order to shoot onsite men who refused to move towards the opposing guns.
Many years ago I talked with my father of his experience of the war and asked the question: What was it like?
"I kept my head down, I prayed a lot, did what I was told to and I thanked God every morning that I woke up alive." I first thought it was glib response from a man who didn't wish to share or relive that traumatic period of his life. But on reflection, I realized that it was how he chose to accept his lot and still not lose the spirit to fight.
It was during the Battle of Cambrai, which began in November 1917 that tanks were first used on a large-scale, although they had been considered of little value in offensive operations, as they were prone to defects in operation. The Commander in Chief, Sir Douglas Haig, disappointed by the lack of progress in the village of Passchendale and attracted by the possibility of obtaining a profitable victory before the end of the year, decided to continue using tanks, supported by infantry. Haig described the purpose of Cambrai operations as "obtaining a local success by a sudden attack." in a place where the enemy was least expecting an attack, and, to some extent, it worked.
The assault approach was novel because artillery had not bombarded the placements beforehand. Tanks were required to pass first through the German wire followed by infantry, concealed by smoke dams (a blanket of smoke bombs)
The attack began early on the morning of 20 November 1917 and advance was remarkable. But, by the 22nd, it was decided to stop and give soldiers time to rest and reorganize, unfortunately for the Allies it also gave the Germans time to strengthen their lines. From 23 to 28 November, fighting was concentrated almost exclusively on Bourlon Wood, and by November 29, it was clear that the Germans were ready for a counterattack.
During the terrible battle of 1st December 1917, and a few days before his 20th birthday, John, like many other young men, lost his life. John is buried with 7047 other men, British and South African, and Canadian who lost their lives during the Battle of Cambrai. "Their Sacrifice is commemorated in the cemetery of Louverval, in the Cambrésis".
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727 Pte. John Hughes Welsh Guards John Hughes landed in France with the Welsh Guards on the 7th of August 1915
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