Monmouthshire Regiment - Roll of Honour of Officers of the Monmouthsire Regiment Who Died In The Great War Whilst Serving With 3rd Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment

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Roll of Honour of Officers of the Monmouthshire Regiment

Who Died in the Great War

Those Officers of The Monmouthshire Regiment Who Died in the Great War Whilst Serving With

3rd Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment TF

No	Date Died	Surname	Forenames	Rank	Decs	Age	Cause	Country	Location	Cemetery/Memorial	Notes
1915
1	25th April	ONIONS	Wilfred	2Lt	-	26	DOW	Belgium	83rd Fd Amb, west of Polygon Wood	Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial (Panel 50)	(1)
2	2nd May	MARTIN	Charles Herbert George	Lt	-	33	KIA	Belgium	North of Polygon Wood, east of Ypres	Sanctuary Wood Cemetery (V.L.16)	1/p156 (2)
3	6th May	TOWNSEND	Hugh Vere	2Lt	-	31	KIA	Belgium	Frezenberg Ridge, east of Ypres	Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial (Panel 50)	-
4	8th May	GARDNER	Robert Oswald	Capt	-	31	KIA	Belgium	Frezenberg Ridge, east of Ypres	Oosttaverne Wood Cemetery, Wytschaete	1/p161 (3)
5	8th May	GROVES	Francis Neville	Lt	-	25	KIA	Belgium	Frezenberg Ridge, east of Ypres	Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial (Panel 50)	1/p161
6	8th May	LANCASTER	James	Capt	-	37	KIA	Belgium	Frezenberg Ridge, east of Ypres	Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial (Panel 50)	1/p161
7	8th May	PALMER	William Lucius	2Lt	-	24	KIA	Belgium	Frezenberg Ridge, east of Ypres	Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial (Panel 50)	1/p161
8	8th May	REED	Charles Sydney	Lt	-	30	KIA	Belgium	Frezenberg Ridge, east of Ypres	Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial (Panel 50)	1/p161
9	8th May	SORBY	Charles Malin Clifton	2Lt	-	20	DOW	France	CCS at Bailleul	Bailleul Communal Cemetery, France	1/p161 (4)
10	8th May	WORTON	John Paton	Lt	-	24	KIA	Belgium	Frezenberg Ridge, east of Ypres	Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial (Panel 50)	1/p161
11	12th May	BAKER	Reginald Lawrence	Capt	-	37	KIA	Belgium	Frezenberg Ridge, E of Ypres	Poelcapelle British Cemetery	(5)
12	2nd August	WALBEOFFE-WILSON	William	Capt	-	33	KIA	Belgium	Kemmel, south-west of Ypres	Lindenhoek Chalet Cemetery, SW of Kemmel	-
1916
13	7th July	STRAKER	Charles Constantine Lionel	2Lt	-	25	DOW	France	CCS at Thiepval Wood	Connaught Cemetery, Thiepval (XIII.A.6)	(6)
The Battalion was disbanded on 31st August 1916 with personnel being transferred to reinforce the 1st and 2nd Battalions.
Notes: (The numbers marked with a "p" in the Notes column refers to the page within the trio of Books "The Welsh At War" - (Book 1) - From Mons to Loos and the Gallipoli Tragedy, (Book 2) - The Grinding War :The Somme and Arras and (Book 3) - Through Mud to Victory: Third Ypres and the 1918 Offensives, by Steven John, where the death of the officer is mentioned or indicated). 1. ONIONS was shot and wounded on 24th April 1915 at Polygon Wood and evacuated to a Dressing Station of 83rd Field Ambulance where he died. His grave was subsequently lost. 2. MARTIN, the Battalion Machine Gun Officer,was originally buried in a battlefield grave to the north of Polygon Wood and reburied in Sanctuary Wood Cemetery in May 1930. 3. GARDNER was killed and buried near Frezenberg Ridge on 8th May 1915 and it was not until 1926 when his remains were found and buried at Oosttaverne Wood Cemetery, Wytschaete. 4. SORBY was wounded at Frezenberg Ridge on 8th May and was evacuated to a Casualty Clearing Station at Bailleul, France. 5. BAKER was killed and buried near Frezenberg Ridge on 12th May 1915 and it was not until 1923 that his remains were found and buried at Poelcapelle British Cemetery.. 6. STRAKER was wounded near Aveluy Wood on 6th July 1916.

Battalion History

Previously designated 4th Volunteer Battalion South Wales Borderers, the 3rd Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment was formed at Abergavenny on 1st April 1908 as part of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907.

At the outbreak of the Great war, the Battalion was based at Abergavenny as part of the Welsh Border Brigade, of the Welsh Division. The Battalion moved to its operational location at Pembroke Dock on mobilisation and on 10th August 1914 it was moved to Oswestry. By 31st August 1914 the Battalion had moved to Northampton and in early September 1914 the Battalion was split, with those personnel who had signed up for Imperial Service formed into the First Line of the Battalion, designated the1/3rd Battalion, for service overseas. Those personnel who had signed for Home Service (and could not or would not sign up for Imperial Service) were formed up into the Second Line of the Battalion, re-designated 2/3rd Battalion, for service in Home and Coastal Defence duties. The Battalion embarked for the BEF in France on 14th February 1915 and joined 83rd Infantry Brigade of the 28th Division. The unit saw active service during Second Ypres suffering severe casualties. On 27th May 1915 the Battalion was temporarily amalgamated with 1/2nd and 1/2nd Battalions Monmouthshire Regiment to form a composite unit. When the Battalions were brought up to strength with battle casualty replacements in August 1915 they resumed their individual identities and the 1/3rd Battalion was re-assigned to 83rd Infantry Brigade, 28th Division. On 28th September 1915, the unit became the Pioneer Battalion of the 49th (West Riding) Division and the unit remained in France and Flanders until taken out of the line on 9th August 1916 due to being severely under strength and the Battalion was formally disbanded on 31st August 1916 with personnel being transferred to 1st and 2nd Battalions.

The brass “collar dog” insignia worn by men of Pioneer Battalions in the British Expeditionary Force. The design is of a crossed rifle and pick, representing the Battalion's dual fighting and labouring role. (A Pioneer Battalion's duties, as well as being a fully equipped and trained infantry battalion, included road and rail repairs, demolition, digging trenches, constructing defences and installations, and other labouring duties).

2/3rd Battalion TF. Formed in Abergavenny in September 1914 as the second line of the 3rd Battalion, part of the Welsh Border Brigade of the Welsh Division. The Battalion moved to Cambridge on 25th February 1915 and was transferred to the retitled 205th (2/1st Welsh Border) Brigade, 68th (2nd Welsh) Division TF, at Northampton in April 1915. The Division, which became part of the General Reserve of Home Forces on 1st September 1916, was moved to Bedford in July 1915 then to the Lowestoft area in November 1916. The Battalion was moved to Herringfleet in the spring of 1917 when the Division became part of the Northern Army of the Home Defence Central Force. In August 1917 the Battalion was disbanded with personnel being posted to the 2/1st and 2/2nd Battalions TF of the Monmouthshire Regiment. The Battalion did not serve outside the UK, performing home and coastal defence duties in the East Midlands and Suffolk area under command of the 68th Division.

3/3rd Battalion TF. Formed at Abergavenny in February 1915 as the third line and depot of the 3rd Battalion. The Battalion remained at Abergavenny until September 1915 when it was moved to Oswestry. On 8th April 1916 the Battalion was re-designated 3rd (Reserve) Battalion TF Monmouthshire Regiment and was then absorbed by the 1st (Reserve) Battalion TF on 1st September 1916 at Oswestry. The Battalion did not serve outside the UK, performing depot, training and home and coastal defence duties.

Regimental History

A detailed history of the Monmouthshire Regiment can be viewed here.

Page last amended: 2nd January 2024

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