Fallen Officers of the Great War

No

Date Died

Surname

Forenames

Rank

Decs

Age

Cause

Country

Location/Sector

Cemetery/Memorial

Notes

Died in 1915

1

10th August

BAGNALL

Philip Walter Jowett

2Lt

-

19

KIA

Gallipoli

Scimitar Hill

Helles Memorial (Panel 78/81)

1/p233

2

10th August

DAVIES

Arthur Charles

Capt

-

38

KIA

Gallipoli

Scimitar Hill

Helles Memorial (Panel 78/81)

1/p233

3

10th August

JONES

Gwilym Rhys

2Lt

-

?

KIA

Gallipoli

Scimitar Hill

Helles Memorial (Panel 78/81)

1/p233

4

10th August

WHEELER

Augustus Henry

Major

MiD

41

KIA

Gallipoli

Scimitar Hill

Helles Memorial (Panel 78/81)

1/p233

5

19th August

MILLER

John

Capt

-

38

KIA

Gallipoli

Near Suvla Bay

Helles Memorial (Panel 78/81)

-

Died in 1916

6

21st May

PERRY

William Johnstone

2Lt

-

?

A

Egypt

Cairo

Cairo War Memorial Cemetery (P.87)

(1)

Died 1917

7

26th March

IRELAND

Walter Ernest

2Lt

-

?

KIA

Palestine

Gaza

Gaza War Cemetery (II.D.14)

2/p227

8

26th March

WILLIAMS

Arthur Llewelly

2Lt

-

?

KIA

Palestine

Gaza

Gaza War Cemetery (II.D.15)

2/p227

9

6th November

FOSS

Frederick George

Lt

-

21

KIA

Palestine

Tel el Khuweilfe

Beersheba War Cemetery (F.56)

3/p68

10

6th November

JONES

Evan

Capt

-

36

KIA

Palestine

Tel el Khuweilfe

Beersheba War Cemetery (F.59)

3/p68

11

6th November

JONES-MANLEY

David Henry George

Capt

-

22

KIA

Palestine

Tel el Khuweilfe

Beersheba War Cemetery (F.60)

3/p68  (2)

12

6th November

REES

Albert Lloyd

Lt

-

27

KIA

Palestine

Tel el Khuweilfe

Beersheba War Cemetery (F.64)

3/p68

13

8th November

ANSON

Walter Frank Vernon

2Lt

-

27

KIA

Palestine

Tel el Khuweilfe

Beersheba War Cemetery (F.83)

3/p69

14

27th December

ROBERTS

William

2Lt

-

?

KIA

Palestine

North of Jerusalem

Jerusalem War Cemetery (R.96)

-

Due to being vastly understrength the Battalion was temporarily amalgamated with1/5th Battalion in October 1915.   It was amalgamated again with the 1/5th Battalion on 1st August 1918 until the end of the war.

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.   PERRY was accidentally killed when ? (WO 374/53584)

2.   JONES-MANLEY was also known as MANLEY.   GRO Index to War Deaths 1914-1921 states Jones-Manley, CWGC states Manley.

No

Date Died

Surname

Forenames

Rank

Decs

Age

Cause

Country

Location/Sector

Cemetery/Memorial

Notes

1

6th November 1917

RUSSELL

John Fox

Capt

VC, MC

24

KIA

Palestine

Tel el Khuweilfe, near Beersheba

Beersheba War Cemetery (F.31)

3/69  (1)

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.   RUSSELL was detached from the RAMC as Battalion Medical Officer.   He was awarded a posthumous VC for his actions with the Battalion at Tel el Khuweilfe.

The 6th Battalion TF was formed on 1st April 1908 as a result of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907, and was based at The Barracks, Caernarfon part of the North Wales Brigade, Welsh Division TF.   The Royal Welsh Fusilier units of the North Wales Brigade (which became 158th (North Wales) Brigade in May 1915) were: 4th Battalion TF (departed as 1/4th Battalion in November 1914 for the BEF), 5th Battalion TF, 6th Battalion TF and 7th Battalion TF (departed as 1/7th Battalion in June 1918 for 160th Brigade).

On 3rd August 1914 the Welsh Division's Infantry Brigades (North Wales Brigade, Cheshire Brigade and Welsh Border Brigade) were at their annual camps when all training was cancelled and the Battalions were ordered back to their HQs.   War was declared next day.  On 5th August the Battalions mobilised, and the 6th Battalion had concentrated at its war stations at Conway by 11th August.  On that date TF units and men were invited to volunteer for Overseas Service and on 15th August the War Office issued instructions to separate those men who had signed up for Home Service only, and form these into Reserve units.  On 31st August, the formation of a Reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each of the 1st Line units where 60 per cent or more of the men had volunteered for Overseas Service.  The titles of these 2nd Line units would be the same as the original, but distinguished by a '2/' prefix.  In this way duplicate Battalions, Brigades and Divisions were created, mirroring those 1st Line TF formations being sent overseas.  Later 3rd Line units were formed to train and send reinforcing drafts for the 1st and 2nd Line Battalions.

1/6th (Carnarvonshire & Anglesey) Battalion

The Welsh Division TF moved to Northampton at the end of August 1914 to undertake intensive individual and collective training and on 18th November 1914 the Division was warned for service in British India, but this was subsequently cancelled. Training was interrupted by periods spent digging trenches for the East Coast Defences.  In December the Division moved to Cambridge, and then to Bedford in May 1915, where it was retitle and renumbered as the 53rd (Welsh) Division, and the North Wales Brigade became the 158th (North Wales) Brigade.  By July the Battalion was at Rushden in Northamptonshire. On 2 July the Division was ordered to refit and re-role for service in the Mediterranean.  A considerable amount of last-minute dental work was required to render sufficient men of the 1/6th Battalion medically fit for overseas service, though the dentures ordered for many of them did not reach them until a year later.  The first Battalions of the Division to move were the 1/5th and 1/6th RWF, who entrained at Irchester for Plymouth Devonport during the night of 13th July. The two Battalions embarked on the SS Caledonia and sailed on 14th July 1915.

The transports sailed via Gibraltar, Malta, Alexandria and Lemnos, and the 1/6th Battalion arrived at Mudros on 28th July, where it was disembarked and went into bivouacs.  The Battalion was re-embarked on the SS Rowan for Imbros on 8th August.  Next day the Division took part in the Landing at Suvla Bay, an attempt to break the trench warfare deadlock in the in the land operations of the Gallipoli Campaign which had commenced on 25th April 1915. The Battalion landed at 'C' Beach at 06.00 hours and camped at Lala Baba.

The 158th Brigade supported the 159th (Cheshire) Brigade in an attack towards Scimitar Hill on 10th August with the 1/6th Battalion on the left of the Brigade.  The officers had no maps and confusion reigned, but the Battalion advanced across the Salt Lake under heavy shrapnel and rifle fire, passing through 11th (Northern) Division on Chocolate Hill and advancing on Green Hill.  The 1/5th Battalion RWF had penetrated to within a few hundred yards of Scimitar Hill and its Commanding Officer (CO) sent back a message urging the 1/6th Battalion to come up and help complete the job, but he was killed soon afterwards.  Elements of the 1/6th Battalion reached Green Hill before it was driven back by Turkish fire.  The Battalion was later withdrawn to 160th (South Wales) Brigade's line and further attempts to take Scimitar Hill during the afternoon all failed.   The Commander of IX Corps, Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Stopford, had lost confidence in 53rd (Welsh) Division, and would not use it in the subsequent phases of the battle.   Over the following days the Division was engaged in reorganising, refitting and improving the trenches facing Scimitar Hill, taking casualties from Turkish rifle fire.  It also began to suffer badly from sickness.

In October the 1/6th Battalion's strength had been reduced to 21 officers and 354 other ranks (ORs) and it was temporarily amalgamated with the similarly weakened 1/5th Battalion, the combined Battalion being under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Rome of the 1/6th Battalion.  Turkish artillery became more active during November, adding to the toll of casualties from trench-holding, the trenches were flooded, and later there was a severe blizzard.  So many men were evacuated suffering from frostbite and exposure that only 8 officers and 102 ORs remained in the line.  The effective strength of 53rd (Welsh) Division was very low and it was decided to evacuate the remnants from Gallipoli.  On 12th December the Battalion moved to 'C' Beach to embark on the SS El Kahirah to Mudros.  The Division was then shipped to Alexandria, where it landed between 20th and 23rd December 1915.

On arrival in Egypt the Division went by rail to Wardan to recuperate.  In mid-February 1916 the 158th Brigade was sent to guard the water supplies at Wadi Natrun, where reinforcement drafts were absorbed and training was carried out.  In May the Brigade moved to Zeitoun, Cairo, where it rejoined the rest of 53rd (Welsh) Division in the Suez Canal defences.  By July the 158th Brigade was near Moascar, digging defences, but when it became clear that the Turks were crossing the Sinai Desert to attack the canal line, the Brigade was sent by train and route march to Romani to reinforce 52nd (Lowland) Division in No 3 Section of the Canal Defences, arriving on 21st July.  The Brigade took up positions in Redoubts 6 to 10a, but 1/6th Battalion was not engaged when the Turks attacked on 4 August (the Battle of Romani), and 158th Brigade remained in position after the Turks had retreated.

158th Brigade returned to the canal on 14th August and spent the next three months at Ferdan.  By the end of the year it was back at Romani, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) having cleared Sinai of the enemy.  On 20th January 1917 53rd (Welsh) Division began the march across the Sinai Desert, reaching Wadi el Arish at the end of the month and moved up to Rafah on 21st March.  After an approach march beginning on 24th March, the EEF attacked Gaza on 26th March, launching the First Battle of Gaza.  53rd (Welsh) Division in the Desert Column was ordered to cross the Wadi Ghuzze towards Gaza itself, masked by the mounted divisions sweeping round the flank.  The Division was led by 160th Brigade, followed by the 158th. There was an overnight fog, so 158th Brigade was late crossing the wadi, but by 06.30 it reached the edge of the Mansura ridge overlooking the plain of Gaza. At 11.30 the division was hurriedly ordered to attack, even though the artillery had not yet established communications. 158th Brigade set out shortly after 11.45 hours to attack Ali Muntar.  The whole advance, watched by the Mounted Divisions, was 'a model in precision and steadiness'.  After leaving the protection of Mansura the three Battalions marched across open ground parallel to the Ali Muntar defences before wheeling left and moving towards their objectives.  Rifle fire now broke out from Green Hill and slowed the advance.  Here firing became general, until the Brigadier sent another Battalion to take Green Hill.  The whole line then advanced again.  By 18.30 hours the whole Ali Muntar position was won, and by nightfall Gaza was almost completely surrounded, with patrols from 53rd (Welsh) Division in the eastern streets linking up with the ANZAC Mounted Division.  However, the senior British commanders were unaware of the success, and had already ordered the mounted troops to withdraw to water their horses.  53rd (Welsh) Division was ordered to dig in on a line near Wadi Ghuzze next day; at the end of the day the whole Division was withdrawn across the wadi, 158th Brigade arriving at 01.15 hours on 28th March.  The Battalion's casualties were 2 officers and 14 ORs killed, 11 officers and 138 ORs wounded, and 3 ORs missing.

Both sides brought up reinforcements and carried out reconnaissances while the EEF prepared for a Second Battle of Gaza.   53rd (W) Division dug a new line well forward on sand dunes along the coast. When the attack was made on 18 April, 158th Bde held this new line, the other brigades passing through and assaulting Samson Ridge with tank support. As the attack developed, 158th Brigade moved up in support, with 1/6th Battalion sent to help 159th Brigade.  But the Division was held up at Samson Ridge by the end of the day, and dug in where it stood.

Trench warfare now set in for the summer, while the EEF was reorganised under new command and intensive training was carried out behind the lines.  On 20th October, the 158th Brigade was moved up to the concentration area for the new offensive (the Third Battle of Gaza), taking over 'Kent Fort' and reconnoitring the ground over which they were to attack.  On 25th October the Brigade moved into No Man's Land and established an outpost line.  On 27th October the Division advanced to take over a line of hills already occupied by the Yeomanry of the 8th Mounted Brigade.  However, the Yeomanry outpost on Hill 630 was overwhelmed by a Turkish attack before 1/5th Battalion could relieve them.  The Turks then had perfect observation over the plain where 158th Brigade was moving up, followed by160th Brigade, and began shelling the concentration of troops.  Once the Division was re-organised for an attack, the Turks slipped away and the line of hills was easily reoccupied.  The main attack, a turning movement against Beersheba (the Battle of Beersheba) began on 31st October; 53rd (Welsh) Division on the left flank was hardly engaged, though 1/6th Battalion with part of 158th Brigade in 'Smith's Group' made a demonstration with long-range fire, and ended the day on outpost duty.

After the capture of Beersheba, the EEF thrust into the hills beyond, with 53rd (Welsh) Division marching through Beersheba to occupy a line beyond without any fighting.  On 3rd November the Division advanced into the hills in a series of columns, 158th Brigade in reserve.  After a two-day lull during a sandstorm and a difficult assembly close up to Tel el Khuweilfe, 158th Brigade carried out a full-scale assault on the position at 04.20 hours on 6th November. 1/6th Battalion in the centre of the Brigade was a little late in starting.  It carried the heights with the bayonet and captured nine field guns on the far side, but its companies were then far ahead of the troops on either flank and were counter-attacked from three directions.  The Battalion had to abandon the captured guns and withdraw to higher ground, fired on by mistake by the British artillery as they retired.   The troops rallied, and took up a new line with a company of 1/5th Battalion that had come up in support.  Deadlock then set in, but next day the Desert Mounted Corps (DMC) swept round the flank of the pinned enemy.  The 53rd (Welsh) Division was ordered to stand fast, though 1/5th Battalion used rifle grenades to bombard and then rush a troublesome Turkish machine gun and sniper post.  But that night the Turks in front pulled out as the entire Turkish army began a headlong retreat.

From 10 November 1917 the 53rd (Welsh) Division remained in the area, so as not to overload the supply lines for the advancing parts of the EEF.  It did not move forward again until early December, and even then limited supplies meant that 158th Brigade was left at Beersheba.  It was not brought forward until 21st December, by which time the Battle of Jerusalem was over.  At Christmas 1917 the 158th Brigade relieved 159th Brigade in the line covering Jerusalem, with 1/6th Battalion on the Brigade's right.  Late on 26th December the Turks launched a major counter-attack aiming to recapture Jerusalem, and the fighting spread to 53rd (Welsh) Division's front on 27th December, though 158th Brigade was hardly engaged, mainly supporting 160th Brigade on its flank.  A 'feeble' attack against 1/6th Battalion was easily checked by the end of the day the Brigade had reoccupied a captured village.  As the Turkish attacks faded away, the Division went over to the attack itself, 158th Brigade attacking the villages and high ground in its front,  1/6th Battalion led by Capt Emrys Evans taking 'Grey Hill'.  The Brigade took further ground on 28th December.   53rd (Welsh) Division held its line throughout the bad weather of January 1918, with 158th Brigade providing working parties to improve the roads for the EEF's next advance, aimed at Jericho.  This attack began on 14th February, supported by 53rd (Welsh) Division, and the town was captured by 22nd February 1918.

In March 1918 the EEF began an advance in the Jordan Valley. 53rd (Welsh) Division's next objective was Tell 'Asur, the highest point of Judaea north of Jerusalem, and it had to tackle the most difficult terrain in the whole operation.  The Division occupied No Man's Land in the preceding days, then after a heavy bombardment on 9th March the 1/5th Battalion captured the hill at about 09.30 hours, despite morning fog.  A Turkish counter-attack regained the summit, but 1/6th Battalion came up in relief and drove them off it.  In the next four hours the Turks launched four more fierce attacks on the hill, but failed to recapture it.  During the night 1/6th Battalion moved down to take Tinto Hill a mile in front, but could not shift the Turks among the boulders.  However the Division completed its objectives by 12th March.   The 158th Brigade was not engaged in the various raids across the Jordan carried out by the EEF during Spring 1918.

In the summer of 1918 the 53rd (Welsh) Division was placed under command of the Indian Army in Palestine: only one British Battalion was retained in each Brigade, the remainder being sent as reinforcements to the BEF in the Western Front.  Initially, 1/5th and 1/6th Battalions continued in 158th Brigade alongside Gurkha and Indian Battalions from June, then on 1st August the two Battalions merged to form the 5th/6th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers under the command of Lt-Col Borthwick of the 1/5th Battalion.  This continued as the sole British Battalion in 158th Brigade for the remainder of the campaign in Palestine.

At the climactic Battle of Megiddo 53rd (Welsh) Division was tasked with advancing across the Samieh Basin towards Nablus, to threaten the Turks' communication centre and block the exits to the Jordan Valley (the Battle of Nablus).  The Division attacked in moonlight late on the first day (18th September), after a 20-minute bombardment.  158th Brigade was in reserve, but a company of 5th/6th Battalion was attached to the leading Indian unit of 160th Brigade (17th Infantry (The Loyal Regiment) and covered the left flank of the advance, occupying Keen's Knoll and Table Hill.  Next day 5th/6th Battalion relieved 4th/5th Welsh Regiment (159th Brigade) and secured the plateau in front ready for the advance to continue on 20th September, with Lt-Col Borthwick of 5th/6th Battalion commanding the whole operation until the rest of the Brigade caught up.  Because of difficulties in making a road, 158th Brigade was not ready until late on 20th September, but when it advanced at 23.00 hours it found the Turks had retired.  It continued advancing through the night with 5th/6th Battalion leading until 05.30 hours on 21st September when it found the road blocked.  The roads were very bad, and the Royal Engineers struggled to make a path for the guns, but the advance continued at 08.30 hours, with 5th/6th Battalion picquetting the hills as it went.  By the end of the next day the Turkish army was shattered, and its retreat was being.harried by artillery and aircraft.

The advanced troops of the Division were now south-east of Nablus, but 53rd (Welsh) Division was ordered to stand fast and did not take part in the pursuit of the defeated Turkish army.  For the next few days it was employed in clearing the battlefield and repairing the Nablus road.  On 26th September it was moved back to Tell 'Asur, and by 12th October it had moved to Ramle, where on 27th October it began entraining for Alexandria.  The Armistice of Mudros ended the fighting in Palestine on 31st October 1918.  On 20th December demobilisation instructions were received and the first parties left for the UK on 22nd December.  The Indian Battalions left in early 1919 as transport became available, and the British units were reduced to cadres.  The last men left for Port Said and shipment home on 15th June 1919. The 5th/6th Battalion was officially disembodied on 4 August 1919.

2/6th (Carnarvonshire & Anglesey) Battalion TF

The 2/6th (Carnarvonshire & Anglesey) Bn formed at Carnarvon on 11th September 1914 and was eventually placed under command of 203rd (2nd North Wales) Brigade in 68th (2nd Welsh) Division, which had began to assemble and concentrate at Northampton in April 1915.  It replaced the 53rd (Welsh) Division at Bedford in July.   In July the Battalions were reorganised and the Home Service-only men were transferred to Provisional units of the Territorial Force (in the case of Royal Welsh Fusilier men to the 47th Provisional Battalion TF, becomming the 23rd Bn Royal Welsh Fusiliers on 1st December 1917).  By November 1915 the 2nd Line Battalions were so weak that their establishment was reduced to 600 men.

68th (2nd Welsh) Division was assigned to Home Defence duties and in November 1915 it joined First Army in Central Force.  By September 1916 the Division was in General Reserve for Central Force, and by May 1917 it had transferred to Northern Army (Home Forces).  From April 1917 the 2/6th Battalionn was at Henham Park in Halesworth, Suffolk, for its summer station.  The Battalion was disbanded on 8th September 1917 at Halesworth, with personnel being drafted to other units in 203rd (2nd North Wales) Brigade.

3/6th (Carnarvonshire & Anglesey) Battalion TF

The 3/6th (Carnarvonshire & Anglesey) Battalionn formed at Carnarvon on 29th May 1915.  It was redesignated as 6th (Reserve) (Carnarvonshire & Anglesey) Battalion TF on 8th April 1916 and on 1st September 1916 it was absorbed into the 4th (Reserve) (Denbighshire) Battalion in the Welsh Reserve Brigade at Oswestry.

The Regiment was formed on 1st July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms which saw the 2 separate Battalions of the 23rd (Royal Welsh Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot re-titled to become the regular 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Regiment, with the Regimental Depot based at Hightown Barracks, Wrexham. 

The 1881 reforms also redesignated the Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVC) and Militia units within the Regimental District of Anglesey, Carnarvonshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Merionethshire (and later in 1908, Montgomeryshire) as numbered Battalions of the Regiment - the 1st Denbighshire Volunteers becoming the 1st Volunteer Battalion and the 1st Flintshire & Carnarvon Volunteers becoming the 2nd Volunteer Battalion.

The Militia units of the Regiment were the Royal Denbigh and Merioneth Rifles and the Royal Carnarvon Rifle Corps.  In 1908, as part of the Haldane Reforms, the Militia Battalions were reorganised and restructured forming the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion and the RVC Battalions (which were re-organised in the late 1890s when the 3rd Volunteer Battalion was formed) were retitled.   The 1st Volunteer Battalion became the 4th (Denbighshire) Battalion TF, the 2nd Volunteer Battalion became the 5th (Flintshire) Battalion TF, the 3rd Volunteer Battalion became the 6th (Carnarvonshire & Anglesey) Battalion TF and the 4th Volunteer Battalion became the 7th (Merioneth & Montgomery) Battalion TF of the Regimental Territorial Force.  

After the Declaration of War on 4th August 1914 and up to 1st June 1918, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers had formed, disbanded or reconstituted 45 Regular, Territorial Force, Service, Garrison and Reserve Battalions.