Royal Welsh Fusiliers - Roll of Honour of Officers of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers Who Died in the Great War Whilst Serving With 1/7th Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers TF

No	Date Died	Surname	Forenames	Rank	Decs	Age	Cause	Country	Location/Sector	Cemetery/Memorial	Notes
Died in 1915
1	10th August	BEADON	Basil Herbert Edwards	Capt	-	27	KIA	Gallipoli	Scimitar Hill	Helles Memorial (Panel 78/81)	1/p230
2	10th August	JONES	Russell Hafrenydd	2Lt	-	21	KIA	Gallipoli	Scimitar Hill	Helles Memorial (Panel 78/81)	1/p233
3	10th August	LLOYD-JONES	Edward Wynne	Capt	MiD	27	KIA	Gallipoli	Scimitar Hill	Green Hill Cemetery (II.A.17)	1/p233
4	10th August	REED	Andrew Gordon	Capt	-	?	KIA	Gallipoli	Scimitar Hill	Helles Memorial (Panel 78/81)	1/p233
5	10th August	SILCOCK	Bertram Baker	2Lt	MiD	23	KIA	Gallipoli	Scimitar Hill	Helles Memorial (Panel 78/81)	1/p233
6	12th August	BUCKLEY	Edmund Maurice	2Lt	-	29	DOW	Gallipoli	CCS near "Lancashire Landing"	Lancashire Landing Cemetery (K.19)	1/p232 (1)
7	14th August	BEANLAND	Joseph Wilfred	Capt	-	20	KIA	Gallipoli	Scimitar Hill	Helles Memorial (Panel 78/81)	1/p236
8	14th August	GRANT	Albyn Evan Powell	2Lt	-	22	KIA	Gallipoli	Scimitar Hill	Helles Memorial (Panel 78/81)	1/p236
9	17th August	HARRIES	Eric Guy	Capt	-	22	DOW	Greece	Hospital at Lemnos	East Mudros Military Cemetery (II.F.94)	(2)
Died 1917
10	2nd February	PLOWDEN	Godrey Bruce Aloysius	Capt	-	?	DOI	Egypt	Hospital at Kantara	Kantara War Memorial Cemetery (A.33)	(3)
11	26th March	DAVIES	Evan Walter	2Lt	-	?	KIA	Palestine	Gaza	Gaza War Cemetery (II.D.4)	2/p227
12	26th March	FLETCHER	Horace William	Lt	-	27	KIA	Palestine	Gaza	Jerusalem Memorial (Panels 19/22)	2/p227
13	26th March	JAMES	Vivian Gwynne	Lt	-	28	KIA	Palestine	Gaza	Jerusalem Memorial (Panels 19/22)	2/p227
14	26th March	JONES	Owen Gwilym	2Lt	-	30	KIA	Palestine	Gaza	Jerusalem Memorial (Panels 19/22)	2/p227
15	26th March	LLOYD-JONES	Ivor Thomas	Capt	MiD	22	KIA	Palestine	Gaza	Gaza War Cemetery (II.F.15)	2/p227
16	26th March	PARRY	Robert	2Lt	-	20	KIA	Palestine	Gaza	Gaza War Cemetery (II.D.10)	2/p227
17	26th March	ROGERS	Arthur	2Lt	-	20	KIA	Palestine	Gaza	Gaza War Cemetery (II.C.11)	2/p227
18	27th March	GARVIN	Samuel	Lt	-	20	KIA	Palestine	Gaza	Gaza War Cemetery (II.C.4)	2/p227
19	20th April	JONES	Titho Glynne	Lt	-	30	KIA	Palestine	Gaza	Gaza War Cemetery (XVI.G.4)	-
20	28th October	VALIENT	James	Lt	-	33	DOW	Palestine	CCS at Beersheba	Beersheba War Cemetery (O.23)	3/p55 (4)
21	6th November	BROWN	Herbert James	Lt	-	33	KIA	Palestine	Tel el Khuweilfe	Beersheba War Cemetery (H.19)	3/p68
22	6th November	DEANE-BURDETT	Thomas George	Capt	MC	36	KIA	Palestine	Tel el Khuweilfe	Beersheba War Cemetery (H.69)	3/p68
23	6th November	HAILSTONE	George Rupert	Capt	-	25	KIA	Palestine	Tel el Khuweilfe	Beersheba War Cemetery (H.82)	3/p68
24	6th November	ROBERTS	William Lloyd	2Lt	-	22	KIA	Palestine	Tel el Khuweilfe	Beersheba War Cemetery (H.61)	3/p68
25	6th November	WALKER	Edward William	Capt	DSO	25	KIA	Palestine	Tel el Khuweilfe	Beersheba War Cemetery (H.70)	3/p68
26	6th November	WILLIAMS	William Henry	2Lt	-	23	KIA	Palestine	Tel el Khuweilfe	Beersheba War Cemetery (H.66)	3/p68
27	30th December	JONES	Owen Cecil	Major	-	34	DOW	Palestine	CCS at Jerusalem	Jerusalem War Cemetery (S.53)	(5)
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. BUCKLEY was wounded near "Salt Lake" Suvla Bay on 10th August1915. 2. HARRIES was wounded near Chocolate Hill on 14th August 1915. 3. PLOWDEN died of ? (WO 374/54451). 4. VALIENT was wounded at El Buqqar Ridge, near Gaza on 27th October 1917. 5. JONES was wounded at ? (WO 373438395).

Those Officers of Other Regiments Who Died in the Great War Whilst Serving With

1/7th (Merioneth and Montgomery) Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers TF

No	Date Died	Surname	Forenames	Rank	Decs	Age	Cause	Country	Location/Sector	Cemetery/Memorial	Notes
1	9th April 1917	MACLEOD	George Calder	2Lt	-	26	KIA	Palestine	Gaza	Gaza War Cemetery (XXII.F.11)	(1)
2	16th June 1917	GREER	Morrice	Capt	-	34	KIA	Palestine	Southeast of Gaza	Gaza War Cemetery (VII.G.10)	(2)
3	10th March 1918	YOUNG	Arthur John	2Lt	-	20	KIA	Palestine	Near Jerusalem	Jerusalem War Cemetery (L.74)	(3)
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. MACLEOD was detached from the King's Own Scottish Borderers. 2. GREER was detached from the RAMC as Battalion Medical Officer. 3. YOUNG was detached from the South wales Borderers.

Battalion History

The following Battalion History is taken from the Wikipedia article on the Royal Welsh Fusiliers which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike Licence 3.0
Copyright

The 7th Battalion TF was formed on 1st April 1908 as a result of the Territorial and Reserve Forces Act 1907, and was based at Newtown 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 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 they mobilised, and had concentrated at their war stations at Conway (in the case of the North Wales Brigade) by 11th August. On that date units and personnel of the TF 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 (2nd Line) units. On 31st August, the formation of a Reserve or 2nd Line unit was authorised for each 1st Line TF 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 in the war, 3rd Line units were formed to train and supply drafts for the 1st and 2nd Line Battalions).

1/7th (Merionethshire & Montgomeryshire) Battalion TF

The Welsh Division moved to Northampton at the end of August 1914, where on 18 November it was warned for service in British India, but this was subsequently cancelled. Intensive individual and collective training was interrupted by periods spent digging trenches for the East Coast defences. In December the Division moved to Cambridge, then to Bedford in May 1915, where it was redesignated as the 53rd (Welsh) Division, and the North Wales Brigade became the 158th (North Wales) Brigade. By July the 1/7th Battalion was at Rushden in Northamptonshire. On 2nd July the Division was ordered to refit and re-role for service in the Mediterranean. A and D Companies of 1/7th Battalion entrained for Plymouth Devonport on 14th July, embarking on the SS City of Edinburgh and sailing next day. The remainder of the Battalion went to Devonport on 16th July and sailed on the SS Huntsend and the SS Ulysses. The Battalion arrived at Alexandria on 28th July.

The Battalion re-embarked and sailed via Port Said and Lemnos to arrive at Mudros on 7th August. The next day the Division took part in the landing at Suvla Bay, an attempt to break the trench warfare deadlock deadlock in the in the land operations of the Gallipoli Campaign which had commenced on 25th April 1915. The battalion landed at 'C' Beach during the morning of 9th August and bivouacked at Lala Baba. The 158th Brigade supported 159th (Cheshire) Brigade in an attack towards Scimitar Hill on 10th August with 1/7th Battalion in the centre 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. The leading Battalions penetrated to within a few hundred yards of Scimitar Hill before they were driven back by Turkish fire. The 1/7th Battalion was later withdrawn to the British 1st and 2nd lines; 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 the 53rd (Welsh) Division, and would not use it in the subsequent phases of the battle. On 14th August the 1/7th Battalion was sent down to 'C' Beach and re-embarked for Mudros, where it spent the next two months unloading stores and guarding Turkish prisoners. During its five days on the Gallipoli peninsula it had suffered 9 officers and 13 other ranks (ORs) killed or died or wounds, 7 officers and 138 ORs wounded and 74 ORs missing.

On 14 October 1915 the 1/7th Battalion boarded the SS Sarnia and returned to Suvla to rejoin 158th Brigade. With a strength of 29 officers and 496 ORs it was one of the strongest units in the Division, which had suffered badly from sickness as well as battle casualties; several battalions had to be temporarily amalgamated. 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. By the end of the month the Battalion had 105 men in hospital suffering from exposure and trench foot, leaving a strength of 19 officers and 287 ORs when it was sent to Lala Baba on 1st December to work on defences and general fatigues. The effective strength of 53rd (Welsh) Division was now so low that it was decided to evacuate the remnants from Gallipoli. On 12th December the Battalion moved to 'C' Beach to embark for Mudros. The Division was then shipped to Alexandria, where it landed between 20th and 23rd December.

On arrival in Egypt the Division went by rail to Wardan to recuperate and refit. 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 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 1/7th Battalion was not engaged when the Turks attacked on 4th August (the Battle of Romani), and the 158th Brigade remained in position after the Turks retreated.

The 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 the 53rd (Welsh) Division began the march across the Sinai Desert, reaching Wadi el Arish at the end of the month. It 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 (Welsh Border) Brigade, followed by 158th. There was an overnight fog, so 158th Brigade was late crossing the wadi, but by 06.30 hours it reached the edge of the Mansura ridge overlooking the plain of Gaza. At 11.30 hours the Division was hurriedly ordered to attack, even though the artillery had not yet established communications. 158th Brigade set out shortly after 11.45 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, but 159th Brigade came up on the right flank of 1/7th Battalion and the whole line then advanced again. Held up a second time, Capt Walker of 1/7th Battalion, with about 40 of his own men and 40 of the neighbouring 1/5th Welsh Regiment, made a sudden rush that pierced the Turkish line close to the mosque and captured about 20 Turk and similar number of Austrians and Germans. 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. The 53rd (Welsh) Division was ordered to dig in on a line near Wadi Ghuzze next day, with 1/7th Battalion linking the two Brigades. 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 the worst in the Brigade, with 9 officers and 38 ORs killed, 7 officers and 219 ORs wounded, and 15 ORs missing.

Both sides brought up reinforcements and carried out reconnaissances while the EEF prepared for a Second Battle of Gaza. 53rd (Welsh) Division dug a new forward line on sand dunes along the coast. When the attack was made on 18th April, 158th Brigade 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 1/7th Battalion sent to help the right flank. But the Division was still 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 158th Brigade 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 the Turks, who then had perfect observation over the plain where 158th Brigade was moving up, 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: 1/7th Battalion with 1/1st Herefordshire Regiment was ordered to make a demonstration to support 230th Brigade's attack, but the latter met no opposition.

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 houirs on 6th November. 1/7th Battalion formed up in column, with the lewis gun ammunition carried by the infantry, the lewis gun mules being used for spare ammunition and grenades. Each man carried two water bottles, 170 rounds of ammunition, and a spare day's ration. Once it reached the line of deployment the Battalion formed up on a four-platoon frontage in five lines, the fifth being composed of the lewis gun teams. The Battalion moved off three minutes late but under cover of the barrage it gained its objective (Tel el Khuweilfe itself) with few casualties by 05.03 hours. The Battalion mistook an advanced group of 1/6th Battalion and 1/1st Herefords for Turks and called down artillery fire on them, causing some casualties and a retirement. Fog then engulfed the hills and deadlock set in, but when it cleared the Turks began to counter-attack. At first they threw 1/7th Battalion off the hill, but prompt artillery support enabled the Battalion to retake it at the point of the bayonet. Four further Turkish counter-attacks failed. At dusk the 1/7th Battalion were relieved, and next day the Desert Mounted Corps (DMC) swept round the flank of the pinned enemy. The 53rd (Welsh) Division was ordered to stand fast, and that night the Turks in front pulled out as the entire Turkish army began a headlong retreat.

From 10th 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 the 158th Brigade relieved 159th Brigade, in the line covering Jerusalem, with 1/7th Battalion in Brigade Reserve. 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 it was easily checked and 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 Bde attacking the villages and high ground in its front. The 1/7th Battalion captured White Hill behind a barrage after dusk. The Brigade took further ground on 28th December: an attack by one-and-a-half companies of 1/7th Battalion towards Ras Arqub es Suffa was held up by machine gun fire but a second bombardment enabled the Battalion to occupy the village after dusk. The 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 began on 14th February, supported by 53rd (Welsh) Division, and the town was captured by 22 February 1918.

In March 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 advanced silently at 02.00 hours on 9th March, with 1/7th Battalion supporting 1/1st Herefords against Drage Hill. There was a fog when the sun rose, but the Herefords took Drage Hill. They were then directed to take Chipp Hill, and severe fighting ensued before they were forced back to Drage Hill. The Brigadier pushed 1/7th Battalion up behind Drage Hill at 07.30 hours, and then sent them to relieve the Herefords. No sooner had they completed this than they were attacked by the Turks. Fighting continued through the night and next day, and the Division completed its objectives by 12th March. 158th Brigade was not engaged in the various raids across the Jordan carried out by the EEF during Spring 1918, but 1/7th Battalion was sent across the river into the bridgehead on 29th March before returning on 1st April when the raiding force was withdrawn.

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 at the Western Front. The Battalion transferred to 160th Brigade on 24th June and served with it for the rest of the war alongside Indian and South African battalions.

At the climactic Battle of Megiddo the 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). It attacked in moonlight late on the first day (18th September), after a 20-minute bombardment, and 1/7th Battalion had captured all its objectives on the north side of the basin by 03.00 hours next day. The roads were very bad, and the Royal Engineers struggled to make a path for the guns, but the advance continued, and by the end of 22nd September the Turkish army was shattered, 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 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 Army Battalions left in early 1919 as transport became available. The 1/7th Battalion was one of the last British units to leave, being reduced to a cadre on 23rd January 1919 and officially disembodied on 12 March 1919.

2/7th (Merionethshire & Montgomeryshire) Battalion TF

The 2/7th (Merionethshire & Montgomeryshire) Battalion TF formed at Newtown on 11th September 1914. It was assigned to 203rd (2nd North Wales) Brigade in 68th (2nd Welsh) Division, which began to assemble and concentrate at Northampton in April 1915. It replaced the 53rd (W) Division at Bedford in July. Training was made difficult by the lack of arms and equipment, and the need to supply trained drafts to the 1st Line units. In July the Battalions were reorganised and the Home Service-only men were transferred to Provisional Battalions TF (in the case of Royal Welsh Fusilier TF Battalions, to the 47th Provisional Battalion TF, later 23rd Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers on 1st December 1917). By November 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 been transferred to Northern Army (Home Forces). The Battalion absorbed the 2/1st Brecknockshire Battalion South Wales Borderers in November 1916. During the winter of 1916–17 the 2/7th Battalion was at Wrentham, Suffolk, then from April 1917 at Henham Park in Halesworth, Suffolk, for its summer station. The Battalion was disbanded on 12 September 1917 at Halesworth, personnel being drafted to other units in 203rd Brigade.

3/7th (Merionethshire & Montgomeryshire) Battalion TF

The 3/7th (Merionethshire & Montgomeryshire) Battalion formed at Newtown on 5th June 1915. It was redesignated as the 7th (Reserve) (Merionethshire & Montgomeryshire) Battalion 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.

Regimental History

YEAR	EG	GA	GR	PAL	TOTAL
1915		8	1		9
1917	1			17	18
TOTAL	1	8	1	17	27