Fallen Officers of the Great War

No

Date Died

Surname

Forenames

Rank

Decs

Age

Cause

Country

Location/Sector

Cemetery/Memorial

Notes

Died in 1916

1

19th February

FRENCH

Robert Mason Jackson

Capt

-

23

DOW

UK

Empire Hospital, Westminster

Bournemouth East Cemetery (Q.I.123)

(1)

2

15th November

MANWARING

Jack Lancaster

2Lt

MC

32

DOI

UK

Military Hospital in Liverpool

Brenchley (All Saints) Churchyard (South)

(2)

Died in 1917

3

4th May

BOTTOMLEY

Frederick

2Lt

-

25

LAS

SEA

Off Ligurian Coast, near Genoa, Italy

Savona Memorial

2/p247   (3 )

4

4th May

BROWN

John

2Lt

-

33

LAS

SEA

Off Ligurian Coast, near Genoa, Italy

Savona Memorial

2/p247   (4)

5

22nd May

DAVIES

David Oswald

Capt

-

51

DOI

UK

Llanaber, near Barmouth

Llanaber (St Mary) Churchyard (SE of Church)

(5)

Died in 1918

6

29th March

FARREN

William Ignatious George

Lt

-

29

DOI

UK

Seafield War Hospital, Leith

Llanbeblig (St Peblig) Churchyard (Old ground 7)

(6)

7

10th October

McINTOSH

Joseph Francis

Lt

-

27

SEA

UK

Off Ireland from RMS "Leinster"

Grangegorman Military Cemetery (RC.Offrs.24)

3/p233   (7)

8

10th October

SINGLETON

William James

Lt

-

30

SEA

UK

Off Ireland from RMS "Leinster"

Grangegorman Military Cemetery (CE.Offrs.27)

3/p233   (8)

9

14th December

MAIR

George Hay

Lt

-

38

DOI

UK

Military Hospital at Cambridge

Cambridge City Cemetery (A.3811)

( 9)

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.   FRENCH was wounded near "The Quarries", Loos, on 25th September1915 whilst serving with 1st Battalion.

2.   MANWARING died of pnuemonia.   He had transferred to the Regiment from the Royal West Kent Regiment in April 1915.   He was awarded the MC in February 1916 whilst serving with the 9th Battalion and was seriously wounded in an accident soon after.

3.   BOTTOMLEY was aboard HMT "Transylvania" en route to Egypt (as a reinforcement for 1/5th Battalion) when the ship was torpedoed by U63 and later sank with the loss of over 400 miltary and Mercantile Marine passengers and crew.

4.   BROWN was aboard HMT "Transylvania" en route to Egypt (as a reinforcement for 2nd Garrison Battalion) when the ship was torpedoed by U63 and later sank with the loss of over 400 miltary and Mercantile Marine passengers and crew.

5.   DAVIES died of ?   He held a training role in the UK and relinquished his commission due to ill health on 10th May 1916 and was awarded a Silver War Badge.  Originally a member of the 7th Battalion TF.

6.   FARREN died of double pnuemonia following an operation.

7.   McINTOSH was lost at sea when the RMS "Leinster" was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine UB-123  on 10th October 1918 while bound for Holyhead.   His body was later recovered and buried in Grangegorman Military Cemetery.

8.   SINGLETON was lost at sea when the RMS "Leinster" was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine UB-123  on 10th October 1918 while bound for Holyhead.   His body was later recovered and buried in Grangegorman Military Cemetery.

9.   MAIR died of influenza/pneumonia.   He was born in Australia and was commissioned into the Regiment as a Second Lieutenant on 16th June 1916 from the King Edward's Horse.   He saw active service with 2nd Battalion.

The Militia unit of the Regiment was the Royal Denbigh and Merioneth Rifles and the Royal Carnarvon Rifle Corps, formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms.    The Battalion was reorganised and restructured in 1908, part of the Haldane Reforms, as the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers based at Hightown Barracks, Wrexham.   Its duties were to provide a Depot and to train and to supply reinforcements to the 1st and 2nd Battalions and to deploy on mobilisation to its war station of Pembroke Docks as a Home and Coastal Defence unit.   On 9th August 1914 the Battalion returned to Wrexham and later moved to Litherland near Liverpool in May 1915.  The Battalion was moved to Ireland in November 1917 and by the end of the war it was stationed at Limerick.

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.