South Wales Borderers - Roll of Honour of Officers of the South Wales Borderers Who Died In The Great War Whilst Serving With 5th Battalion South Wales Borderers

No	Date Died	Surname	Forenames	Rank	Decs	Age	Cause	Country	Location/Sector	Cemetery/Memorial	Notes
1915
1	23rd July	LE THICKE	Gerald Mann	2Lt	-	21	A	UK	Hounslow	Bisham (All Saints) Churchyard, Berks	(1)
2	28th August	LEWIS	Trevor Edward	Capt	-	27	DOW	France	CCS at Merville	Merville Communal Cemetery (V.A.23)	(2) (p144)
1916
3	28th May	LIVESAY	George Augustus Bligh	Lt	-	49	LAS	At Sea	Lost in the English Channel from SS Archangel	Hollybrook Memorial, Southampton	(3)
4	10th June	NISBET	Douglas Guille	Lt	-	21	KIA	France	West of Ovillers, Somme	Aveluy Communal Cemetery Extn (B.34)	(p224)
5	7th July	LYON HALL	Clarence Espeut	Lt	MC	20	KIA	France	La Boisselle, Somme	Becourt Military Cemetery (I.R.15)	(p240)
6	13th November	JONES	Robert Carl Moesch	2Lt	-	18	DOW	France	CCS at Puchevillers, Somme	Puchevillers British Cemetery (III.B.5)	(4) (p268)
1917
7	31st July	KENT	Lionel Victor	Lt	-	33	KIA	Belgium	"Preston Trench", near Hollebeke	Ypres Reservoir Cemetery (V.C.4)	(p334)
1918
8	26th March	MOORE	Alexander Holland	Lt	-	26	KIA	France	West of Bapaume	Arras Memorial (Bay 6)	-
9	10th April	JONES	Ivor Dryhurst	Lt	-	18	KIA	Belgium	East of Wytschaete	Tyne Cot Memorial (Panel 65/66)	(p407)
10	16th April	RUMBELOW	Albert	2Lt	-	34	KIA	Belgium	East of Kemmel	Tyne Cot Memorial (Panel 65/66)	(p416)
11	30th May	BENCE-TROWER	Edward	Major	MC	27	KIA	France	South east of Chambrecy	Soissons Memorial	(p430)
12	29th October	HOLDEN	Norman	2Lt	-	-	DOW	France	CCS near Beugny, south west of Cambrai	Delsaux Farm Cemetery (I.A.9)	(5)
Officers of Other Regiments Who Died in the Great War Whilst Serving With 5th Battalion South Wales Borderers
1	6th May 1917	RAYMONT	William Clifton	Lt	-	26	KIA	Belgium	Cavalry Barracks, Ypres	Vlamertinghe Military Cemetery (VII.A.30)	(6) (p304)
Notes: (Those numbers marked with a "p" in the Notes column refers to the page in "The History of the South Wales Borderers 1914 - 1918" by C T Atkinson where the death of the officer is mentioned). 1. LE THICKE was killed in a motor cycle accident at Hounslow on 23rd July 1915. 2. LEWIS T E was wounded in the Festubert area in a training accident with bombs on 28th August 1915. 3. LIVESAY was reported as "missing" from the leave boat SS Archangel on 28th May 1916. 4. JONES was wounded near Grandcourt on 10th November 1916. 5. HOLDEN was wounded near Le Cateau on 28th October 1918. 6. RAYMONT was detached from the Monmouthshire Regiment.

Battalion History

The Battalion was formed at Brecon in early September 1914 as part of "K2".   Full title:   5th (Service) Battalion South Wales Borders (Pioneers).
The Battalion assembled at Parkhouse Camp on Salisbury Plain, initially as part of 58th Infantry Brigade of 19th (Western) Division and later moved to Basingstoke on 7th December 1914.   It was re-assigned as Pioneer Battalion of 19th (Western) Division on 10th January 1915 then moved to Burnham, Somerset, on 20th January 1915, after a short stay at Perham Down for intensive rifle training.   Moved on 4th March 1915 to Sling Camp, Bulford and in April 1915 moved to Perham Down.   Disembarked at Le Havre on 16th July 1915 and proceeded to Tilques, northwest of Bethune to commence trench warfare training.

The Battalion served in France and Flanders throughout the war and a detailed list of engagements and operations can be viewed in the history of the 19th (Western) Division.

At the Armistice on 11th November 1918 the Battalion was based Hergies, north of Bavai, south-east of Valenciennes, France and was over 800 strong.   The Battalion was not selected for the Army of Occupation in Germany but was put to work repairing the ravages of war, including many roads and railways.   On 1st January 1919, the strength of the Battalion was about 800 but by late February 1919, the Battalion was down to about 200 men, a large proportion of coal-miners in the ranks having been demobilised.   In late February 1919, 8 officers and about 200 men were transferred to the 6th Battalion leaving a small cadre until June 1919 when the cadre Battalion was finally disbanded.   On 8th June 1919 the remaining 2 officers and a handful of men, based near Amiens, entrained for Le Havre, crossed to Southampton on 14th June 1919 for final demobilisation.

The Battalion lost 12 officers, 1 officer from another Regiment and 450 other ranks.

Copyright and source: The Long, Long Trail

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.

Regimental History

The South Wales Borderers was formed on 1st July 1881, as part of the Childers Reforms, which saw the two separate Battalions of the 24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot become the Regular 1st and 2nd Battalions of the retitled Regiment, with the Regimental Depot based at The Barracks, Brecon.

The 1881 reforms also redesignated the Militia and Rifle Volunteer Corps (RVC) within the Regimental District as numbered Battalions of the Regiment - the 3rd (Militia) Battalion was formed from the Royal South Wales Borderers Militia and the 4th (Militia) Battalion from the Royal Montgomeryshire Rifles. The four (later five) Rifle Volunteer Corps, the 1st Brecknockshire RVC, 1st Monmouthshire RVC, 2nd Monmouthshire RVC, 3rd Monmouthshire RVC and 1st Montgomeryshire RVC were retitled as 4th to 8th Volunteer Battalions respectively.

The 1908 Haldane Reforms reorganised the Regimental Militia and Volunteer Battalions, with the 3rd Militia Battalion forming the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion.   The 4th (Militia) Battalion was transferred to the Royal Welsh Fusiliers with the Montgomeryshire Volunteer Battalion. The three Monmouthshire Volunteer Battalions were reorganised as the newly formed Monmouthshire Regiment of the Territorial Force (TF).   The 4th Volunteer Battalion became the 1st Brecknockshire Battalion of the Regimental Territorial Force (TF).   After the Declaration of War on 4th August 1914 and up to 1st July 1918, the South Wales Borderers had formed, disbanded, reorganised or reconstituted 20 Regular, Territorial Force, Service, Reserve, Graduated and Young Soldier Battalions.

A detailed history of the South Wales Borderers can be viewed here.