No	Date Died	Surname	Forenames	Rank	Decs	Age	Cause	Country	Location/Sector	Cemetery/Memorial	Notes
1916
1	11th July	GRIFFITHS	Nicholas	2Lt	-	25	KIA	France	Ovillers la Boisselle	Bapaume Post Military Cemetery (I.B.14)	(p241)
1917
2	4th August	KENT	Harold	2Lt	-	35	KIA	Belgium	Westhoek Ridge, east of Ypres	White House Cemetery (III.R.26)	(p335)
3	10th August	CRAWFORD	Gerald Shakespear	Major	-	34	DOW	Belgium	CCS at Lijssenthoek	Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery (XV.A.13)	(1) (p335)
4	10th September	KERLEY	Bertram Frederick	2Lt	-	22	KIA	Belgium	Westhoek Ridge, east of Ypres	Belgian Battery Corner Cemetery (II.A.3)	(p335)
1918
5	25th March	HILLIER	Sydney Napier	2Lt	-	29	KIA	France	Near Sapignies, north of Bapaume	Arras Memorial (Bay 6)	(p398)
6	13th April	DAVIES	William Thomas	Lt	-	25	DOW	Belgium	CCS at Locre, south west of Ypres	Locre Hospice Cemetery (Sp Mem A.1)	(2) (p416)
7	13th April	JENKINS	Aneurin	2Lt	-	28	KIA	France	Neuve Eglise	Ploegsteert Memorial (Panel 5)	(p416)
8	19th April	RICHARDS	John Hywel	Lt	MC	27	DOW	France	CCS at Aire-sur-la-Lys	Aire Communal Cemetery (II.E.2)	(3) (p416)
9	28th May	KITCHEN	Fred Tudor	2Lt	-	27	KIA	France	Near Trigny, north west of Rheims	Soissons Memorial	(p430)
10	29th May	DEANE	Lancelot Colin William	Lt Col	DSO, MC, MiD*	26	KIA	France	Rosnay, north of Soissons	Chambrecy British Cemetery (VI.A.1)	(p429)
Officers of Other Regiments Who Died in the Great War Whilst Serving With 6th Battalion South Wales Borderers (Pioneers)
1	15th May 1916	JONES	George William	2Lt	-	24	KIA	France	Crosbie Craters, north west of Vimy	Ecoivres Military Cemetery (I.M.14)	(4) (p227)
2	1st September 1918	BOWEN	William Lloyd	Lt	MC	36	DOW	France	CCS at Terdeghem, north of Bailleul	Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery (XIX.D.15)	(5) (p439)
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 or indicated). 1. CRAWFORD was wounded at Westhoek Ridge, east of Ypres, on 10th August 1917. 2. DAVIES W T was wounded at Neuve Eglise on 13th April 1918 3. RICHARDS was wounded at Neuve Eglise on 13th April 1918. 4. JONES was detached from the Cheshire Regiment. 5. BOWEN was detached from the Monmouthshire Regiment. He was wounded near Westoutre on 1st September 1918. He was originally buried in Terdeghem French Military Cemetery and reburied in Cabaret Rouge Cemetery in April 1924.

Battalion History

Formed at Brecon on 12th September 1914 as part of "K3". Full title: 6th (Service) Battalion South Wales Borders (Pioneers).

The Battalion assembled and commenced training for active service at Codford on 30th September 1914, initially assigned to 76th Infantry Brigade of 25th Division. The Battalion moved to Bournemouth in November 1914 where it remained until February 1915. Re-assigned as Pioneer Battalion to 25th Division in January 1915. The Battalion moved to Parkstone and then to Larkhill in March 1915. It moved again in late April 1915 to Hursley park, in the New Forest. A final move to Aldershot, at the end of May 1915, where it remained until it embarked for Le Havre on 25th September 1915. On arrival with the BEF in France the Battalion entrained initially to Chocques then marched to Le Sart, to the north-west of Merville, and commenced training for trench and pioneer warfare near Armentieres.

The Battalion served in France and Flanders throughout the war and a detailed list of engagements and operations can be viewed in a history of the 25th Division. The Battalion was re-assigned as Pioneer Battalion of 30th Division on 2nd July 1918. At The Armistice on 11th November 1918 the Battalion was at Amougies, Belgium. The 30th Division was not chosen for the Army of Occupation in Germany so units were gradually demobilised and disbanded and by early January 1919, after many men had been demobilised, the remainder were at work in the Dunkirk and Boulogne areas until 4th October 1919 when the Battalion was disbanded.

The Battalion lost 10 officers, 2 officers from other Regiments and 361 other ranks.

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.

Page last updated: 31st December 2024

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