Summary
- 967 – Men identified with service number (no change)
- 872 – Confirmed ’08 service numbers (+3)
- 178 – Men identified without service number (+24)
- 206 – Portraits (+31)
- 60 – Profiles drafted (+1)
Over the past few months, I’ve made significant progress. Notably, I found the first written account from a Brigade member and obtained the first photos of a Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) awarded to a Brigade member. Additionally, my research on Newspapers.com uncovered over 30 new portraits and valuable information about the 2nd Battery’s experiences in the First Battle of Gaza.
Gnr Cyril Evans, DCM
In January, it was a pleasure to make contact with the grandson of 725626, Cyril Evans. Cyril was born in Radnorshire, the son of a Station Master. He followed in his fathers footsteps and started working on the railways, leaving in June 1915 to enlist in the Brigade.
By 1918, he had been posted to 240 Brigade, part of the 48th Division and was sent to Italy. He clearly excelled in his duties and, according to a newspaper article published in 1921, was recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) no fewer than three times. Elements of two of the citations have survived:
Recommended for DCM…… was a bombadier and signaller in the Swansea Howitzer Brigade. Whilst serving with his unit on August 26th, 1918, on the Italian front, Bombadier Evans displayed great pluck and determination in carrying dispatches under heavy fire. For this he was recommended for the DCM.
Herald of Wales, 16/4/1921 (Welsh Newspapers Online)
725626 Gnr WC Evans, 240th Bde, RFA, TF (Garth), (ITALY)
As signaller and linesman he has shown total disregard of personal danger, notably on the occasion of the raid on 23rd October 1918, whilst acting as runner under heavy shell fire, when telephone communication had temporarily broken down. His coolness and devotion to duty have been invaluable in work at the observation post.
DCM Citation. London Gazette, 11/3/1920
His Grandson kindly shared a picture of his medals and added: My mother did ask him about the war but all he said was, it’s best left in the past’. She did get out of him why he was awarded the DCM and all he said was ‘for wiping the officers backsides’ or words to that effect!!
The Brigades’ First Day in the Trenches – A Personal Account
A continued search on Newspapers.com led to an unexpected and exciting discovery—an article featuring a letter that provides an incredibly detailed account of the Brigade’s first day on the front line on the Somme in early December 1915. The letter, written by 422, Cpl. E.R. Brown, was published in the South Wales Evening Post on January 12, 1916.
In the letter, Cpl Brown describes the journey from their billets in Vaux-en-Amiens to the front line, where they were attached to the 5th Division for experience. His service record indicates that he was the NCO in charge of battery communications, making it likely that he was one of the 12 telephonists referenced in the War Diary on December 2.
VAUX-en- AMIENS – 2/12/15
Received instructions from Head Quarters RA 53rd (Welsh) Divisional Artillery that…. 4 Officers, 12 Telephonists, 4 Nos 1 and 2 Staff Sergts of the 1/1st Glamorgan Battery RFA be attached for training to the 5th Division for a period of 4 working days.
1st Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade War Diary, National Archives
A number of extracts are below and the full article can be found here.
FIRST TIME AT THE FRONT – SWANSEA GUNNERS NARRATIVE
Corporal Brown of the RFA, son of Mr W H Brown of the Central Hotel, High-street, Swansea, sends the following racy, cheery, and splendidly written account of life at the front:-
“Splattering and grumbling we awake,” he says. ‘What time is it?’ Five o’clock. Outside is dark, cold and wet. The cheerless ‘well ventilated’ barns in which we billet seem as comfortable as any cosy bedroom. Compared with the climatic conditions outside. We must be up and doing, as it is an eventful day, a day we have been waiting anxiously for ever since we left Swansea early in August 1914. A party is going up to the firing line…. A cold journey across the plain, over which some of the British troops had made a stand at the retreat of Mons, to the village of ——, where meter omnibuses are awaiting us. Our horses are sent back and we take our seats on top of the bus.
“We have now arrived at the place where we have to say good-bye to our ‘bus, and continue the rest of the journey where the battery to which we are to be attached is ‘dugged out.’
“Guns, both large and small, rattle away. The big naval guns fore a salvo by way of a salute to us, I suppose. It is getting dusk and we can see the flash, but we cannot locate the position of them.
“We are glad we have arrived at our destination at last. We are welcomed by the boys of this battery and are shown their ‘Library’ and told to make ourselves as comfortable as we can. ‘The Library’ was about 20 feet long and dug into the bank about 5 feet.
“I don’t think I will attempt to write down my thoughts as we walked up the valley to the communication trench. There were only two of us, so that there could be no courage in numbers; he was a dare-devil (had been mentioned in desptaches several times and had gained the DCM) and wherever he went I had to go….
“Into the trenches – slush – half-way up to your knees in clayey mud to start, slipping and sliding, we slushed along, soaking wet to the knees already, and we had not gone 100 yards. Never mind, impossible to keep your feet and legs dry, so wallow away in it, because once they are wet it doesn’t much matter. ‘Keep your head well down, Corporal,’ say he, ‘we are entering the first line trenches.’
South Wales Evening Post, 12/1/1916 (Newspapers.com)
Newspapers.com – a real treasure trove
I’ve also continued to search in Newspapers.com, varying the Search Terms. I’ve been blown away by the range of new material its delivered, including:
- 31 more Portraits,
- Weekly Brigade orders from 1908 and 1914,
- More details of the 1908 Summer Camp including a picture of the Brigade leaving,
- Various accounts of the Brigades time in Northampton and Bedford
- An account of the 2nd Battery’s experience in the First Battle of Gaza, and
- Various articles regarding the Band including the reason why it split up in the run up to the War.
Over time, I will update/complete the history pages and weave them all in. Here’s a couple of examples of what I’ve found:
THATS THE SPIRIT: SWANSEA GUNNERS IN TRAINING CAMPS
Gunner T Waters (of Swansea), 1st Welsh Howitzers, writes from Northampton Camp as follows:-
“Dear Editor. Just a line to let you know that we are getting on well together; not in all Northampton will you find a happier band of boys.
Every night we have crowds outside the Sunday School where we are billeted, listening to the singing, and amongst the favorites are ‘Aberystwyth’, ‘Hen Wlad fy Nhadau’, ‘Sospan Fach’, and the popular war song we have got:
“I am delighted to tell you, with very few exceptions, all of us are undergoing specialist training for the war. The only fault we have to find is that it won’t come quick enough for us to go, but by all account we won’t have long to wait. Our one wish will be to see our beloved ones before we go.
It’s been no picnic since we left Swansea. Real hard work, and roughing on the floors, without beds here, and in many cases only our overcoats to cover us.
Still everyone is happy, and Swansea will have just cause to be proud of her sons, who will represent her at the front.”
South Wales Evening Post, 5/9/1915 (Newspapers.com)
A Swansea Policeman in Khaki
And finally, Arthur Franklin Phillips was a Swansea Policeman who was released from his police duties to join the Howitzers in mid-1915. After training, he was posted to 336 Brigade, part of the 67th (2nd Home Counties) Division and sailed to Mesopotamia on October 13, 1917.
Whilst there are no records to prove this, it is likely that he served with the Division through the Mesopotamia campaigns of 1918 and as part of the occupation force following the War.
He finally returned to Swansea in July 1919 and resumed his job as a policeman. Given his experience with horses, he was chosen to lead the police mounted section. In an article published in the 1990s, his son wrote:
My father was in charge of the mounted section and prior to parades, town carnivals, rugby and football matches, one of the tasks of my brothers and I was to polish the leather gaiters and boots to such a high degree, you could see your face reflected in the black leather.
The horses were so tall a person on the pavement would only be as high as the gaiters and you would have to look up to see the rider…
Besides being in charge of the Mounted Section my father was in charge of St Thomas Police Station at 40 Balaclava Street, St Thomas where he lived. There were often probationary policemen living with us at the station….
In the station yard there were a number of stretchers and also a mobile water tank, complete with a pump on wooden wheels for use in the event of a fire. In those days police also served as firemen.
South Wales Evening Post, 24/2/1993
What’s Next?
After researching a possible Brigade member, I’ve uncovered what may the first new source of information for the Nominal Roll that I’ve found in the last 3 years. Many members of the Brigade served in the Home Guard in WW2 and the Registers for the Swansea, Neath and Mumbles Battalions are stored at the West Glamorgan Archive. I know the registers contain details of the Regiments that the men served in and so I’m hoping they may also have numbers. This may finally allow me to put numbers to the men of the 2nd Line who I continue to struggle with (as they received no medals). Fingers crossed !
As always, thanks for reading.
John.
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