Davies, William

Wellington Remembers 1914–1918 032 40144 Private William Davies South Wales Borderers Born on 19 February 1883 in Hadnall, Shropshire Lived at Mill Cottages, Hadnall; Slang Lane & 31 Wrekin Road, Wellington Killed in action on 28 May 1918 aged 35 in France and Flanders Remembered in the Hermonville Military Cemetery; Special Memorial 4 His story William Davies was the son of David Davies and Elizabeth Blann. David and Elizabeth had married on 13 May 1873 at Pitchford, Shropshire, when Elizabeth was a servant living in Stockbatch and David a labourer living in Cantlop Grove. The young couple lived in Weston Jones, near Norbury where their first two daughters were born, but moved to Mill Cottages, Hadnall by 1881 where William was born on 19 February 1883. He was taken for baptism to the local church, St Mary Magdalene, in Hadnall on 29 June. The family briefly lived in Wrockwardine, having two more daughters baptised there in 1886 and 1887. At that point David was still working as a labourer, but it seems that he had an opportunity for a change of occupation as when the 1891 census was taken the family were living in Slang Lane (now Hollies Road) in Wellington. David was employed as a gas stoker. This move seems to have worked well as the Davies family were still living there ten years later when the 1901 census return was taken. By then young William was working as a labourer. William met a local girl, Elizabeth Rowley, and married her in the autumn of 1906 in Wellington, and by the time of the 1911 census he was head of a growing family. They lived at 31 Wrekin Road, and William worked for the Urban District Council as a carter on the streets. William was father to three children, Annie, Robert and Florence, and the following year Elizabeth delivered another daughter, Nellie, who died in infancy. William’s service records haven’t survived, but we know that he enlisted in Wellington. As a married man it is likely that he would have been conscripted into the army following the second Military Service Act in May 1916, initially joining the Monmouthshire Regiment with service number 4385. The Monmouthshire Regiment units were all part of the Territorial Force. He served in England for some time before he went into the theatre of war; we don’t know for how long, but William’s entry on the medal roll indicates that his service in the Monmouthshire Regiment was entirely at the infantry base depot. 84 Wellington Remembers 1914–1918 Not knowing exactly when William was transferred to the South Wales Borderers, it is difficult to say exactly in which actions he took part, but the battalion saw some heavy fighting throughout 1916 and 1917. In the spring of 1916 the men were in the line at Vimy and Neuville St Vaast, consolidating craters of mines that had been blown beneath the lines. The summer and autumn were taken up by work on the Somme, at one point digging 700 yards of communication trench between two captured trenches, under heavy shell fire. The spring of 1917 was spent in preparation for the Battle of Messines – making communications trenches, roads, tramways and bridges. When the attack was made on 7 June, the division achieved all of their objectives. By the evening the 6th Battalion had constructed 400 yards of trench tramway through the captured area whilst under continual machine gun fire and shelling. At some point in the summer of 1917 William was wounded; his name was listed in the daily list of casualties on 7 August. The nature and severity of his wounds are unknown, but he returned to his unit when he was considered fit for service again. The winter of 1917 was spent digging reserve lines, battling against the inclement weather, which must have made life extremely difficult for the men. Christmas 1917 saw the battalion near Fremicourt working on deep dugouts before getting a single day resting on 27 December, when the men were able to get a bath at Vaulx. On 10 April 1918 the battalion made an Transport vehicles struggling attack on Ploegsteert. Despite holding in the mud 1917 back the enemy the attack failed and the battalion suffered heavy casualties – 386 over a period of six days. Unusually, every man killed, wounded or missing is individually named in the war diary. This must have left the remainder of the battalion very low in spirits, to lose so many comrades in such a short period of time. After being relieved at 4am on 15 April, the men were given food and rested until midday. The war diary later lists the many men and officers who were awarded medals for their actions at Ploegsteert. Much of the rest of April and May was spent training, which must have been a welcome relief. On 22 May the battalion received orders to move, and route marched to Magneux on 23 May. After a further two days’ training the men earned a rest day, receiving further orders at 8pm to stand by and move at an hour’s notice in battle order accompanied by battalion transport to Romain. The men were to continue the march to Vaux-Varennes, where the battalion came under the orders of 7th Brigade. This was a five-hour march, during which the enemy had heavily shelled the rear areas with gas shells, so much of the march had to be done wearing gas helmets. The men arrived at Vaux-Varennes at 3am on 27 May, and were ordered to move on at once to occupy a second position. 85 Wellington Remembers 1914–1918 This was to the right of 7th Brigade. The operational report in the war diary notes that ‘The maps supplied were not very helpful in locating the line to be held and little time was available in reconnoitring [sic] the positions, but by midday the men were all in position ’. Heavy fighting during the afternoon left the enemy advancing in the evening, to be driven back by Lewis gun fire. By 7am on 28 May scouts reported that the enemy had worked right round the left flank of one company, taking possession of the French Dump, and it was decided that the men should be withdrawn to a position further back, using the Lewis gunners to cover them as they moved back. The diary report continues: ‘The enemy were swarming in the wood and offered excellent targets to the gunners who caused considerable casualties, as the guns were so placed to command all the numerous tracks leading through the woods ’. At 10am orders were received that the battalion was transferred to 62nd Brigade and was to abandon its positions and proceed to reinforce the line in front of Hill 202. The enemy put up what was described as a terrific barrage, and the manoeuvre took about four hours under heavy shelling and in full view of the enemy. At 5.30pm orders were received to proceed to Hill 202, but by the time the men were ready to move they received information that the enemy were almost into Rosnay Village and the battalion was moved to high ground and commenced digging in. It was at some point during this day that Private William Davies was killed in action. He was one of 18 other ranks from the battalion killed during four days of fighting, and 103 men were wounded and 101 missing during that same period. His body has not been recovered, and he is remembered on a Special Memorial at the Hermonville Military Cemetery. The memorial bears the inscription ‘Their glory shall not be blotted out’. For his service to his country William earned the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. His war gratuity payment was divided equally between his three surviving children. All of the children married in Wellington. It is unclear whether Elizabeth remarried, or remained a widow. Notes: Private William Andrew Elson also joined the Monmouthshire Regiment with the number 4387, and both men died while serving in the South Wales Borderers. See biography 041 for his story. Acknowledgements: Thanks to Jane Jones of www.WW1Photos.com for permission to use the image of transport vehicles struggling in the mud. 86.

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