The Plugstreet Archaeological Project 9th Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers

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9th Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers served with the 19th Division near the Hollandscheschurr Farm mines, during the 1917 Battle of Messines.

Those who served with the 9th Btn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers at The Battle of Messines. Davies J. Pte. d.7th Jun 1917 Jenkins  MM. Frank Mason L/Sjt. d.8th May 1918 Mason (John Davies)   Thomas Milton "Hammie" Pte. d.7th Jun 1917 Nicholls  DCM. John Thomas Sergeant Williams H. Lloyd

Old Soldiers Never Die Frank Richards Frank Richards served in the 2/ Royal Welch Fusiliers along with (at one time or another) Robert Graves and Siegfried Sassoon, and Dr Dunn (compiler of the amazing 'The War That The Infantry Knew'- possibly THE best battalion history of WW1- and a good companion to this book as its interesting to cross reference small incidences somtimes...). Anyway, Richards was slightly different to his literary contemporaries in that he was 'Other Ranks', and a miner by trade. He was recalled to the colours in 1914 after several years on the reserve, and served as a Private right through to 1918. He writes his story as one would imagine he spoke- and for me as I read it, it was a style as if he was telling me his war history in anecdotes down the pub or something, supping over a pint of mild: theres no deep soul searching here, but plenty of bitterness, a lot of detail, and what an experience he had... So if you don't have this in your collection then get it now- one of the very few 'OR' books (I More information on: Old Soldiers Never Die

Up to Mametz - and Beyond Llewelyn Wyn Griffith Llewelyn Wyn Griffith s Up to Mametz, published in 1931, is now firmly established as one of the finest accounts of soldiering on the Western Front. It tells the story of the creation of a famous Welsh wartime battalion (The Royal Welch Fusiliers), its training, its apprenticeship in the trenches, through to its ordeal of Mametz Wood on the Somme as part of 38 Division. But there it stopped. General Jonathon Riley has however discovered Wyn Griffith s unpublished diaries and letters which pick up where Up to Mametz left off through to the end of the War. With careful editing and annotation, the events of these missing years are now available alongside the original work. They tell of an officer s life on the derided staff and provide fascinating glimpses of senior officers, some who attract high praise and others who the author obviously despised. The result is an enthralling complete read and a major addition to the bibliography of the period. Llewelyn Wyn Griffiths was born into a Wel More information on: Up to Mametz - and Beyond

If you know of anyone who served with this unit at the Battle of Messines, please complete the form below so that they can be remembered. Required fields are marked *                      Surname:             * Of the veteran.. First Name:          Middle Name(s): Nick Name:        Rank:                  Galantry Awards: DSO, MID etc. Service Number: Service:               * British Army/AIF/NZ/RFC/Civilian. etc. Unit:                     Regiment/Squadron etc. Sub unit:              Battalion/Section/Flight/etc. Home:                 prewar address/town/village Date of Death,     if during the war. Web Link,           If you have a webpage about your relative please provide the address. Please tell us about your relative: name of submitter:* Your name. email:                   @ Please type in the code shown here:   If you are unable to read the code please click here. If you have any photographs please scan or digitally photograph your orginials and send a copy by email attachment. NB. All entries are checked manually before appearing online to prevent spam and inappropriate content. There will be a delay before your submission appears on the website.