Cilycwm War Memorial
The Great War, 1914-1918
William John Hughes, Driver, W/3512, Royal Field Artillery. William was the Son of Frederick and Mary Hughes, of Cilycwm, and enlisted at Swansea into the Royal Field Artillery, serving with ‘A’ Battery, 122nd Brigade, attached to the 38th (Welsh) Division. The Division had fought on the Western Front since arriving in December, 1915, and had been stationed in every part of the line by the turn of 1917, from Flanders to Mametz Wood, to Ypres and then to Armentieres. The Division were holding the lines east of Armentieres over the winter of 1917/18, when William became ill. He was brought to Calais, probably to No. 35 General Hospital, where he Died on the 18th March, 1918 aged 25. He is buried at Les Baraques Military Cemetery, Sangatte.
John Ebenezer Thomas, Private, 1071, Welsh Guards. John was born at Cilycwm, and had enlisted into the newly formed 1st Battalion of the Welsh Guards, which were raise by Royal Warrant of the 26th February, 1915. On the 18th August, 1915 the Battalion landed at Havre, as part of the 3rd Guards Brigade, Guards Division, and were thrown immediately into action at the Battle of Loos. After Loos, the Division spent a period at rest in Calais, and then spent a short period at Ypres during June 1916 before moving to the Somme in September. On the Somme they fought at Flers-Courcelette, where John was Killed in Action on the 10th September, 1916. He is buried at Delville Wood Cemetery, Longueval.
Llanfair-ar-y-Bryn War Memorial
The Great War, 1914-1918
David John Davies, 39870, Lance Corporal, Welsh Regiment. David was the Son of John Davies, of 16, Chapel St., Carmarthen, and enlisted at Llandovery into the 2nd Battalion, Welsh Regiment, who landed in France on the 13th August, 1914 attached to the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division. The Division moved to positions around Mons, then fought during the epic retreat to the Marne and the Aisne, before moving to Ypres, where they fought at First Ypres, and then at Aubers in early 1915. They took part in the Battle of Loos in September that year, and in 1916 fought on the Somme, from the Battle of Albert in July onwards. David was wounded on the Somme, at the Battle of Pozieres, and Died of Wounds at the Casualty Clearing Station at Heilly on the 24th July, 1916 aged 30. He is buried at Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt-L'Abbe.
Timothy Davies, Private, R/17058, Kings Royal Rifle Corps. Timothy was born at Cilycwm, and enlisted at Llandovery into the 13th Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps, attached to the 111th Brigade 37th Division. The Division had landed in France at the end of July, 1915 and concentrated around St. Omer. They took part in the attack on the Gommecourt Salient as part of a diversionary attack for the main Somme Offensive, but because the 34th Division had suffered so heavily during the opening of the Battle the 111th and 112th brigade of the 37th Division were posted to them as reinforcements until the 22nd August, during which time Timothy fought with them at Bazentin, Pozieres and Flers-Courcelette. The two Brigades rejoined their own Division in time for the attack in the Ancre Valley, where Timothy was wounded. He Died of Wounds the following day, on the 14th November, 1916 and is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial.
Johnny Jones, Private, 49546, Welsh Regiment. Johnny was the Son of John and Jane Jones, of Penrhiwfach, Rhandirmwyn, near Llandovery, and he enlisted at Llandovery into the 14th Battalion, Welsh Regiment, attached to the 114th Brigade 38th (Welsh) Division. The Division had arrived in France during December, 1915 and had been initiated into trench warfare near Armentieres, before fighting at the Battle of Mametz Wood during the Somme Offensive in July, 1916. The Division suffered badly at Mametz and were taken out of the line for almost a year, before being used at Third Ypres, where they captured Pilckem Ridge and Langemarck. Johnny was Killed in Action at Ypres, aged 22, on the 22nd August, 1917 and is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.
David Lloyd, Private, 320277, Welsh Regiment. David was the Son of Mary Lloyd, of 16, Gernon Rd., Roman Rd., Bethnal Green, London, and he lived at Llandovery prior to the outbreak of war, and enlisted at Carmarthen into the Pembroke Yeomanry. In March, 1916 the Pembroke Yeomanry sailed for Egypt as part of the 1st Mounted Division, which fought in the Palestinian Campaign. On the 2nd February, 1917 the Battalion merged with the Glamorgan Yeomanry to form the 24th Battalion, the Welsh Regiment, and were attached to the 231st Brigade, 74th (Yeomanry) Division. It was in Palestine that David was wounded during the Third Battle of Gaza. He Died of Wounds on the 7th May, 1917 aged 23, and is buried at Deir El Belah War Cemetery.
Myddfai War Memorial
The Great War, 1914-1918
David Isaac Griffiths, Corporal, 46134, Machine Gun Corps. David was the Son of David Griffiths, of Golengoed, Llangadock. He enlisted at Aberdare into the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry, where he became a Battalion Machine Gunner. On the 2nd September 1915, a proposal was made to the War Office for the formation of a single Machine-gun Company per Brigade, by withdrawing the guns from the Battalions. They would be replaced at Battalion level by Lewis guns. The Machine Gun Corps was created by Royal Warrant on October 14th, 1915, followed by an Army Order on 22nd October, and the MGC would consist of infantry machine-gun Companies, cavalry machine-gun Squadrons, and Motor Machine Gun Batteries. The pace of reorganisation depended on the rate of supply of Lewis guns, but it was completed before the Battle of the Somme. David by then had transferred into the 8th Company, Machine Gun Corps, which was attached to the 3rd Division; in time to take part in the opening battle of the Somme Offensive the Battle of Albert. They then fought at the Battle of Bazentin, where they captured Longueval, and advanced on to Delville Wood. In November the Division fought at the Battle of the Ancre, and saw the Somme Offensive out to a close. In the following year, the Battle of Arras was launched, and the 3rd Division fought at the Battle of the Scarpe. This is where David was Killed in Action, aged 25, on the 10th April, 1917, when he was hit by a fragment of shrapnel. He was buried near to where he fell by his comrades, but sadly his grave was lost during the German Spring Offensive of the following year, and so he is remembered on the Arras Memorial. (Photo courtesy of Malcolm Ferguson-Thomas)
James Prytherch, Private, 54383, Welsh Regiment. James was born at Llandovery, the son of Rees and Elizabeth Prytherch, on the 23rd May, 1890. He enlisted at Carmarthen into the 15th Battalion, Welsh Regiment, attached to the 114th Brigade, 38th (Welsh) Division. The Division had landed in France during December 1915 and had spent their first winter in the trenches near Armentieres. In June they marched south to the Somme, where they were tasked with the capture of Mametz Wood. The attack on the wood began on the 7th July, but met with fierce resistance, and it took until the 11th July to clear the wood. The Division suffered terrible casualties at Mametz, and were taken out of the line, and moved to Ypres to rebuild. At Ypres in July, 1917 the Battle of Third Ypres was launched. Messines Ridge had been taken, and the focus now fell on the Pilckem Ridge, where the Division took the position from the Prussian Guards. After Third Ypres, the Division were moved to the Armentieres area, where they remained until moving to the Somme, to a position North of Albert, where they reinforced the badly depleted British forces defending the route to Amiens. The tide of war was turned on the 8th August, following the defeat of the German Army at the Battle of Amiens, at Villers-Brettoneux, by the Australian Corps. From then on, the Allies held the offensive, and it was during the push over the old Somme Battlefield, during the Second Battle of Bapaume, that James was Killed in Action, on the 9th September, 1918. He is remembered on the Vis-En-Artois Memorial, Haucourt.
James Smith, Private, 14297, Welsh Regiment. James was born in Hull, but probably resided at Myddfai prior to the war. He enlisted at Cardiff into the 15th Battalion the Welsh Regiment, which landed in France in December, 1915 as part of the 114th Brigade, 38th (Welsh) Division. The Division had spent their first winter in the trenches near Armentieres. In June they marched south to the Somme, where they were tasked with the capture of Mametz Wood. The attack on the wood began on the 7th July, but met with fierce resistance, and it took until the 11th July to clear the wood. The Division suffered terrible casualties at Mametz, and were taken out of the line, and moved to Ypres to rebuild. At Ypres in July, 1917 the Battle of Third Ypres was launched. Messines Ridge had been taken, and the focus now fell on the Pilckem Ridge, where the Division took the position from the Prussian Guards. James was Killed in Action during the Battle of Pilckem, and is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.
Dan Thomas, Private, Welsh Regiment. Cannot presently be identified.
David Williams, Private, 53982, Royal Welsh Fusiliers. David was the Son of John and Margaret Williams of 1 Vicarage Road, Trecastle, Brecon, and the Husband of Mary Williams of Myddfai, near Llandovery. He enlisted at Brecon into the 1st Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, which had landed at Zeebrugge on the 7th October, 1914 as part of the 22nd Brigade, 7th Division. The Division had been intended to assist with the defence of Antwerp, but the City had already fallen by the time they arrived in Flanders, and so they moved south to Ypres. Here they fought the German advance to a standstill at First Ypres, and suffered terrible casualties in the process, and they then moved further South where they fought during the March, 1915 Battle of Neuve Chappelle, and at Aubers Ridge and Festubert in May. They moved south again, this time to Loos, and here they attacked north of the Vermelles to Hulloch Road, and seized their objective there despite suffering badly again. Their next major action was during the opening of the Somme Offensive, and the Division captured Mametz Village on the first day, 1st July, 1916. Here they fought at Delville Wood and Guillemont and were in the Ancre Valley for the winter of 1916/17 when David was Killed in Action, aged 32, on the 26th February, 1917. He is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial.
Myddfai War Memorial
World War Two, 1939-45
Thomas William Rogers, First Officer, Air Transport Auxiliary. Not much is known of Thomas, except that he served with the Air Transport Auxiliary, and died at home on the 10th December, 1941. He is buried at Myddfai (St. Michael) Churchyard.
Evan Glanmor Charles Thomas, Driver, T/14550178, Royal Army Service Corps. Evan was the Son of D. Stanley and Margret Thomas, of Myddfai, and served with the Royal Army Service Corps. Not much is known of him, but he served in North Africa and Italy, and was Killed in Italy on the 12th July 1944, aged 20. He is buried at Bari War Cemetery.