A Call to Arms
By the end of October 1914, the British government had come to realise the severity of the situation. The British Expeditionary Force-the small professional British Army-had been virtually annihilated by the relentless German onslaught, and this had necessitated the call up of the Territorial Army. The British Army was now swelling in size rapidly, with new Territorial Armies being formed and sent to France to reinforce the beleaguered BEF.
But the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, Field Marshal Lord Kitchener was a worried man. Kitchener was a hero who had led the old British army to glory in Africa against the rebellion in the Sudan, and more recently in the Boer War, and was idolised by the British public. He knew better than anyone that this new form of warfare would place a huge demand on manpower that the small Island of Britain could not supply alone, and so requests were issued by the Government to the old British Colonies of India, Canada, New Zealand and Australia to supply manpower to help defend the Mother Country. Canada, New Zealand and Australia were all still relatively new countries, with many of their peoples having been born in Britain, and many more descended from British emigrants, and so the feelings of patriotism spread rapidly, with the Governments of the respective nations pushing the recruitment of men to be sent to the western Front. By the 14th of October 1914, the first Canadian troops had reached the shores of Britain-over 32,000 highly trained and motivated men arrived in Plymouth, many having travelled overseas for the very first time.
In Australia and New Zealand, the call to arms had successfully reached the ears of thousands of adventure seeking men. In August 1914, the recruitment campaign was in full swing, and had resulted in a flood of men rushing to volunteer which had overwhelmed the Recruitment Officers, forcing them to turn men away-for now!
The First Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.)
On the 3rd of August 1914 the Australian government offered the British Government a 20,000 strong expeditionary force, which was to be comprised of an infantry division and a light horse brigade. Recruiting commenced in August 1914 with men flocking to join the service. Intended to be representative of the nation as a whole, the 1st AIF was organized from contingents from all states. The 1st Infantry Brigade was formed in New South Wales, the 2nd in Victoria and the 3rd was raised with a battalion coming from each of the other states. The Infantry Brigades formed the backbone of the First AIF, with the Infantry obviously the most important spoke in the wheel. Around the Infantry Brigades an Army was built. Each Infantry Brigade consisted of four battalions, numbered from one to four. Each Battalion itself comprised of approximately 1,100 men, and was broken down into individual constituents.
The A.I.F. assembled throughout the various Ports of Australia, where they embarked on an immense fleet of Troop Transports Ships. These ships then congregated into a convoy, which sailed from the shores of Australia on the 20th October, 1914-seemingly to join their counterparts on the Western Front-carrying over 240,000 fit and eager fighting men.
The men arrived via Ceylon, at Alexandria on the 3rd December, 1914. Here the men disembarked, and were entrained for Cairo. They marched out of Cairo into their new camp, at Mena House, in the shadow of the Pyramids. Here the First AIF trained hard, being readied for service on the Western Front, but unknowingly to them at this time, the wheels were already being put in motion to attack the German's Allies, Turkey, on a Second Front at Gallipoli, from where they could gain control of the Straits of the Dardanelles, and thus the power of the Royal Navy could be unleashed upon Istanbul, thus forcing Turkey out of the War, and relieving pressure on Russia. The Anzac's landed at Gallipoli on the dawn of the 25th April, 1915, and here began a legend which helped form the Nation of Australia.
After the withdrawal from Gallipoli, the main elements of the AIF were sent to France, landing at Marseilles and moving to French Flanders. From now on they fought in some of the toughest offensives of the war, and suffered terribly from casualties because of this. The A.I.F. served in Egypt, Palestine, Gallipolli and the Sinai, but they suffered their worst casualties on the Western Front.
Australian War Memorials on the Western Front
Above is the Memorial to the 1st Australian Division at Pozieres on the Somme. The First Australian Division performed one of the greatest feats of arms of the Battle of the Somme, by capturing the strongly held German position at Pozieres Ridge in July, 1916. The Division had arrived from Gallipoli earlier in the year, and was a hardened fighting force. Their attack came to a bloody stop at Mouquet Farm, where they had to be pulled from the line after suffering terrible casualties.
Above is the 'Cobbers' statue situated within the Australian Memorial Park at Fromelles. The First Division held the line here before being moved to the Somme, and were replaced by the newly formed Fifth Australian Division. The Fifth Division were tasked with launching an attack on the German lines at Fromelles, as a diversion to the Somme Offensive. They were slaughtered, and hundereds of men were left in No Man's Land for the remainder of the war, when their bones were gathered up by local women and buried at V.C. Corner Cemetery in a mass grave. See the photo below.
Carmarthenshire men who died with the A.I.F.
Private Hugo Robert Arthur of Burry Port,
Private Arthur William Vincent Braddon of Llandovery,
Private William Wood Brailsford of Llanstephan,
Private Robert Craig David of Laugharne,
Lance Corporal Thomas Jackson David of Laugharne,
Trooper Evan Henry Davies of Brechfa,
Private William Charles Davies of Llanstephan,
Private Edward Evans of Llanelli,
Sapper David Howell Griffiths of Carmarthen,
Private Rhys Emlyn Griffiths of Llanelli,
Lance Corporal William Griffiths of Carmarthen,
Lance Corporal Albert John Guthrie of Carmarthen,
Private David Rixon Harris of Dryslwyn,
Private Evan Holmes of Conwil Elfed,
Private George Henry Jones of Pencader,
Private John Graham Parry Horsman of Carmarthen,
Lance Corporal David Thomas John of Laugharne,
Sergeant John Jonathan Jones of Conwil Elfed,
Sergeant Seymour Cadvan Jones of Carmarthen,
Private George Stanley Mann of Llanelli,
Private John Clarke Phillips of Carmarthen,
Trooper Thomas Harold Phillips of Carmarthen,
Private Frank Picot of Kidwelly,
Private Edward Rees of St. Clears,
Private W. M. Rees of Abergwili,
Lieutenant Robert Hugh Owen Roberts of Llandovery,
Lance Corporal Benjamin Samson of Llanglydwen,
Private David Samson of Llanglydwen,
Private John Thomas of Carmarthen,
Private William Thomas of Glanamman,
Lieutenant-Colonel Astley John Onslow Thompson of Pontyates,
Lance Corporal George Watts of Laugharne,
Private Robert Percival Weeks of Llanelli,
Private David Thomas Williams of Llandebie,
Private John Lloyd Williams of Penygroes,
Private William Edward Williams of Llanelli.
The Australian Memorial at Villers Brettoneaux, France. Villers Brettoneux was the greatest success of the War for the Australians, who stopped the German Advance her on the 8th August, 1918 and turned the war. This day was called by the German General Ludendorff 'The Black Day of the German Army'. From now on the Allies were in the ascendency, and the war was almost over. The memorial commemorates all of the men of the AIF who lost their lives on the Western Front during WW1 and have no known grave.
The Canadian Expeditionary Force (C.E.F.)
The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was formed in Canada from August 1914 onwards, the original battalions from units of the old Canadian Militia and Permanent Forces. Each battalion was numbered, and the first formed being 1st Battalion Canadian Infantry. The First Canadian Division arrived in France by February, 1915. By the end of the war, more than 250 battalions had been formed. Although most battalions made it as far as England, only a few served in France and Flanders. The others were usually disbanded at a Training Depot in England, and the men sent as reinforcements to the CEF in France. The only 'regular' unit of the Canadian Army in 1914 was the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR). It was mobilised in August 1914, and sent to Bermuda to relieve a battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment (British Army) who was dispatched to France. It finally joined the CEF in France in November 1915. The Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) was formed in August 1914, largely from ex-regular army soldiers of the British Army then resident in Canada. It was named after the daughter of the then Governor General of Canada, the Duke of Connaught. It was the first Canadian infantry unit to arrive on the Western Front, reaching France by December 1914. Initially it was attached to the British 27th and 28th Divisions, and joined the CEF in November 1915. The Canadian Mounted Rifles (CMR) were dismounted cavalry who fought as infantry with the CEF. Initially five units formed the Canadian Mounted Rifles Brigade: these were disbanded and amalgamated to become the 8th Brigade, 3rd Division.
Canadian troops earned themselves a reputation as some of the best troops in the Allied armies during the war. They fought from Second Ypres, Mount Kemmel, Loos, Hill 70, the Somme, Arras (Vimy Ridge), Passchendaele, and Cambrai in 1918 and took part in the final offensives of the war. Some Canadian Memorials are shown below which mark the outstanding contribution made by her troops.
St. Julien Memorial
Visible for several miles from its site beside the main road from Ypres to Bruges, the impressive Canadian Memorial at St. Julien stands like a sentinel over those who died during the heroic stand of Canadians during the first gas attacks of the First World War. It is one of the most striking of all the battlefield memorials on the Western Front. The inscription on the Memorial recalls the Canadian participation in the Second Battle of Ypres:
THIS COLUMN MARKS THE BATTLEFIELD WHERE 18,000 CANADIANS ON THE BRITISH LEFT WITHSTOOD THE FIRST GERMAN GAS ATTACKS THE 22ND-24TH OF APRIL 1915. 2,000 FELL AND HERE LIE BURIED
Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial
Of the five memorials established in France and Belgium in memory of major actions fought by the 1st Battalion of the Newfoundland Regiment, the largest is the thirty hectare site at Beaumont-Hamel, nine kilometres north of the town of Albert. This site commemorates all Newfoundlanders who fought in the Great War, particularly those who have no known grave. The site was officially opened by Field Marshal Earl Haig on June 7, 1925. Newfoundland was an independant state during the Great War, but was later incorporated into Canada, and so is listed here under the Canadian section.
The Passchendaele Memorial
On the slopes overlooking the peaceful fields that today carpet the valley of the Ravebeek, this Canadian Battlefield Memorial marks the site of Crest Farm, where Canadian soldiers encountered some of the fiercest resistance they were to meet during the war. A large block of Canadian granite set in a grove of maple trees and encircled with a low hedge of holly carries the inscription:
THE CANADIAN CORPS IN OCT.- NOV. 1917 ADVANCED ACROSS THIS VALLEY - THEN A TREACHEROUS MORASS - CAPTURED AND HELD THE PASSCHENDAELE RIDGE
Men of Carmarthenhire who Died with the CEF in WW1
Private Stephen Charles Court of Llanelli,
Private Ernest Thomas Dallen of Llandebie,
Private Arnold Edward Davies of Manordeilo,
Private David John Davies of Whitland,
Private James Davies of Llandeilo,
Private Thomas Davies of Carmarthen,
Private Thomas Rosser Davies of Ammanford,
Private Tom Davies of Pencader,
Private Lewis Hughes of Carmarthen,
Private Benjamin Jones of Caio,
Private Henry Jones of Llandeilo,
Sergeant John Jones of Llandebie,
Private Benjamin James Lewis of Llangunnog,
Private William Alcwyn Lewis of Peniel,
Private David Lloyd of Llandovery,
Captain John Lewis Lloyd of Llandyssul,
Private Arthur Parker of Llandyssul,
Private William Neville Hurt Peel of Laugharne,
Private Thomas Aston Phillips of Whitland,
Private Thomas henry Price of Laugharne,
Lance Corporal James Joseph Sanders of Llanelli,
Private John Albert Sweet of Llanelli,
Private David Thomas of Garnant,
Private Frank Thomas of Carmarthen,
Private Thomas Dylan Thomas of Llanelli,
Lieutenant Joseph Longstaff Watson of Abergwili.
Above is a photograph of the Canadian National Memorial at Vimy Ridge near Arras. This was one of the greatest, and succesfull offensives in the Great War. The Assault on the German positions here was well planned and rehearsed, but still caused the loss of thousands of Canadian lives. These men are commemorated on the walls of this impressive monument.
The South African Expeditionary Force (SAEF)
The South African government formed the South African Expeditionary Force in July 1915, as its contribution to the British war effort against the Central Powers. As South African legislation restricted the Union Defence Forces (UDF) to operating in southern Africa, an entirely new force, made up entirely of volunteers, had to be raised for service in other theatres of war. Many volunteers came from UDF units, but they enrolled as individuals, not as contingents, and there was no formal link between SAEF and UDF units as such. As with the Australian and Canadian Forces, many men from Carmarthenshire had emigrated to South Africa in the years following the Boer Wars, and heard the call to duty of their new country, in support of the ‘Mother Country’, Britain.
SAEF units and formations did not serve as distinct South African forces, but were integrated into the British imperial armies and divisions in the field, most notably as part of the 9th (Scottish) Division. The S.A.E.F. served with distinction in four campaigns- Egypt Campaign, Western Front Campaign (1916-1918), German East Africa Campaign (1916-1918) and Palestine Campaign (1917-1918). Below is a photo of one of the 'Bas-Relief' plaques inside the South African Memorial and Museum within Delville Wood on the Somme, which depicts scenes of South African troops in the war.
Five men of the County lost their lives in the service of the South African Forces-
Rifleman Gwynedd Edward Evans of Cenarth,
Private Benjamin Aneurin Roberts, of Llandeilo,
Corporal Wyndham Price Oxenham of Llandovery,
Lieutenant Philip Dudley Waller of Llanelli and
Lance Corporal David Pugh of Whitland.
Also Captain Alan Ralph Peel of Taliaris Park near Llandeilo was killed in action whilst fighting in Africa, serving with the Nigeria Regiment.
Exterior view of the South African Memorial at Delville Wood, Somme, France
The New Zealand Expeditionary Force
The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military force sent from New Zealand to fight for Britain in World War I. Upon the outbreak of war, New Zealand immediately offered to provide two brigades — one of infantry and one of mounted troops — a total of 8,500 men.
This contingent sailed for Australia within two months of the start of the war and then joined with the Australian Imperial Force in a convoy sailing for Egypt.
The NZEF was commanded throughout the war by General Alexander Godley, a British officer who in 1910, on the recommendation of Lord Kitchener, had been appointed as the commander of the New Zealand Defence Forces. New Zealand, like Australia, had a pre-war policy of compulsory military training but the NZEF was initially reinforced by volunteers only. Conscription was introduced on 1 August 1916 and by the end of the war 124,000 men — nearly half the eligible male population of 250,000 — had served with the NZEF. Of these, about 100,000 had been sent overseas.
The NZEF was closely tied to the AIF for much of the war. When the Gallipoli campaign began, the New Zealand contingent was insufficient to complete a division of their own so was combined with the Australian 4th Infantry Brigade to form the New Zealand and Australian Division, General Godley commanding. This division, along with the Australian 1st Division, formed the famous Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) under the command of General William Birdwood.
After the end of the Gallipoli campaign, the NZEF formed its own infantry division; the New Zealand Division which served on the Western Front for the rest of the war. General Godley was promoted to a corps command and given II Anzac Corps, which contained the New Zealand Division. From 1916 until the formation of the Australian Corps in 1918 (made up of the five Australian divisions) there were always two "Anzac" corps — I Anzac Corps and II Anzac Corps — despite the fact that there was only one New Zealand Division to go around.
The mounted arm of the NZEF remained in Egypt and, combined with the 1st and 2nd Australian Light Horse Brigades, made up the Anzac Mounted Division which served through the Sinai and Palestine campaign. The New Zealand Expeditionary Force was finally disbanded on 31 December 1921. It had gained a reputation as being arguably the finest fighting force in the Commonwealth and Allied Armies. Below is the New Zealand Memorial near Longueval on the Somme, where they proved their worth against some of the best German Regiments on the Somme.
Two Carmarthenshire men had been killed while serving in the NZEF during the Great War-
Private Gilbert Bryan Francis of Llandovery,
Private George Albert Jones of Llanelli.
For more details of these men, please see the relevant pages for their Village Memorials.
The New Zealand Memorial inside Polygon Wood, near Ypres. It site within Buttes New British Cemetery, and contains the names of the New Zealanders who died at Passchendaele who have no known grave.
