Mametz Wood and the role of the 38th (Welsh) Division

Suffice it to say Mametz Wood is the first of the battle for the woods which goes on to Deville and High Wood for example. It is controversial for a number of reasons which in my opinion are more to do with the military view of the political make up of the division. It is not by chance it was described as 'Lloyd George's Army'', as he was the leading politician in Wales at the time. However its day to day establishment was run by an Executive Committee which was chaired by Lord Plymouth. Part of this was to set up a Fund for the soldiers and their families and this was overseen by Margaret Lloyd George, who was also very prominent in the recruiting campaign The original idea was to raise a Welsh Army Corps but this was never achieved. the infantry element consisted of the The Royal Welsh Fusiliers, the South Wales Borderers and the The Welsh Regiment with only one battalion of the RWF the 15th (London Welsh) being raised outside Wales, it should also be noted that both Lloyd George sons Richard and Gwilym were serving in the Division. Its Major General that took to France was Sir Ivor Philipps MP for Southampton, he had been educated at Fettes College and gone out to Indian and then transferred into the British Indian Army, some have described him as a dug outa point which will be looked at. during my talk.

The 38th (Welsh) Division went to France in December 1915 and after initial training and introduction it went into the line in Jan 1916 where it would stay until the June of that year and it would head south to train and eventually would be in Army Reserve on the eve of the Somme offensive. The division would beheld in the readiness to be deployed and had to wait nervously for several days before orders from the the XIII Corps Commander Lt Gen Henry Horne arrived 6thj July to go forward to launch an attack on the 7th July 1916 at Mametz Wood, despite heroic efforts by both the 113th Infantry Brigade (Brigadier Gen. L. A E Price Davies VC) Brigade on the West side of the Wood and 115th Brigade (Brigadier Gen Horatio Evans) on the East side in the most appalling conditions the attack was not a success. the second assault it goes in on the 12th July and it takes roughly two days to take the wood at a cost of between 4/500 casualties.

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