The memorial stone inside Llangeler Church, Carmarthenshire bears the names of fourteen men of the parish who lost their lives during the First World War. Three of these men served with 1st Welsh Horse, and all died within a week of each other in November 1915 – 136 L/Cpl L Evans, 540 Pte L Jones and 565 Pte W Jones.
Above: Parish memorial inside Llangeler Church.
The 1901 census suggests that Llewellyn Evans may have been the son of David Evans, a weaver, and his wife Anne [both born circa 1855] who lived at Aberbudrell – the home recorded on the parish war memorial – with three children aged 26, 21 & 19. Llewellyn Evans was not included in this census, but he is known to have served in the South African War and may have been on active service at the time of this census. The 1905 baptism record of his eldest child shows Llewellyn and his wife, Mary, living at Aberbudrell and working as a collier, whilst the 1911 census has him living with Maryat Railway Terrace, Henllan, aged 31 and occupied as a water bailiff. His army pension card states that his widow was born in 1879, and living at Railway Terrace with four dependent children, ranging in age from 4 – 10 years in 1916.
The army pension record of a second man, Llewellyn Jones, notes his mother, Ruth, as next of kin – living at Bwlchclawdd Bach, although the parish memorial records his home as Llainwen. The 1891 and 1901 censuses have a Llewellyn Jones [born 1890] living at Bwlchclawdd Bach with mother, Ruth [born circa 1865] and widowed grandmother, Dinah. He would have been 21 in the 1911 census and does not appear with his mother and grandmother. The 1881 census has David Llewellyn, an agricultural labourer, as head of household, with Dinah and Ruth noted as his wife and daughter respectively. Presumably Llewellyn Jones was named after his maternal grandfather.
There is no mention of the third man, William Jones, on any of these census records for Llewellyn Jones. His army pension record shows that he was married to Hannah [born 1886] and lived at Llainwen – as recorded on the parish war memorial. William Jones had three dependent children at the time of his death – an adopted daughter aged 10, and two children of his own, aged 2 and 4. Census searches for William Jones have proved unsuccessful. Although the war memorial shows both William and Llewellyn Jones living at Llainwen it doesn’t necessarily follow that they were related. In both the 1901 and 1911 censuses there were two entries for Llainwen in the parish of Llangeler, suggesting more than one property with the same name. None of the 1901 or 1911 census entries for either Llainwen property included a William Jones or Llewellyn Jones.
The Welsh Horse Yeomanry was raised in August 1914, with the regiment being trained and equipped as lancers, initially serving in East Anglia on anti-invasion duties. In September 1915 the regiment was dismounted, leaving Suffolk for Liverpool and boarding RMS Olympic on 24th September. The 1st Welsh Horse arrived in Mudros on 1 October, and landed at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli on 8 October. The regiment was attached to 163 Brigade and 54th [East Anglian] Division, carrying out mining operations at Hill 60.In December 1915, the regiment was evacuated to Mudros.
The War Diary of 1st Welsh Horse for the period from September to December 1915 is sparse, comprising seven pages, and seems to have been written retrospectively. A diary entry for 8 October 1915 records arrival at gullies at the rear of Hill 60. Prior to their arrival, mining and sapping work here “…had been delayed owing to the want of experienced miners and men accustomed to dig…”. In addition to mining work 1st Welsh Horse were also “…put in charge of the 5 important bombing posts on Hill 60…and also took over some 200 yards of the front line to the R of Hill 60…". Evacuation of 1st Welsh Horse started on 15 December 1915 and by 26 December “…the whole regiment was concentrated once again at Sidi Bishr Camp, Alexandria."
Specific details of 1st Welsh Horse’s actions in Gallipoli are sparse. Westlake (1996) refers to the explosion of five mines on 15 November 1915. Brigade War Diary records that “…mine craters not occupied and the line not advanced. Result of explosion disappointing.” On 20 November 1915 the enemy exploded one of their own mines, resulting in Lieutenant W L Renwick and eight men being trapped. Lt Renwick was dug out but attempts to save the other eight men proved unsuccessful.
The 1st Welsh Horse War Diary summarising the evacuation of the Gallipoli Peninsula mentions 1st Welsh Horse mining work as being “…instrumental in effecting one of the biggest explosions during the whole of the operations resulting in the total destruction of the Turks front line trench for some 200 yards.”. The date of this explosion is not recorded but probably refers to the firing of mines on 15 November, and seems contradictory to the Brigade War Diary’s assessment of events. The 1st Welsh Horse War Diary goes on to list the men killed in the mine explosion on 20 November – including 136 L/Cpl Evans L and 540 Pte Jones L. Both Llewellyn Evans and Llewellyn Jones are commemorated on Special Memorials A at 7th Field Ambulance Cemetery, Gallipoli.
The loss of the two Llangeler men on 20 November followed closely the death of William Jones, who had been the first of the Llangeler Welsh Horse trio to die. William Jones had been evacuated from Gallipoli suffering from pneumonia contracted on active service. He died in hospital in Egypt on 14 November and was buried in Cairo War Memorial cemetery.
Above: Extract from Welsh Horse War Diary listing fatalities on 20 November 1915.
A notice of the death of Llewellyn Evans appeared in The Carmarthen Journal on10 December 1915 – mentioning his occupation, his family and previous army service in the South African War.
Above: Carmarthen Journal report of the death of Llewellyn Evans – from National Library of Wales Archives
Despite dying in the same action, the death of Llewellyn Jones did not appear in The Carmarthen Journal until the following week’s issue, when it appears as a footnote in a report on W Cooper Lewis, a resident of Carmarthen. 137 Pte Lewis WC is included, with Llewellyn Evans and Llewellyn Jones, on the list of fatalities on 20 November 1915. With his Llangeler colleagues he is also commemorated on Special Memorials A at 7th Field Ambulance Cemetery. He was 34 years old and left a wife and two children.
The death in hospital of William Jones does not seem to have been reported in the local paper and would suggest that he was unrelated to Llewellyn Jones – even though both were recorded on the parish memorial as living at Llainwen, Llangeler.
Above: Carmarthen Journal report on the deaths of WC Lewis and Llewellyn Jones – from National Library of Wales Archives.
Of the other five fatalities on 20 November 1915, Augustus George Jones [246] was born in Leominster, but was a resident of Abertillery, Monmouthshire when he enlisted; Edward John Humphreys [18] recorded his mother as next of kin in Griffithstown, Monmouthshire; Albert Edward Lovegrove [79] was 31 years old, from Treherbert, Glamorganshire and left a wife and three children; Rhys Rees [322] was a 30 year old native of New Quay, Cardiganshire with his mother as next of kin; Phillip Davies [182] was from Llanelli, Carmarthenshire where his mother still lived. All five are commemorated on panel 21 of the Helles Memorial.
The three Llangeler men commemorated on the parish memorial tablet are also remembered, with other fallen comrades, on a roll of honour prepared by a fellow private, WH Regan, now held in the Welch Regiment Museum.
Above: Roll of honour prepared by Trooper W H Regan of 1/1st Welsh Horse – courtesy of Welch Regiment Museum – copy of photograph in Westlake [1996].
Article contributed by Arwel Davies
Acknowledgments.
I am grateful to the National Archives for access to the Battalion Diary of the 1st Welsh Horse. Thanks also to the National Library of Wales for digital access to historic issues of Welsh newspapers.
References
Westlake, R. (1996). British Regiments at Gallipoli. Barnsley: Lew Cooper.