16th Royal Welch Fusiliers

[The Guardroom]

Can anyone help advise where the 16th RWF were located on the above date.

Pte of the 16th buried at Caterpiller Valley cem that I am trying to find out which fight he may have been KIA at.

Have found on a WWW site that the 16th were disbanded in Feb 1918 ??? so confused if this right and if so why this man recored as under the 16th RWF.

Many thanks,

Alan

[sotonmate]

Alan

Have you read the detail in the CWGC Cemetery Guide ? It says that quite a few graves from other cemeteries were moved in there after the Armistice so it might not be that your man was killed nearby,though the 38th (Welsh Division),of which 16RWF were part (113 Bde), were involved in retrieving the area from the Germans at around your date in 1918.

Sotonmate

[Hywyn]

According to the Records of the RWF (Dudley Ward) the 113th (inc the 16th) advanced on Longueval at 4 am on the 26th August with the idea of forcing the enemy out of High Wood. The 16th, on the right, were held up by fire from Caterpillar Wood.

20 casualties shown on Geoffs Engine

http://www.hut-six.co.uk/cgi-bin/sx2.php?v...=1&pageno=1

I have a passing interest in Pte 54673 Williams

The 10th were disbanded in Feb. Possibly a typo in what you read?

Hywyn

[clive_hughes]

Just to amplify Hywyn's account:

the 113th Brigade captured Mametz Wood on 25 August 1918. The next day's advance saw the 2nd RWF attached to the Brigade, and fighting across broken and hilly country in the face of stubborn resistance. They reached the edge of the ruined site of the village of Longueval with material assistance from 38 Div. machine-gun and mortar units.

Here, however, they were counter-attacked heavily throughout the day by German units who were able to assemble in the shelter of Delville Wood. These were beaten off by accurate rifle fire assisted by the artillery. "D" Company 16th RWF (Capt. WA Paine) distinguished itself by holding its ground despite having both flanks exposed.

Brigade casualties that day 7 officers 720 ORs. Next day saw a slight advance by the Brigade, but the line Longueval-Delville Wood-Flers was held so strongly that in the end they were content to hold onto the previous day's gains in the face of repeated enemy attacks (one of which was broken up by "D" Coy. 16th RWF again, when 2nd Lieut. George saw the attack forming up and launched his own unit in a pre-emptive strike: he was killed just at its conclusion).

Source: J.E.Munby, A History of the 38th (Welsh) Division

LST_164

[The Guardroom]

Thanks all that brilliant and really helps a lot with the accounts you gave.

Cheers,

Alan