Welsh Regiment-9th Bn

[Dannemois]

According to CWGC Pte 12788 Ivor Cole, 9th Bn Welsh Regiment was killed in action 25 Sept 1915. A small relic in the family’s possession, carved out of chalk by a fellow soldier, is marked killed in action 15 Sept 1915. Does anyone please have the War Diary covering these dates? I am trying to learn where he was on the day he died and possibly the battle/s leading up to the fatal day. He is buried at VIEILLE-CHAPELLE NEW MILITARY CEMETERY, LACOUTURE. Any help greatly appreciated

Thanks, Roy

[ss002d6252]

War diary is available here - http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7353064

Craig

[Moriaty]

There was a response to a similar query on this topic in 2003, the answer from Steve was:

From 'British Regiments 1914-18' by Brig. E.A. James
The Welsh Regiment
9th (Service) Battalion
Formed at Cardiff Sept. 1914. To Salisbury Plain, 58th Brigade, 19th Division. To Basingstoke Nov. 1914 in billets. Jan. 1915 to Weston-super-Mare. May 1915 Perham Down. July 1915 landed at Havre, France.

From 'The 19th Division 1914-18' by E. Wyrall
"The General Staff Diary sums up the arrival and concentration of the 19th Division in the following terms:
'Tilcques, 21st (July). Whole Division concentrated near St. Omer; 23rd. Moved to area between Hazebrouck and St. Omer; 24th. Divison moved to area Aires - St. Venant - Busnes - St. Hilaire, and came under Indian Corps, First Army, HQ at Norrent Fontes; 25th. HQ moved to Busnes Chateau by orders from Indian Corps.
27th. Orders to move, between 29th and 31st, to new billeting area round Merville, in Corps Reserve. While there each brigade will go into the trenches with the Meerut or Lahore Divisions to get experience of the front line which they will eventually have to take over. Classes of instruction in hand grenades and trench-mortar work will be held...'
By the end of July 58th Brigade had moved to an area between Le Sart and Haverskerque..... Battalions of the 58th Bde began their trench instruction about the middle of August.
29th August the 58th Brigade moved forward and began the relief of troops of the 7th Division at nightfall on the 30th, the 9th Cheshires taking over the right, the 9th Royal Welch Fusiliers the centre, and the 6th Wiltshires the left-subsectors of the brigade front; the 9th Welch in reserve."

The first action of the Division was the Battle of Loos. On 25 Sept. 1915 the the 9th Welch were one of the assaulting battalions.

"At 6.30 am word was given to order the assautling troops to advance, and a sheaf of rockets burst in the sky. Lt-Col. Young, commanding the 9th Welch, gave the order to advance. He states of his officers and men "that nothing could have exceeded the gallantry of the whole battalion." They went forward splendidly, though already having suffered from the enemy's guns in the congested and narrow trenches before the assault began. Furious machine gun and rifle fire met that advance, and within 15 minutes 12 officers, 4 company sergeant-majors and approx. 300 other ranks had been killed or wounded. No Man's Land became a dreadful place - full of dead and dying..."

[little bob]

The History of the Welsh Regiment 1914-1918 Major General Sir Thomas O Marden.

The 9th Battalion.

After landing at Harve on 19th July, the 9th Welsh trained to the neighbourhood of Calais and then marched by stages to the Laventie area where the 19th Division to which they belonged came under orders of the Indian Corps.

Early in September the Brigade moved to LA CROIX MARMUSE, and on 4th September the Battalion started its first independent task, taking over from the 9th Cheshire, some very wet and muddy trenches to the north-west of GIVENCHY, which made relief a very tedious affair.

The Battalion remained in these trenches in the low-lying ground east of FESTUBERT until 25th September, when it took part in the battle of LOOS.

Bob

[Guest]

Roy, was Ivor related to your family? I believe he was the brother  of my grandfather Henry Cole from West Street in Bargoed. My father was Wiliam Henry Cole.

Edited 21 July , 2019 by Guest
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