14th battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers

[Guest Siân]

Watching the memorial today made me retrieve my files on my grandmother's uncles, Tom and Lewis Williams of the 14th Royal Welsh. They were born in Llanerchymedd Anglesey but enlisted in Tonypandy (I believe they were working in the mines). Lewis was killed 22nd April 1916 and on the memorial at Laventie, and Tom (reg no 21121) 6th of July 1916 and he is on the memorial at Theipval. Is there anywhere I can get any more information about either of them. Tom is recorded as 'killed in action' but Lewis 'died', can anyone tell me the difference?  Many thanks. 

[m0rris]

Hi Sian have just had a look at the Soldiers' Effects form available on line and it says Lewis "killed accidentally". In my own experience you don't often see Private soldiers named when killed in action but I have seen names of men when killed in accidents. It would be worth downloading the diaries to see where they served and also to compare dates with your two chaps. Being with the 14th RWF (38th Div) they would have spent several months in the Laventie/La Bassee area, described by Llewellyn Wyn Griffith in 'Up to Mametz' as having “a bad reputation….. possessed by some demon unrest”. Following this, the division moved down to take up positions before the attack on Mametz Wood. The diary for the 15th RWF notes enemy artillery fire on their positions on 6th July - the time when Tom is likely to have been there.

[asanewt]

The RWF experts will be along soon. In the meantime have you checked Welsh newspapers on line to see if they get a mention in the Anglesey 

and/or Tonypandy areas?

Have you seen this 

https://uk.images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A7x9UnN9uHZX_UwAgXl3Bwx.;_ylu=X3oDMTBsYWhiN2NvBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2lyMgR2dGlkAw--?_adv_prop=image&fr=yhs-Lkry-SF01&va=Llanerchymedd+war+memorial&hspart=Lkry&hsimp=yhs-SF01

And this  

http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A7x9Unx_uXZXP08AAbF3Bwx.;_ylu=X3oDMTBydWpobjZlBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA2lyMgR2dGlkAw--/RV=2/RE=1467427327/RO=10/RU=http%3a%2f%2fwww.bangorcivicsociety.org.uk%2fpages%2farch%2findex.htm/RK=0/RS=0Lu085iZ478KO8uRay48OO5v7TQ-