13th (2nd Rhondda) Battalion Welsh Regiment

[Davena]

I would like help in finding details of my great uncle who was killed in July 1916 at Mametz Wood. His name was David George Lewis born in the town of Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire. I have his photo but am confused as to where I can find out about him as there were several David Lewises in the Welsh regiments.

I would really appreciate any help from others who may be able to put me on the right path! I'd like to see his record, where he went and hen, what he achieved and where he is buried.

I did follow up one person but now feel that it was a wild goose chase.

[Bernard_Lewis]

We have an expert on the Rhonddas on here but in the meantime this MIGHT be his medal index card:

 

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D3660382

 

That gives you his service number (if it's him) and you could use that to search Ancestry etc to see if his service record has survived (and view his MIC). His medal index card might give you the date he went abroad (some do, some don't) but little else that will help, I suspect.

 

Bernard

[Diggler]

There is a David Benjamin Lewis of the 13th Welsh on Steve John's website, who was killed at Mametz Wood:

 

http://www.wwwmp.co.uk/the-carmarthenshire-war-memorials/carmarthen-ww1-memorial/

 

I know he's still in the process of adding photos back onto the website, but it would be worth you getting in touch with him.

 

Diggler

 

[Hywyn]

Here's your photo in the local paper

http://newspapers.library.wales/view/3690098/3690103/36/

 

which gives an address of 83 Priory St, father David, and an age of 29 when died. It also states killed 10 7 1916. It says he was a corporal.

 

The only Corporal (or Lance Corporal) David Lewis killed that day  is David Benjamin Lewis 19043 who is the one Steven John has on his website.

 

This David George Lewis info does not tally with the David Benjamin Lewis info provided by Steve. However Steve does clearly states 'probably' when providing an age (16yrs) and the parents details he has given for David Benjamin Hughes. It suggests that this newspaper info may not have been available to him when compiling the entry and that he has gone with the best option for a David Benjamin Lewis on the census but giving the important proviso of 'probably'.

 

All the ingredients are there for the David George Lewis in the photo/newspaper article to be David Benjamin Lewis 19043 but I can't spot the clincher at the moment.

 

 

Edited 27 August , 2016 by Hywyn

[Hywyn]

Just to add some more confusion.

 

This article (top right hand column) dated 7 7 1916 is the obit for Mrs Annie Lewis wife of David Lewis, 83 Priory Street

 

Says they had three children, two sons and a daughter. The sons were T & P Lewis and both seemed to have been in attendance.

 

This article (again top right) names the sons as Tom and Percy

http://newspapers.library.wales/view/3585555/3585557/19/

 

David George Lewis in the previously linked article is reportedly to have  returned to France weeks before this.

 

[Hywyn]

This article (column 4)

http://newspapers.library.wales/view/3886721/3886724/23/

 

rules out the only Pte David Lewis killed 10 july 1916 (David Edgar Lewis)

[Mark1959]

Looking for another chap and came across this thread. 

Had a quick look on my Ancestry account. It is a bit difficult to locate the relevant records due to the indexing. 

Looked at census return in Priory St. The Lewises were not at 83, Priory St in 1911. They were at 79. The children are the correct names - Thomas Henry, Elizabeth Anne, and Percival (Percy). I am assuming these are the correct family you are looking for. Going back to 1901 the family appears again at 70 Richmond Terrace, St Peters, Carmarthen. This time with David George aged 14. So David was born about 1887 - that fits to the obit that says he was 29 when killed in 1916. Looking even further back it gets more complicated. It is probable that DG's father David was previously married to Ellen and has another sister called Margaret (b circa 1890).  Anne was only 45 when she died in 1916. DG was 29. David, D.G's father and Anne were married by 1901.

What we still lack is that bit of info that links this man with someone in the Welsh regiment killed in July 1916. There are a few "David Lewis". I am currently looking at a Private killed on 16/7/16 of the 2nd Welsh Regt.

Light day so will look a little longer

PS Was David George married and if so what was his wife's name?

[Hywyn]

This, posted by Davena elsewhere, confirms the half brothers aspect

 

http://britishphotohistory.ning.com/photo/cpl-david-george-lewis?context=popular

 

I got myself tied up in knots last night on the 1901/1891 census. I still can't readily find them in the 1901. Are they typoed on Ancestry index?

 

There is no certainty that David Benjamin Lewis is of that family that Steve has on his site.... hence why he put 'probably'

 

I'm still leaning towards David George Lewis being 19043 i.e the newspaper article providing the date, being a Corporal etc etc but feel it needs that extra little bit to explain the Benjamin away.

[Hywyn]

Found them now in the 1901. Didn't expect initials only!

[Mark1959]

yep, He is only in as D.G. in the 1901 census. St Peter, Carmarthen return. Margaret is shown as M. Both are absent from on the 79 Priory St one in 1911. yet to find them elsewhere. Just need the link to a specific chap in the Welsh Regt. Will see if I can find anything. One way of spending an afternoon; 100 years after the event - after looking for someone completely different. One thing that leads me to believe you may be right is the lack of him as DG on any local memorial that I can find on the web

 

[Hywyn]

Found the possible clincher in the Soldiers Effects Register

http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/60506/42511_6117463_0065-00118?pid=841790&backurl=http://search.ancestry.co.uk//cgi-bin/sse.dll?_phsrc%3DCZQ88%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource%26usePUBJs%3Dtrue%26indiv%3D1%26db%3DUKArmyRegistersEffects%26gss%3Dangs-d%26new%3D1%26rank%3D1%26msT%3D1%26MS_AdvCB%3D1%26_F8007A65%3D19043%26_F8007A65_x%3D1%26MSAV%3D-1%26uidh%3Da63%26pcat%3D39%26fh%3D5%26h%3D841790%26recoff%3D68%2069%26ml_rpos%3D6&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=CZQ88&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true

 

 payments were made to

 

Sister...Margaret Taylor

 

Sister.... Mary Sarah Rees

 

Miss Harriett Lewis

 

There is a tree on Ancestry for him and clicking to his sister(s) from that shows them married to a Rees  and Taylor. Harriett is not on it though.

 

Hopefully Davena will confirm this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mark1959]

Not convinced at the moment. It is all very strange. Researchers on local memorials clearly identify him as part of a different family than the man I traced in Priory St. As we say we just need a 100% clincher,

[Mark1959]

It does look that that is the conclusion Davena has come to  from the family tree. Wonder how DG became DB!

[Hywyn]

18 minutes ago, Mark1959 said:

Researchers on local memorials clearly identify him as part of a different family than the man I traced in Priory St. 

 

I'm not sure about other researchers but Steve John on West Wales Memorials says 'probably' and 'possibly' indicating he did not have 100% confidence in his assumption that the soldier David Benjamin Lewis was the David Benjamin Lewis at 3 Prospect Place. The assumption made from his being the only possible of that name in the 1911 census?

 

David Benjamin Lewis, Corporal, 19043, Welsh Regiment. David was probably born in 1899, the son of William and Annie Lewis, of 3, Prospect Place, Carmarthen. He worked in the Rhondda prior to the war, and enlisted at Bargoed into the 13th Battalion, Welsh Regiment. The battalion trained at Rhyl, before moving to Winchester in 1915 as part of 114 Brigade, 38th (Welsh) Division, and the entire Division moved to France in the first week of December 1915. After several months familiarising itself with trench warfare in the Fleurbaix and Givenchy Sectors, the Division marched south to the Somme in June 1916. There it took part in the assault on the fortified German positions at Mametz Wood from 7 July 1916 onwards. David was killed in the wood on 10 July 1916, possibly aged just 16. His grave is one of a minority from the battle that was identified, and he is buried at Flatiron Copse Cemetery, Mametz, France.

 

http://www.wwwmp.co.uk/the-carmarthenshire-war-memorials/carmarthen-ww1-memorial/