Sgt Stripes Posted 8 January , 2019 Share Posted 8 January , 2019 A lady I know has just received a Shrouds of the Somme figure by British artist Rob Heard that commemorates 72.396 servicemen that have no known grave and are recorded on the Thiepval memorial . Her figure commemorates Pte 56644 David J Stock 1st Royal Welsh Fusiliers KIA 3.9.1916. She has asked me for any information on him or on what was happing concerning the 1st Welsh Fusiliers on that day so she can add it to the figure for when she passes it on to her children . Any help would be of great value. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All Together Now Posted 8 January , 2019 Share Posted 8 January , 2019 The date rings a bell as through my own research of the 55th Division, I know the Battle of Guillemont took place on that date, which is not far from Thiepval. May have been involved in that battle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All Together Now Posted 8 January , 2019 Share Posted 8 January , 2019 (edited) According to this: http://royalwelsh.org.uk/regiment/history-regiment-timeline.htm#first-war-welsh-fusiliers They joined the 7th Division in 1914, where they landed at Zeebrugge and were on the Western Front until 1917 when they moved to Italy. The 7th Division was part of the 4th Army (XV Corps) during the Battle of Guillemont on 3rd September 1916. Edited 8 January , 2019 by All Together Now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All Together Now Posted 8 January , 2019 Share Posted 8 January , 2019 (edited) David John Stock. Records on Ancestry have him as the son of Aaron and Sarah Stock of 22 Graig Terrace, Swansea. Born around 1891, aged 25 at the time of his death. It gives another regimental number as 44749 but on the Medal Roll for that it just says Remarks - Infantry Base Depot. Hopefully someone else can provide some more specific information for you. Edited 8 January , 2019 by All Together Now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotonmate Posted 8 January , 2019 Share Posted 8 January , 2019 (edited) Initially posted to Infantry Base Depot in France as 44749 Welsh Regiment and attached to 1 RWF from there. 22 Infantry Brigade of 7 Division at Battle of Guillemont from 3 Sept 1916. 91 soldiers of the 1 RWF KIA on this first day of this battle. War Diary can be read on Ancestry UK or download from Kew: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352442 Edited 8 January , 2019 by sotonmate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All Together Now Posted 8 January , 2019 Share Posted 8 January , 2019 Just done some more reading and it sounds like they were involved in attacks to recapture the "Brewery" Trenches on 2nd and 3rd September, mentioned on this link http://www.inthefootsteps.com/welsh-somme-battalions.html The Brewery Trenches had several related names: Hop Alley, Ale Alley, Beer Trench, Pint Trench, Lager Lane etc. These appear to be around Delville Wood and the Battle of Delville Wood is listed as lasting from July 1916 to around the time Private Stock was killed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acknown Posted 8 January , 2019 Share Posted 8 January , 2019 (edited) Here's an Ancestry link to the 22nd Brigade's War Diary for that day: click here Acknown Edited 8 January , 2019 by Acknown More information Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Stripes Posted 8 January , 2019 Author Share Posted 8 January , 2019 Thank you all for this information. It does look like he was killed trying to take-defend the Brewery Trenches at Delville wood. I am sure this will be a great help to the lady and hopefully this will help the future generation to know a little about this brave soldier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clk Posted 8 January , 2019 Share Posted 8 January , 2019 Hi Sgt Stripes, There are surviving papers for a couple of near number RWF men. Both 56645 Smith and 56646 Smithers were originally in home service battalions of the Welsh Regiment, transferring to the 15/Welsh on 16.6.1916 for service with the BEF, and arriving in theatre on 17.6.1916. Once there they were transferred to the 1/RWF (and renumbered) on 27th August 1916.The Battalion war diary (Ancestry link) from then until the date of Williams' death appears to show reinforcements as follows: 27th August - 1 from hospital 28th August - 1 from hospital 29th August - 1 from hospital 30th August - 2 from hospital 31st August - 9 re-joined from Base 1st September - nil 2nd September - 9 from hospital + 2 from Base 3rd September - draft of 76 + 1 from hospital Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Stripes Posted 8 January , 2019 Author Share Posted 8 January , 2019 So in all possibly he could have been one of draft of 76 men . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All Together Now Posted 9 January , 2019 Share Posted 9 January , 2019 Hi Sgt Stripes, If the lady you know or yourself have access to Ancestry, then looking at certain pages of the War Diaries will provide more detail about the events on 3rd September. I did have a look last night at the Diary posted by clk, and found page 381 on this states what looks like 22 "other ranks" killed on that day from that Battalion:Welch Fusiliers The diary posted by Acknown, pages 15 - 21 have specific information for the 22nd Brigade about 3rd September with a typed up account. Page 21 seems to list 29 other ranks killed on that day for the Battalion in question: 22nd Brigade Assume there is no issue with posting the images on here but can send via email and take them down if this is not the way to do it? I tried sending an inbox message but couldn't see how to attach the images. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Regiano Posted 9 January , 2019 Share Posted 9 January , 2019 (edited) Brewery trenches, Delville Wood: Looking down Edge Trench from junction with Princes Street, toward Ale Alley and Hop Alley beyond. Looking from the site of Waterlot Farm (mentioned in the war diary) towards Ginchy Edited 9 January , 2019 by Don Regiano Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Regiano Posted 9 January , 2019 Share Posted 9 January , 2019 and looking from site of Waterlot Farm toward the SE edge of Delville Wood (water tower). Brewery trenches just over the horizon:: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All Together Now Posted 9 January , 2019 Share Posted 9 January , 2019 Interesting @Don Regiano are these your own photos? May pay this area a visit myself as I will be over for the first time in March. My own family members as part of the 55th (West Lancs) Division were involved in this area, also during this fighting in September 1916 so could be worth a visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Regiano Posted 9 January , 2019 Share Posted 9 January , 2019 3 hours ago, All Together Now said: Interesting @Don Regiano are these your own photos? May pay this area a visit myself as I will be over for the first time in March. My own family members as part of the 55th (West Lancs) Division were involved in this area, also during this fighting in September 1916 so could be worth a visit. Hi ATN. Yes, they are. I have quite a few as we have a place on the Somme just a couple of miles from the site of Waterlot Farm and we pass there very often. We noticed on our last visit a few weeks ago that, unfortunately, they had got the mechanical digger out and flattened the area where the poppies were growing. The site itself is not very pretty as it is agricultural but the poppies made a nice display as they had previously left it alone. We will have to see if they recover by the time they are due to flower in the summer. Reg BTW a relative of mine who died in 1915 was with 1st WLFA RAMC. I've not got to the bottom of what I think may be some confusion. His date of death, 21 Nov 1915 (from disease) is also given as his date of entry into theatre on his MIC. Possible, as it was at Alexandria, but strange and his number 1533 I believe puts him as enlisting in August 1914. Must get round to sorting that out sometime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Stripes Posted 9 January , 2019 Author Share Posted 9 January , 2019 Cheers for the pictures and information from Ancestry . I am not on Ancestry so it is fantastic to be able to read the diary page. I once visited Delville wood about 30 years ago and had a look to see if could see any signs of the Brewery trenches as I believed the first tank to go into action was there. and my father served in Tanks I did not find any signs then of the trenches just ploughed fields. I believe the defence of Waterlot farm during the action at Delville has been sadly overlooked due to the heroic defence of the wood by the South Africans but I may be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Regiano Posted 9 January , 2019 Share Posted 9 January , 2019 (edited) There aren't many signs of trenches in that area but there's plenty of left-overs to be found particularly around Guillemont: I can't remember how much, if at all, that Waterlot Farm is mentioned in the battlefield series of books on Delville Wood and Guillemont (or, indeed, Junger's Storm of Steel), all of which are at our place on the Somme. I guess it's necessary just to fall back on the various unit war diaries. Edited 9 January , 2019 by Don Regiano Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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