A devoted sister

[exRNR]

Captain Arthur Charles Davies (Royal Welsh Fusiliers 1st / 6th Battalion) from Treffos on Anglesey (youngest son of the Treborth family) was killed in the first day of fighting, 10th August 1915.  They landed on the 8th.  His (devoted) Batman, Private Jack Leavett, wrote home to say that it was possible Davies had been taken to Egypt on a Hospital Ship.

There is a letter printed in the local newspaper, Carnarvon & Denbigh Herald of 17th September 1915.  It was dated '31st August' and from the Military Hospital in Cairo in which Private William Lewis of Penisarwarn says: 'I had a visitor here to see me.  She has been here twice.  She is a sister of Mr Davies, of Treborth, who was my captain.  He is missing.  . . . '

We are looking at a 58 year old woman getting from UK to Egypt in the middle of a war.  Please, can anyone give me some idea of the timeline for her - how long did it take for letters to reach UK?  Would she have sailed from a UK port to Egypt, and how long would that have taken, in such difficult circumstances.  We know she arrived back home safely as she continued good works for the community after the war.

[helpjpl]

 

What was her name ?  Ancestry, for example, has some passenger lists for civilians arriving/departing Port Said in 1915.

JP

[exRNR]

She was Annie Mary Davies (15.02.1857 - 24.07.1947), born to Annie and Richard Davies of Treborth, Menai Bridge (2nd child of 9, eldest daughter).  Annie Mary never married, contributed much to her community; lived at Ty'n y Caeau, Menai Bridge later in life.  She is remembered with affection by the daughter of the local elementary school headmaster because, each year, she paid for the school trip so that all children could enjoy a day out - not just those who could afford it.

[clive_hughes]

It took until January 1919 for the Army Council to accept that Capt. Davies' death had occurred "on or since 10.8.15, owing to lapse of time".   His casualty Form states "wounded and missing".

I have a copy of Capt. Davies' file, which includes the following document:

Copy letter 1.9.15 from Lt. & Adjt. J.Douglas Porter 1/6^th RWF  to AAG 3^rd Echelon MEF Alexandria – ref. wire re. particulars of Capt. A.C.Davies reported missing 10.8.15, the officer above was last seen in Brigade attack on the morning of 10.8.15.  An advance was made on a position but the troops engaged was (sic) forced to withdraw – Capt Davies was in this advance but nothing has been heard or seen of him since.

Probate of his estate was not granted until April 1919, and his death certificate wasn't requested until 1921;  the correspondence notes that his death was "certified by letter 11 Dec. 1918 as killed in action", which document was filed with the Probate papers.  Even then, an "interested party" requested sight of the 1919 letter, amd a copy was forwarded via solicitors.

Davies was named on memorials in Llansadwrn, Anglesey (covering his home Treffos); Menai Bridge (Church Island); and in the English Presbyterian Church in that town. 

 

Clive 

Edited 28 September , 2022 by clive_hughes
Additional information

[FROGSMILE]

On 27/09/2022 at 12:36, exRNR said:

Captain Arthur Charles Davies (Royal Welsh Fusiliers 1st / 6th Battalion) from Treffos on Anglesey (youngest son of the Treborth family) was killed in the first day of fighting, 10th August 1915.  They landed on the 8th.  His (devoted) Batman, Private Jack Leavett, wrote home to say that it was possible Davies had been taken to Egypt on a Hospital Ship.

There is a letter printed in the local newspaper, Carnarvon & Denbigh Herald of 17th September 1915.  It was dated '31st August' and from the Military Hospital in Cairo in which Private William Lewis of Penisarwarn says: 'I had a visitor here to see me.  She has been here twice.  She is a sister of Mr Davies, of Treborth, who was my captain.  He is missing.  . . . '

We are looking at a 58 year old woman getting from UK to Egypt in the middle of a war.  Please, can anyone give me some idea of the timeline for her - how long did it take for letters to reach UK?  Would she have sailed from a UK port to Egypt, and how long would that have taken, in such difficult circumstances.  We know she arrived back home safely as she continued good works for the community after the war.

Apparently the longest passage took 16 days and the shortest took 12.  There is a thread about it here:

https://www.greatwarforum.org/topic/178495-how-long-from-britain-to-egypt/

Mail was still by ship, as airmail was not established until the 1920s, in large part utilising redundant (surplus) long range bombers sold off in the 1920s.  However sending a wire (telegram) was common and I suspect that as a woman of the educated classes she used that method for short messages to gain information.

Edited 28 September , 2022 by FROGSMILE