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Recruiting poster

A recruiting poster in the Merthyr Express newspaper of December 1914.

Click on the photo for a larger image.

1914

“Blown out of the Trenches”.

“Tredegar Postman’s Thrilling Experience.”

Private D. E. Brooks of the 1st Battalion, Shropshire Light Infantry who, up to the outbreak of war was a postman in Tredegar, writing from Coventry General Hospital to a friend at Tredegar writes:

I have had many narrow escapes. I am home in hospital with a bad back and legs. I got knocked about a bit a week last Sunday. I crawled back to my line on Monday in some sort of form. We were up against the Germans rather stiff all the week and they did everything they possibly could to the British to try and break through to Calais, but instead of breaking through, they lost ground. We were literally blown out of our trenches by heavy guns in many places but crawled back and held out.
My regiment especially made a grand name for they finished up by saving a very critical position on Sunday by sticking to a part of the line when the two regiments on our left were cut up badly. We had the enemy on our left, rear and front, but we held on until reinforcements could get up in the dark, and my company retired about 2am a week today. Then I was done. I could not get out of the trench in time because of my legs and the wet had made it muddy and slippery. So I got left behind with the enemy only 50 yards in front and behind. But I got on an ammunition box and then crawled to a lot of burning buildings which had been our headquarters during the week, and I was lucky I found a couple of sentries there to guard any stragglers. I got back to my company. We were all plastered in mud and wet to the skin. We got back about two miles to a church and slept there till dawn. Just when we were about to enjoy a hot breakfast, the first for nine days, the enemy found us out, and a shell came right into the church so we had to move again, as best we could. The Germans shelled the church for about an hour, and dropped shells all around the town, catching a lot of our poor chaps. One officer of the Medical Corps who was running to a chap had his leg blown off, was hit by a shell and cut clean in half. During the last four days of the week’s fighting we lost about 350 officers, non-commissioned officers and men. We lost a terrible lot of officers and non-com officers. Our commanding officer and sergeant-major were among the wounded.

In a post-script, Private Brooks added that Sergt Davies, town postman from Ebbw Vale got caught and he and three other men were shot dead trying to get back. Two escaped with wounds and they told him that five men were left on a railway to guard it.

1915

TREDEGAR WAR NEWS

May 15th

Lieutenant Wilfred Onions, of the 3rd Mons, son of Mr A Onions, J.P., C.C., Tredegar, who has been killed in action.

May 29th

TREDEGAR HEROES - MORE KILLED AND WOUNDED

Official intimation has been received at Tredegar that Private Wyndham Briscoe, of the South Wales Borderers, was killed in action while serving with the Meditteranean forces on May 14th. He was the only surviving son of Mr John Briscoe, of the Lamb Hotel, Ebbw Vale, who was also a sergeant in the old Ebbw Vale Volunteer Company, and a brother of Mrs A.C. Williams, of the Tredegar Arms Hotel, Tredegar. He was 31 years of age, and enlisted in August last, being on of the first at Tredegar to join the new army. Private Briscoe, who was well known, was educated at Abergavenny Grammar School, and when merely a boy he was connected with the Ebbw Vale Volunteers.

Private W Llewellyn , of the 3rd Mons, is reported to have died from wounds received in action in France. He was only 20 years of age, and lodged with Mr J. Leonard, fishmonger, at No 1, Tanybank, Tredegar. He joined the 3rd Mons in August last, and was transferred to the service battalion. He is a nephew of Sergeant T. Yates, Newbridge, who has been awarded the D.C.M.

Information has been received by Mr W Campbell, draper, Fields Road, Tredegar, that his brother, Private Donald Campbell, of the 50th Gordon Highlanders, Canadian Expeditionary Force, is wounded, and a prisoner of war at Kriegslaz in Germany. Private Campbell was an orderly to Colonel Hughes, and was engaged in attending to the wounded when he was struck and taken prisoner.

Private Rees Jones, 3rd Mons, son of Mr John Jones, 81, Park View, Tredegar, was in one of the great Ypres battles, and was wounded. He is now in hospital in England. Private Jones, who joined the reserve battalion about September last was transferred to the service battalion. During the severe fighting about Ypres and Hill 60 an officer of the 3rd Mons was shot down. The troops were under terrible fire and they were ordered to retire. Private Jones made a gallant attempt to get the wounded officer out of the firing zone. The officer, however, told him to leave him and retire with the rest. While turning to obey the officer’s orders he was shot in the face, the bullet causing a very severy wound. Writing from the hospital to his brother, Mr Morgan Jones of 82, Vale Terrace, Tredegar, he says, “I think some of the boys of Tredegar should come and help”.

Sergt Frank Jones, 3rd Mons, son of Mr John Jones, 79 Vale Terrace, Tredegar, is in hospital at Reading suffering from the effects of the poisonous gas used by the Germans in their attempts to break through the British lines. A brother, Sergeant George Jones, of the same regiment, as previously reported, is in hospital at Salford suffering from wounds. Both are old Territorials and are very smart non-commissioned officers.

Private Archie Brooks, 3rd Mons, has been wounded in action and is now in hospital at Hasslington, Manchester. A “Jack Johnson” dropped in the trench burying Private Brooks, from which he was extricated badly crushed. He was also wounded in the leg with shrapnel. He was well known as an athlete at Tredegar. He played cricket for Tredegar Seconds, and on some occasions appeared in the ranks of the first team. On one or two occasions he played for Tredegar against Mr E.S. Phillips’ County Team. His home is at 75, Church Street. He is only 17 years of age.

Official information has been received by his wife that Private S. H. Matthews, of the South Wales Borderers, was killed in action on May 9th. His home is at 26, Upper Coronation Street, Tredegar. A native of Wiltshire, he formerly belonged to the Wiltshire Militia, and rejoined the army in September, and was transferred to the South Wales Borderers.

Private Amos Williams, 3rd Mons, has been wounded in the left arm with shrapnel and is at present in hospital at Liverpool. He served several years in the Tredegar Company of Territorials. He was well known at Tredegar, and was very popular among his comrades.

June 12th

RECOVERY FROM WOUNDS

Lieutenant Spencer Crawford, son of Dr. and Mrs Isaac Crawford, Tredegar, is now at home recuperating, and he is recovering excellently from the severe wounds he received at the front.

GUNNERY CERTIFICATE

Lieutenant Stewart North, son of Mr W North, J.P., Tredegar, has gone through a course of gunnery and has been awarded a first-class certificate. He has been placed in charge of a machine gun section attached to the Reserve Battalion of the 3rd Monmouthshires.

OFFICER VISIT

Captain Wooley of the Grenadier Guards, and a brother of Mr W.D. Wooley, assistant-general colliery manager, of the Tredegar Company, paid a flying visit to his brother at Rhyd Hall this week. Captain Wooley has been at the front for several months and recently sustained a wound in his left arm.

WOUNDED BY SHRAPNEL

Private C. Leyland, of the 3rd Monmouthshire Regiment, has been wounded in the arm and thigh, and is at present in hospital in London. He joined since the outbreak of hostilities. He is a brother of Mrs Crouch, Oakfield Road, who has several other brothers and relatives at the front.

LOST HIS SPEECH AND HEARING

Sergeant G Barker, attached to the South Wales Borderers has been wounded. He hails from Tredegar. He was struck by shrapnel and has lost his speech and hearing. Two of his comrades were killed by his side when he was wounded.

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