Wales in the First World War

The Eighth of May, The Second Battle of Ypres

The Eighth of May by Fred Roe (Newport Civic Centre)

Standing above a trench, which his men are desperately attempting to hold against advancing German troops, Captain Harold Thorne Edwards is depicted armed only with his service revolver, as he fires into the advancing enemy ranks. Facing overwhelming odds and attacks from the front and right, where British forces had been pushed back, Captain Edwards had rallied men from D Company in an attempt to form a defensive flank. Surrounded by German troops, The Monmouthshires were called upon to surrender. Captain Edwards responded with the words “surrender be damned,” and was last seen firing his revolver into the attackers. The incident took place during The Second Battle of Ypres on 8^th May 1915 and is described in a report by a fellow officer of The 1^st Monmouthshires became part of regimental legend.

The painting is by Fred Roe and carefully depicts much of the detail of the event. The German attackers include men from the 2^nd Marine Brigade who were attached to the German XXVI reserve Corps who made up the forces facing the Monmouths. The German officer also carries a signal disc, used to inform artillery observers when British positions had been captured. Captain Edwards himself wears a black dragon on the back of his tunic as was the tradition with Monmouthshire officers. The Monmouths are shown wearing khaki field service caps, while the German soldiers wear pickelhauber helmets covered with a canvas field service cloth and the marines wear their naval hats; steel helmets were not generally worn until 1916.

Fred Roe (1864-1947) was born in Cambridgeshire and trained at the Heatherley’s School of Art. He lived in London for many years, exhibited at the Royal Academy and was a member of The Royal Institute of British Painters. Examples of Roe’s work are in many collections, including the National Portrait Gallery and Naval Museum in Greenwich. He was known as a portrait painter, but particularly well known for large historical paintings, including scenes from the life of Joan of Arc and Nelson. He later became a well known expert on antiques and was the author of a number of books on the subject.

Captain Harold Thorne Edwards was aged 32 when he was killed on May 8^th 1915 and is buried in The New Irish Farm Military Cemetery near Ypres. He was born at Mynyddyslwyn and was the son of Thomas S Edwards, a solicitor, and Alice Elizabeth Edwards, who originally came from Bromley in Kent. On Harold’s death his parents’ address is given as 24 Stow Hill Newport.

The authors wish to thank Newport Museum and Art Gallery for permission to use this image.

The Second Battle of Ypres and The 1st Monmouthshires

By the autumn of 1914, Germany had failed in its aim of knocking France out of the war. It had hoped to avoid a protracted war on two fronts so allowing the German army to concentrate its forces against Russia in the East. Following the battles of 1914, Germany now occupied large areas of northern France and most of Belgium. By the end of the year, the war in the West had stagnated into a line of trenches stretching from the Channel coast to the Swiss frontier. From the autumn of 1914 until 21^st March 1918, the German army essentially adopted a defensive posture along this line, with the exceptions of the attack on Ypres in 1915 and the massive assault on Verdun in 1916. It is with the first of these attacks, the Second Battle of Ypres, that this series of three articles is concerned, from the perspective of a Welsh Regiment and the experiences of some the individuals in it.

By the end of 1914 the trench line bulged east around the Belgian Town of Ypres. As the war moved into 1915, the British Army took an increasing responsibility for manning these trenches. They began to replace French troops and progressively extended the British Sector to the French Border and beyond to the South. By April, the British defended the trenches of the Ypres salient with the exception of a short length of the front to the north of the town, which was still defended by the French. It was here on 22^nd April that the Germans opened a furious artillery bombardment at 5pm followed by the release of Chlorine gas. Unprotected against gas, French troops fled in panic, creating a major breach in the Franco-British lines. Rushing forward to close the gap, The 1^st Canadian Division overcame the immediate crisis. However, German attacks continued and by 1^st May  British troops began to withdraw to a new defensive line closer to Ypres itself.

 

 

Men of The 1st Monmouths march down Stow Hill Newport on being mobilised at the outbreak of War in 1914

 

Part of the new British line now ran in an exposed position along the front of the Frezenberg Ridge to the North West of Ypres. It fell to the 28^th Division, which included The 1^st Battalion of the Monmouthshire Regiment, to defend these trenches. The 1^st Monmouths had been in the line in the fighting following the German attacks of 22^nd April, but as the withdrawal took place they were moved behind the line to the West of Ypres at Brielen. The opening of an intense German artillery bombardment on 4^th May marked the beginning of another stage in the battle, causing heavy casualties amongst the troops defending the Frezenberg Ridge,  and on 6^th May the 1^st Monmouths received orders to move up to the front line. This was hardly a straightforward task and a number of casualties resulted from shell fire as the men moved forward. Reaching the front line on 7^th May in darkness they took over badly damaged trenches and began a desperate attempt to make repairs before dawn broke. The 1^st Monmouthshires had been involved in the fighting in April, but were now to face their sternest test as the 8^th May dawned. 

With the 2^nd Battalion to the north and the 3^rd Battalion to the south, all three battalions of the Monmouths were in the line as dawn broke. The British defenders were massively outnumbered, both in terms of infantry and artillery. Intense German artillery fire was followed by powerful infantry attacks and in the centre of the defensive ring around Ypres, the order was given to retire. As British troops, including the 3^rd Monmouths, pulled back, a gap opened up in the line. It now fell to those units to the north, including the 1^st Monmouths, to face German attacks from both their front and from their flank.

Finding themselves in the middle of a storm of shellfire and machine gun fire, the Monmouths lost contact with both their artillery and headquarters (See The Second Battle of Ypres- Melville Ray, An Exceptionally Brave Act). As the scant British artillery support faded, officers of the battalion HQ moved forward to direct the desperate defence. The adjutant, Captain Dimsdale, was killed in an attempt to lead a counter attack (See The Second Battle of Ypres- The Men From Newport Docks), as was the second in command, Major Williams. The Monmouths were now in danger of being overwhelmed and an attempt to provide reinforcements failed as those sent forward were decimated by shellfire. The situation was critical as the Monmouths attempted to hold off attacks from their front and deal with Germans who had taken over the trenches to their right. Captain Edwards attempted to organise a flank using a communication trench, but was soon almost surrounded. Called on to surrender and uttering the phrase which became part of regimental history, “surrender be damned,” he was last seen firing his revolver at his attackers, a scene commemorated in the painting in the entrance of Newport Civic Centre (See The Eighth of May). The battalion commander, Colonel Robinson, now gave the order for the Monmouths to be pulled back from the front line to form a flank against the German attacks from the right, after which he too was shot through the neck and killed. It was now the afternoon and the situation was clearly hopeless.

With no alternative before them other than annihilation, the remaining isolated groups of the Monmouths pulled back to their support trenches. Some men attempted to get back along shallow communication trenches, others ran desperately over open ground; many were wounded or killed by the continuing shellfire and machine gun fire. From these reserve trenches, however, The Monmouths and the Royal Irish Rifles were able to hold off further German advances. With this the involvement of the 1^st Monmouths in the Second Battle of Ypres battle came to an end and the remains of the battalion were withdrawn to Brielan the following day. Here the extent of the casualties suffered became clear: of the 23 officers and 565 other ranks who had left Brielen on 7^th May, 3 officers and 126 other ranks returned. The impact of these losses on families in South Monmouthshire and particularly Newport, from where most of the men came, was enormous.

 

The memorial on Stow Hill Newport on the site of the drill hall at which the 1st Monmouths mustered in August 1914 and from which they set out to join the general mobilization at the outbreak of war.

 

For those British troops in the front line a period of respite was followed by more German attacks on 24^th and 25^th May and although more ground was given up, this marked the end of The Second Battle of Ypres. British forces had been pushed into a tighter salient around the town, but Ypres had not fallen, although the losses had been great; almost 60,000 British casualties of whom nearly 11,000 were killed. The battle had also proved costly to the Germans who had suffered 35,000 casualties in just over four weeks of fighting. For the Monmouths the end of the fighting also marked the end of the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Battalions whose survivors were now amalgamated in order to create a viable size for a fighting force which became The Monmouthshire Regiment.

Guided Battlefield Tours organise fully guided tours to Ypres, see: www.guidedbattlefieldtours.co.uk

 

 

Second Ypres- Melville Ray, "An Exceptionally Brave Act"

During The First World War communication between troops in the front line and the rear was a major problem. Communication usually relied upon visual signals, runners or the telephone.  The use of visual signals and runners was extremely dangerous during periods of action, when anyone exposing themselves was subject to enemy fire. The telephone was the most effective means of communication when lines were working, but during fighting these were regularly cut by shellfire. The 1^st Monmouths experienced this problem  acutely on 8^th May during The Second Battle of Ypres. Facing attacks from their front and on their right flank, The Monmouths were in a desperate situation, cut off from both their artillery and their headquarters.

Rifleman John Healey of D Company of The First Battalion of The Monmouthshire Regiment wrote to Mr and Mrs Ray of 87 Lime Street Newport and described an incident from that day:

 “I am writing to you on behalf of my comrades and myself regarding your son, Melville. We were in the trenches on Saturday last and were shelled from early in the morning till nearly noon. We then had the order to stand to as the Germans were advancing, and Melville was with me. The next I saw of him was when he came back to Captain Stanton and reported that the wires were broken, which I think connected us to the artillery and Melville asked him if he should go and repair them. Off he went under a heavy shellfire. So heavy was the fire that our men were being killed in the trenches and for Melville to go out where there was no shelter was an exceptionally brave act. That was the last that we saw of him and he now is reported as missing, but we still have hope that he may be among those in hospital, in which case you will hear from him very soon. If you do will you kindly drop us a line as we are most anxious to hear about him for he was one of our best pals, and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.”

Melville was undoubtedly a popular figure amongst his comrades and to go out into the open amongst a hail of machine bullets and shellfire was an act of the utmost bravery. He was 20 and before leaving with the first drafts from Newport in August 1914, had been employed as a tu-boat worker. He was already well known in the locality and had gained himself a reputation as a singer and amateur boxer. He was the son of Cooper Ray, a dock labourer, and Ethel Ray and as a child had lived at 50 Alexandra Road, Newport.

The South Wales Argus of 25 May reported Ray as missing. However, Melville was to survive the war. The week after he was reported missing his parents received a postcard which informed them that Melville, “had had the good fortune to stop a couple of bullets and got captured.” The card was from Diakonen  Austalt, Duisberg, Germany and Melville was to spend the next three and a half years as a prisoner of war.

Melville was clearly a person of initiative, with a spirit of adventure, which perhaps helps to explain his enlistment in the Territorial Army before the outbreak of war. This spirit was not destroyed by his experience in the war or his period of captivity. On 12^th July 1920 he left Liverpool on board the RMS Corsican en route to Canada, where he lived  for nearly three years.  However, he was not to see out his life there and he emigrated to the USA in April 1923 and it was here that he died on 3^rd May 1970 at Santa Clara,California.

Rifleman Healey also survived the war.

 

Guided Battlefield Tours organise fully guided tours to Ypres, see: www.guidedbattlefieldtours.co.uk

Second Ypres- The Men From Newport Docks

At  the height of the fighting on 8^th May 1915 during the Second Battle of Ypres, the battalion headquarters of the 1st Monmouths became cut off from the troops of the battalion who were facing strong German attacks. In order to gain some measure of control over events the officers of the headquarters moved forward to the front line. As a consequence, the battalion Commander, Colonel Charles Robinson, and the second in command, Major Edward Williams, were both soon killed. Another officer who moved forward with the headquarters was Captain Edward Charles Dimsdale, the adjutant with responsibility for battalion administration. Faced with attacks from their front and from their right flank, where adjoining British troops had withdrawn, the situation of the Monmouths was desperate. A particular problem was a German machine gun, located in a farm. Captain Dimsdale attempted to organise an attack on the farm with the aim of silencing the machine gun. Rifleman David John Jones of B Company wrote to Mr F Morgan at the locomotive shed on Alexandra Dock Newport and described the event:

 “I am sorry to have to write to you, as it is bad news I am sending.  Harry is reported missing, and so is young Alf Baker.  You would be able to break the news to Harry’s wife and mother; that is why I am writing to you.  How it happened was this.  The brigade which was supposed to relieve us failed to come up in time last Thursday.  As we were in support we had to go back to the trenches.  We went back on Thursday night and carried up trench stores.  Early on Friday morning we went into the first line dug-outs.  We stayed there all day and at night took our place in the trenches.  Half had to go in the firing trench while the other half went into the reserves trenches, which were about 20 yards behind.  Harry, Alf. Baker, Jack Lawrence and myself were in the same trench.  Just after daylight the Germans opened a very heavy fire on us which lasted all the morning.  The shelling was awful and they blew in every parapet along the trenches.  We first realised that the position was serious about noon when the order came, ‘All support into the firing trench.’  Just as we started the Adjutant came and said, ‘About turn; the Germans are charging.  They have got the farm on the right.  Who’ll volunteer for a charge and drive them back?’  Harry, Jack Lawrence, Alf. Baker and myself at once sprang forward with fixed bayonets together with all the platoon.  When the adjutant saw the response he said, ‘That’s right boys, come on.’  Just then he fell dead.  But we kept on and when we came to the barn we made the charge.  We were outnumbered by great odds.  As the regiment we were supporting had been gassed, they could do nothing.  We had to retire again and when we got back to the trenches I started looking for the boys, but couldn’t find them anywhere.  I started making inquiries, and someone said they had seen Jack Lawrence lying in a trench dying, with five wounds.  I couldn’t find any trace of Harry or Alf anywhere.  Bob Brown was killed and Jim Stuart is missing, we still retained some hope for their welfare.  When we retired we got mixed up with some other regiments.  Jim Crump and some others were missing but they returned to camp yesterday.  He had been with another regiment.  When we got back to the trenches, we held on with the pluck which always characterises a British soldier.  We suffered heavily but the Germans have suffered more so.  As last when there was only a handful of us left and the Germans were coming on again, we had to retire a little way back, as the heavy firing which was going on stopped re-inforcements reaching us.  We got the trenches back at the bayonet point.  We have now been relieved after nearly a month of trenches and supports and are on the way back for a rest.  Jack Hughes is  in the hospital.”

Harry and Bob Brown were killed on that day. Rifleman Robert William Brown was aged 28 and Rifleman Harry Flook  was aged 34; neither of these men has a known grave and both are commemorated on the Menin Gate. Bob Brown was the husband of Melinda  and  lived at 22 Robert Street. He was the son of  Charles J Brown, a rigger and dock pilot, and  Rosina Brown.  In 1901 Bob also had 3 brothers; Chas aged 17, a mason’s labourer, George and Albert. Harry was the son of Harry Flook of ‘Glan Tawe’, Queens Hill, Newport and the husband of Georgina aged 33 who lived at 7 Prince Street Maindee.  The 1901 Census shows a newly wed Harry aged 21 living with his wife and 3 month old daughter Elizabeth at 40 Wharf Road; he was working as a Fruiterer’s Assistant.

“Young Alf Baker,” was Rifleman Alfred Baker, who had not been killed, but had been taken prisoner. He survived the war and was discharged from the army in February 1919. At the time of writing, his exact identity is unknown, but it is likely that he was Alfred Christopher Baker, born in 1895 and the son of Edward Baker, a docks foreman, and Mary Baker of Price Street. Jack Lawrence, Rifleman John Lawrence was not dying, but survived his wounds and was discharged from the army in January 1919. Jack was the son of William Lawrence, a hatter and hosier, of High Street and Annie Lawrence.

Captain Edward Charles Dimsdale was attached to the 1^st Monmouths from the Rifle Brigade. He was 31 and the son of Charles, The Seventh Baron Dimsdale, of Meesden Manor, Hertfordshire. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate. Within a year his younger brother, Lieutenant Reginald Thomas Dimsdale was also killed while serving as commander of submarine E22. On 25 April 1916 the submarine was torpedoed in the North Sea by German U Boat UB18 commanded by the German U Boat ace Otto Steinbrinck.

Rifleman James Henry Stewart was killed on 8^th May; he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate. Rifleman James William Crump survived 8^th May and became a sergeant, though he did not survive the war. He was killed aged 25 at the Battle of Loos on 13^th October 1915 during the 1^st Monmouths involvement in an attack on the German Hohenzollern Redoubt; he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Loos Memorial.

Finally the author of the letter, Rifleman David Jones did survive the war. He was promoted to sergeant, but was discharged from the army in August 1916.

 

Guided Battlefield Tours organise fully guided tours to Ypres, see: www.guidedbattlefieldtours.co.uk