Risca man Steve Veysey has researched the war dead from Risca Parish in the First World War. Reporter Elizabeth Birt has delved deep into the book’s 256 casualties and picked out just a few of the interesting tales.

Reginald Arthur Gill (22)

South Wales Argus:

Private Reginald Arthur Gill was the soldier from the Risca Parish who died on Armistice Day (November 11, 1918).

He enlisted into the Plymouth Battalion on December 29, 1914, and he left for Gallipoli on May 8, 1915. On arrival, he joined the Portsmouth Battalion on May 31.

In October 1915, he became ill with dysentery and after hospital treatment, re-joined the Royal Marines 2nd Battalion (made up of the Plymouth and Portsmouth Battalions) on December 22. His battalion left Gallipoli the following month and arrived in Marseilles in May 1916.

He took part in multiple battles on the Western Front and was reported missing during The Second Battle of the Scarpe in April 1917. He was taken as a prisoner of war during the attack on Gavrelle Windmill on April 28 at Arras, reportedly suffering wounds to his left arm and loins. In June that year, he was in the hospital of the Langensalza POW camp, he was transferred through four Prisoner of War camps, arriving in Mainz camp on June 27, 1918. He died from flu and pneumonia on Armistice Day and was buried in Niederzwehren Cemetery in Cassel, Germany.

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William Charles Bridge (18)

South Wales Argus:

William Charles Bridge was thought to be the youngest to die from Risca during the First World War. He had an eventful few years in service. First signing up at the age of 14 years and 11 months, he gave his age as being 19 and one day. He enlisted in the London Regiment in their 3/2nd Battalion on February 17, 1915. Two months later he transferred to the 1 /2 Battalion and went to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force.

On May 28 he was charged with neglect of duty while on sentry in the trenches. For this he was given 28 days of Field Punishment No 1 - this involved having his hands and feet shackled to a fixed object like a gun wheel. This was normally done for two hours a day in field punishment camps set up a couple of miles behind the front line, but it would be carried out by the unit itself if they were on the move.

On November 23, he was admitted to hospital with chilblains in both feet and was sent back to England on November 27. He was released from hospital in Sheffield on January 13, 1916. Eleven days later he was transferred to 4/2 Battalion.

On February 25, 1916 he was charged with being absent from cookhouse from 9.45am until 10.15am and insolence to an NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer). For this he was confined to barracks for seven days. He was discharged from the army on March 7, 1916 after his mother sent a letter and copy of his birth certificate to the army to say he had joined up underage and against her wishes.

Although he was discharged, his Commanding Officer Major Filon said that he was “honest and steady. Teetotaller. Recommended for employment in a colliery.”

It is unknown when he re-enlisted again, but he joined the 24th Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers and became a Lance Corporal. He died at the age of 18 years and seven months on October 6, 1918 after a gunshot to the head. He is buried in La Kreule Military Cemetery in Hazebrouck, France.

Arthur Stanley Crane (33) and son Thomas Arthur Crane (31) (WWI & WWII)

South Wales Argus:

Sapper Arthur Stanley Crane served in the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers as 2/Corporal. He fought in South Africa in 1901 and 1902 and was awarded the South Africa medal with clasps for Transvaal, Orange Free State and Cape Colony.

Outside of the army, he was a police constable. His wife Eliza died in 1913, and one year later, on August 3, 1914, he married her sister Emma. The day after their wedding, the First World War started, and he enlisted into the 59th Field Company of the Royal Engineers. He left for France on August 18, 1914 and died on October 16, 1914.

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His only son Thomas Arthur Crane was raised by Mr and Mrs Parker, his aunt and uncle. In 1930, he joined the Royal Artillery and transferred to the Welsh Guards in 1933. He transferred to the Reconnaissance Corps sometime after the outbreak of the Second World War and died at the age of 31 on July 18, 1941.

Reuben (26) and Zephaniah (23) Orman

The Orman family is another that was devastated by two deaths, although these were in the space of less than a month.

Sergeant Rueben Orman and his younger brother Zephaniah were both killed during October 1914.

South Wales Argus:

Zephaniah – or Harry Ormond as he was called when he enlisted – died on October 14, 1914. He had joined the 3rd Battalion Middlesex Regiment in 1910 and was stationed in India the following year. Between his time in India and the start of the First World War, he transferred to the 4th Battalion and entered France on August 14, 1914.

He became an early casualty but survived the battle and retreat from Mons. He was then made a despatch messenger. It was doing this duty between the regiments that saw him get killed.

South Wales Argus:

Rueben’s death followed just 17 days later, on October 31, 1914.

He enlisted in the South Wales Borderers for 12 years on December 9, 1904. He lied about his age, saying he was 18 when he was only 16. He was discharged on January 19, 1905 due to this.

He re-enlisted into the same battalion later, although it is unsure when as his records did not survive. He entered France on the same date as his brother.

He died from shrapnel wounds at Gheluvelt in Belgium, along with hundreds of men from his 1st Battalion.

Ethel Callier (34)

South Wales Argus:

Sister Ethel Fanny May Chilton Callier was one of two women to die related to the First World War from Risca. She was a teacher in 1901. On December 2, 1912, she joined St George’s Hospital, London as a sister. She stayed there until January 2, 1917.

On April 15, 1918, she set off for Basra as part of Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service. She arrived on June 8 and in Baghdad eight days later. On September 15, she was admitted to the Officers Hospital in Baghdad with Tuberculosis. On October 20, she was invalided to India where she was admitted to the Colaba War Hospital. She was sent back to England a month later and died at Royal Herbert Hospital in Woolwich on June 22, 1919.

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William Jones Evans (27)

South Wales Argus:

Captain William Jones Evans was a medical student and son of Reverend William Evans. He studied at University College of Wales and University College Hospital, London. He joined the University of London Officer’s Training Corps in October 1914 and he took the degrees of Membership of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons and Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians in 1916.

Straight after receiving his qualifications, he was commissioned in the Royal Army Medical Corps and became Lieutenant in March 1916. Two months later, he went to France and was attached to the 2/1st South Midland Field Ambulance before being transferred to the Gloucester Regiment. After a year of service, he was commissioned as Captain.

He died on September 13, 1917 by the explosion of a shell that destroyed the dug-out he using to treat the wounded.

Frank Hemmings (43)

South Wales Argus:

Sergeant Frank Hemmings had a long military career, but his story is also one with family heartbreak. His father Joseph was one of 120 men and boys who died in the North Risca Colliery disaster on July 15, 1880.

He first enlisted in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in 1894. Between 1895 and 1898 he was stationed abroad in India, Malta, Crete and Egypt. He was then stationed in China between December 26, 1898 until December 1902. He returned home and transferred to the Army Reserve in February 1903.

He re-enlisted in April 1906 and was discharged after his four-year period ended on April 23, 1910. When the First World War started, he enlisted again, into the 11th Battalion of the South Wales Borderers. They went to France in December 1915 where they were to stay until the end of the war. During the attack on Mametz Wood, he was injured and returned to England for treatment. He died on December 2, 1916 from his wounds and is buried in Risca Old Cemetery.

Frederick George Jayne (31) & Walter Harvard Joseph Jayne (24)

South Wales Argus:

Sergeant Frederick George Jayne and his younger brother Lance Corporal Walter Harvard Joseph Jayne both died during the First World War.

Frederick enlisted into the Welsh Regiment and served in the 1st/4th Battalion. He sailed to Mudros on the Greek island of Lemnos in July 1915. By August 9, he had arrived at Sulva Bay and was wounded in the Battle of Sari Bair and died just two days later on August 11, 1915.

Walter - or Joseph as he was known - enrolled in the Royal Engineers and transferred to the 11th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment where he served as Lance Corporal. In March 1916, they landed in France. Their duty was to assist the Royal Engineers with skilled labour and to relieve the infantry from non-combat duties. On many occasions they abandoned their duties to fight alongside the infantry to repel enemy attacks. They took part in the Great Spring Offensive on the Somme as part of the defence and were a part of the Battle of St Quentin on March 21, 1918 which is where Lance Corporal Jayne was killed.

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Arthur Augustus Morgan (31), Charles Ernest Morgan (31).

South Wales Argus:

The Morgan brothers left their family with a triple heartache around the First World War. Charles Ernest, Arthur Augustus and Albert Austin Morgan all fought in the war.

Eldest brother Charles was a rifleman in the 1st Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment. They landed in France as part of the 84th Brigade, 28th Division on February 13, 1915. The 1st Monmouthshire Regiment fought with their 2nd and 3rd Battalions during the Battle of Ypres, where the Germans first used a gas attack. Charles was wounded during this and died of his wounds on April 24, 1915.

Middle brother Arthur enlisted into the 6th Battalion, B Company of the Somerset Light Infantry. He arrived in France on May 21, 1915 and took part in the battle at Hooge. At some time between this and the start of the Somme battles on July 1, 1916, he transferred to the 5th Battalion, Dorset Regiment. Between this transfer and his death on January 3, 1917, he became a Lance Sergeant.

Not much is noted in the book about youngest brother Albert as his death fell outside of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s time period. But he is acknowledged as he was a prisoner of war and, although he was repatriated back to the UK in November 1918, he died on March 3, 1921.

Jonathan Owen (37)

South Wales Argus:

The story of Jonathan Owen is a strange but fascinating one. He enlisted into the South Wales Borderers for six years in 1898, but bought his discharge on May 2, 1899 after 49 days of drill instruction. At the outbreak of the First World War, he enlisted into the Grenadier Guards and served with the 1st Battalion.

He was severely wounded in the leg by shrapnel in March 1915 during the battle of Neuve Chapelle. He arrived in Harrogate on March 22 and was taken to the Grand Duchess George’s Hospital. After arriving there, gangrene set in and he died just three days later, on March 25, 1915.

This is where the interesting part begins – for his return to Wales, he had a procession from the hospital to the railway station that was followed by Russian Royalty – Grand Duchess George, Baroness Stoeckel and the Baron Stoeckl who was wearing full Russian officer uniform. The Mayor was also present wearing his chain of office. His funeral was a full one with military honours and the cemetery was full, as were the streets for the two miles between his home and cemetery.

South Wales Argus:

It doesn’t stop there though – Private Owen was buried with his daughter, who had died not long before him, and the family took a photo of the tributes after the funeral and there are faces seen quite clearly in the tributes – resembling that of Private Owen and his daughter.

Douglas Parker Robathan (27)

South Wales Argus:

Douglas Parker Robathan was a very highly regarded member of the armed forces. He joined the Monmouth Volunteers as a 2nd Lieutenant in January 1908. In April that year he transferred to the 5th Welsh Territorials and passed the School of Instruction. He gained his certificate as a Musketry Instructor in 1909. On April 7 that year he became a first Lieutenant and Captain on July 1, 1914.

He went to Dardanelles with the 53d Welsh Division on July 18, 1915. On August 8, they arrived at Sulva Bay. Captain Robathan was the only officer killed during the attack on Anafarta Ova on August 10, 1915. A note written by his Colonel showed how highly regarded Captain Robathan was. He said: “He was devoted to his duty and always relied on.”

A fellow officer said: “Lying on the ground he still cheered his men on – ‘stick it Welsh’ he shouted and kept shouting until another bullet came along and got him in the lung.”

A private in his Battalion said: “He was loved by his men and admired by all. He fought as gallantly as any as long as he was able to lead, and I am expressing the thoughts of the Battalion when I say it has lost one of its best soldiers.”

William Stroud (age 51) and son William John Stroud (24)

Regimental Sergeant Major William Stroud and his son Drummer William John Stroud died two years minus a day apart from each other.

South Wales Argus:

A member of St John’s Ambulance, Stroud Snr joined the 130th (St John) Field Ambulance on December 12, 1914. It was while training with them in Prestatyn throughout the first half of 1915 that he rose through the ranks to Regimental Sergeant Major.

They left for France on December 3, 1915 and were involved in Mametz Wood in 1916 and Pilkem Ridge during the third Battle of Ypres in 1917. In May 1917, he was injured by shrapnel and poisoned by gas but continued with his duties until he was discharged on August 15, 1918 as he was no longer fit to serve. He died in the Royal Mineral Water Hospital in Bath on December 18, 1918 from pleurisy and rheumatism.

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His son joined the 2nd Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment as a drummer and landed in le Havre on November 7, 1914. They took part in the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915 and were on the Somme before moving back to Ypres in 1916. In October they returned to the Somme, performing some of the toughest work – completing two long communication trenches. During this period, Stroud Jnr was injured and died of his wounds on December 19, 1916, just a day before the Battalion were relieved from their position.

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Joseph Wallace (42)

South Wales Argus:

Lance Corporal Joseph Wallace was a very prominent figure in the local press. He would appear numerous times in the local papers for various misdemeanours including poaching, trespassing in pursuit of rabbits, assault and riotous behaviour. He was also sentenced to three years penal servitude.

He enlisted in the South Wales Borderers and arrived in France with the 5th Battalion on July 17, 1915. During the Battle of the Somme, the Battalion lost 220 men in just the last 10 days of July. L. Cpl Wallace rose through the ranks between enlisting and July 1916 from Private to Lance Corporal.

On July 26, 1916, he was injured in a heroic way, when at Mametz Wood, he was carrying his friend Private Mercy back to the trenches to receive help after a shell exploded. A second shell exploded, and a piece of shrapnel was lodged in his lung. He was treated at a casualty station before being transferred back to England, where he died at the 1st Eastern Hospital, Cambridge on November 10, 1916.

Charles Joseph Wilkie (47)

South Wales Argus:

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Joseph Wilkie was one of the forces behind the success on the front in South Africa in the early 1900s. He became a career soldier, quickly rising through the ranks. On April 2, 1892 he was gazetted as 2nd Lieutenant for the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry and was promoted to Lieutenant just a year later. On October 23, 1899, he was made Captain. He received a medal and two clasps for his service with the Tirah Expeditionary Force in 1897/8.

He was unable to go to South Africa in 1899 as he had malaria and dysentery. He was sent to Ireland and trained more than 5,000 young officers who were then sent out to South Africa as draft replacements between 1899 and 1902. He retired from the army on May 8, 1907 and joined the Reserve of Officers. He was appointed Brigade Major for the South Wales Infantry Brigade in 1908 and the following year he took over the secretarial duties of the Glamorgan Territorial Force Association.

He was appointed Major in the 9th Battalion the Welsh Regiment on October 8, 1914 and promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel on November 26, where he commanded the 17th Battalion The Welsh Regiment when they left for France on June 2, 1916.

He was killed alongside his Second-in-Command on October 18, 1916 by an explosive shell.

An officer who served under Colonel Wilkie said: “Colonel Wilkie was a man amongst men and a soldier amongst soldiers. His attributes as a man were only equalled by his exceptional and far-reaching capabilities as a soldier. In the field his was a leader with a knowledge and personality which created absolute faith and trustfulness, and in the orderly room his administration was just as exemplary.”