***COMPLETED***WW1 Royal Welsh Fusiliers

[Lloydy]

Hi everyone,

My great Uncle was in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in WW1.  I have his medal card, which also shows when he died, but I was wondering whether there would be any other papers that I could obtain.  If there is, where would I get them from?

Any ideas would be welcome.

Thanks!

Jan

[Llwyd]

Hi there,
I am assuming he was killed during the course of the war and that you know about the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site etc.
Unfortunately most of the papers relating to WW1 soldiers were destroyed during the WW2 blitz.Consequently, it is doubtful that you will be able to obtain any papers on your Great-Uncle.
However,there is the Royal Welch Fusliers museum situated at Caernarfon castle.I don't know if the curator there could help you out.
I seem to have been a little more fortunate here.My Uncle was killed in France in 1916 and I have letters and field post-cards sent by him from France,together with letters of condolence to my GP's from fellow soldiers who knew him.I also have the death penny and the certificate issued to the next of kin by the authorities after the war.I also have photographs of him in uniform and of his grave in France,plus one or two other items such as his prayer book etc.
UnfortunatelyI do not have the medals which were issued, except for one which was obviously sent incorrectly as it has another soldiers name and service number(very similar to my uncles)thereon.Although,as a child,I do recollect seeing all three medals.
Good luck in your research.

[Lyn S]

Jan

My late Father was with the Royal Welch Fusiliers (7th Battallion) in WW2 - I have a photograph of him in uniform and wanted help in identifying the medal ribbons he was wearing.

I wrote to:

Mr Peter Crocker
The Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum
The Castle
Caernarfon
Gwynedd
North Wales
LL55 2AY

For a small fee (£15.00), Mr Crocker identified and sent me details of the medals my Father was given and a brief history of the RWF - no personal information was provided.

It might be worth your while, first of all, sending an e-mail to the RWF with a brief description of your requirements:

rwfusiliers@callnetuk.com

Good luck with your continuing research.

Best wishes

Lyn S

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi, Jan,
The Great War (1914-18) has continued to fascinate me for some time, especially the literary works that came out ot it.  Both Robert Graves ("Goodbye to all That"), and Siegfried Sassoon,( "Memoirs of an Infantry Officer") were in the Welch Fusiliers, and although there's an element of fiction in some of these prose memoirs, it would give you an excellent idea of how involved in the fighting this regiment was, and there are wonderful caricatures of some of the men.
Jean Moorcroft Wilson's biography of Sassoon:"The Making of a War Poet 1886-1918" deals with details of the Royal Welch Fusiliers in a more strictly factual fashion.
You may not find mention of your ancestor, but I am sure it would give you a flavour of how dreadful conditions must have been for these brave young men.
Keith

[Lloydy]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

I think I will contact the Mueseum in Caernarfon - that might prove to be interesting.


Llwyd, I have been on to the War Graves Commission site and managed to print off the copy of the certificate that was issued to his parents when he died.  I've also found out that he's buried in the Jerusalem Memorial Cemetery, Israel, and have a plan of where his grave is located.  My Dad has told me that my GUncle sent several post cards back to the family in Montgomeryshire, which my G Aunty kept in a beautiful binder, until the day she decided to give them away   How I wish I could find out where they are now.

Jan