TOPIC:

Smithfield Cemetery

LLANGOLLEN


"Llangollen is a small town situated on the River Dee, in Denbighshire, Wales. The town takes it's name from the Welsh llan 'religious settlement' and Saint Collen a 7th-century monk. The town holds the annual International Eisteddfod, a large international music festival, hence it is very popular with tourists.
Much of it's economy in the 19th century was in the farming industry with sheep farming being the main business of the local farmers.
In the late 19th century, Llangollen had a weekly newspaper, The Llangollen Advertiser.



1st March 1907-Llangollen Advertiser
HONOUR THE BRAVE.
LLANGOLLEN BOER WAR MEMORIAL SUGGESTED.

Within a few days of the anniversary of the battle of Pieter's Hill, the townspeople of Warrington and district assembled this week to witness the unveiling of a memorial, erected as a tribute to the officers and men of the South Lancashire Regiment who fell in the South Africamn War. It was in this memorable battle that their late respected commanding officer , Lieut-Colonel McCarthy met his death and the statue which was unveiled on Thursday, by General Redvers Buller V.C., represents the gallant Colonel as he appeared leading his men in the storming of the hill on February 27th, 1900.

War memorials have been erected in about every quarter of the country, as a tribute to the officers and men who fought for their country in the hour of England's danger. Some local memorial should be erected in Llangollen to her brave sons who gave their services in South Africa during the Boer War and the expedition into China in 1900."

---

LLANGOLLEN MEN AND THE WARS.

SOUTH AFRICA , 1900-2, china, 1900.

Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 1st Battalion
Lieut. W. best
Pts. E. Edwards
H. Evans
T. Ellis
E. Richards
T. Hughes
T. Lloyd
J. Jones
W. Williams(killed)

Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion
Expedition into China, 1900
Pte. T. Jasper

Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 3rd Battalion
Ptes. P. hughes
T. Richards
E. Jones
W. Peters

Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 4th Battalion
Pte. W. Morgan

1st Volunteer Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers
Col-Sgt. Selby
Sergt. W. Hughes
Corpl. R. Davies
G.Hughes
Ptes. E. Green
R. Jones
T.T. Jones(died)
E. Williams
J. O. Parry

Grenadier Guards
Sergt. T. Jones
Ptes. J. James (died)
S. Jones
D. Hughes

18th Hussars
Trooper R. Hughes

Prince of Wales Light Horse
Lt. Wynne Morris

Denbighshire Imperial Yeomanry
Troopers W. Jones
W. Hughes
H. Woodman
E. Jones
A. Dean

Montgomeryshire Imperial Yeomanry
Sergt-major Jackson
Corpl. W. S Evans
Troopers S. Corke
S. Edwards
T. Edwards
R. Edwards
G. Evans
J. Roberts
W. Bache
O. Attwell
R. Lloyd
W. Berry
W. Edwards
R. Carden

Why T.T. Jones is not commemorated on the memorial is not known.

BOER WAR MEMORIAL,
LLANDUDNO GREAT ORME'S HEAD CEMETERY,
LLANDUDNO,
CAERNARVONSHIRE,
WALES.
(ADJACENT ST. TUDNO'S CHURCHYARD)







DENBIGHSHIRE HUSSARS
LANCE CORPORAL O.ROBERTD NO 3125
KILLED IN ACTION 13/12/1900 AT ABRAHAM'S KRAAL.

TROOPER G.C. GOODWIN NO 3614 DIED OF DISEASE 27TH JULY 1900 AT JAGERSFONTEIN DRIFT.

BOTH MEN REMEMBERED ON THE PLAQUE TO THE 29TH COMPANY (DENBIGHSHIRE ) 9TH BATTALION AT ST. GILES CHURCH, WREXHAM



ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS
3RD VOLUNTEER BATTALION

SGT. CHARLES VAUGHAN JONES NO. 7471
DIED OF DISEASE (SOUTH AFRICAN FIELD FORCE (1ST BATTALION)
DIED 5TH MAY 1901 AT WOODSTOCK.
AT REST AT CAPE TOWN CEMETERY.

PRIVATE HENRY DEVERILL NO 7202.
SOUTH AFRICAN FIELD FORCE. ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS (1ST BATTALION)
DIED 8TH MAY 1900 AGED 25 OF ENTERIC FEVER. OF 6 WOODLAND TERRACE, VICTORIA STREET, CRAIG Y DON, LLANDUDNO.
AT REST AT KIMBERLEY CEMETERY.

BOTH MEN REMEMBERED ON THE RWF MEMORIAL AT ST. GILES' CHURCH, WREXHAM.

A really useful threat for anyone looking for information on this topic.

There are a fair few on my list to visit over the next few months. An educational and enjoyable task.

As a matter of good housekeeping I think it a good idea to put everything under one thread.
Would it be possible to transfer my recent thread FRONCYSYLLTE BOER WAR MEMORIAL FOUNTAIN to this thread please?
Or would I have to physically re-enter the post from my end?
Cheers Steve

USK BOER WAR MEMORIAL,
OPPOSITE USK AND DISTRICT ROYAL BRITISH LEGION,
NEW MARKET STREET,
USK,
MONMOUTHSHIRE,
NP15 1AL,
WALES.

OS GRID REFERENCE: SO376006





A very attractive marble memorial that you could easily pass by due to it only being around ten feet in height and also away from other municipal type buildings. I think the Legion HQ was formerly the Town Hall.

A committee raised funds for the memorial with the original proposal of it being a drinking water fountain. When the memorial was unveiled on 1st January 1908, a large crowd of 3-400 people gathered to see the unveiling ceremony performed by James Henry Clark, Usk's oldest resident and the last surviving PORTREEVE of the ancient borough of Usk. A Portreeve was the equivalent of a modern day Customs Officer who was responsible for ensuring that taxes were correctly exacted.
The memorial is located near to the spot where in December 1899, Captain White of the 4th Volunteer Battalion of the South Wales Borderers had mustered his men and appealed for volunteers to go to South Africa.

The inscription is as follows:

"ERECTED BY THE INHABITANTS
OF USK AND DISTRICT
TO THE MEMORY OF
GUNNER JOHN WILLIAMS
(ROYAL FIELD ARTILLERY)
PTE. THOMAS BAYLISS
PTE. WILLIAM MORGAN
(SOUTH WALES BORDERERS)
TROOPER OSMOND HAGGETT
(BETHUNE'S MOUNTED INFANTRY)
WHO FELL IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN WAR 1899-1902
UNVEILED BY JAMES HENRY VLARK, THE LAST
PORTREEVE AND NOW'OLDEST INHABITANT OF USK
2ST JANUARY 1908"

More details on the men named thereon:

74514 Gunner John Williams: 19th Battery Royal Field Artillery.
Died of disease ( enteric fever) on 26th March 1900 at Ladysmith. Interred at Ladysmith Town 1 Cemetery.
Deceased Soldiers Effects (94758) gives his sister as his next of kin and the 6 shillings of his estate was given to his father Philip.
His QSA bore the clasps Tugela Heights and Relief of Ladysmith.
John is also commemorated on the memorial at the north-east corner of St. James Park and the Royal Artillery Memorial on The Mall in London.

1756 Private Thomas Bayliss: 2nd Battalion South Wales Borderers.
Died of disease (enteric fever) on 23rd June 1901 at Vereeniging. Interred at Maccauvlei. Commemorated on monument 12.
He left a widow and child. An appeal to the local community raised £35 by the end of 1900 for the bereaved family.
Thomas' QSA has the clasps Cape Colony/Orange Free State and Johannesburg.
He is also commemorated on the Welsh National Boer War Memorial at Cathays Park, Cardiff and also the SWB memorial plaque in Brecon Cathedral.

6910 Private William Morgan: 2nd Battalion South Wales Borderers, attached 15th Mounted Infantry.
William drowned accidentally at Liebenbergsvlei River on 25th March 1902 and is Interred at Reitz, commemorated on monument 1.
William was the son of Mrs. Maddocks, wife of gamekeeper Charles Maddocks.
His QSA bore the clasps Cape Colony/Transvaal/South Africa 1901/South Africa 1902.
He is also commemorated on the same memorials as his comrade Thomas Bayliss.

26 Trooper Osmond Haggett: Bethune's Mounted Infantry
and 25 Ranger Haggett Corps of Cattle Rangers. The latter unit at the time of his death.
Findmypast states that while serving with BMI he was wounded at Utrecht on 10th September 1900. On the Medal Roll for Bethune's there is a 244 Trooper, later Corporal J. M. Haggett, so very likely Osmonds brother or relative.
Further on in the conflict whilst serving with the Corps of Cattle Rangers Osmond was dangerously wounded at Pietpotgeitersrust on 1st October 1901. During this engagement his comrades surrendered to the enemy.
Osmond, unfortunately, succumbed to his wounds the following day and was interred at Pietersburg, commemorated on monument 1.
He was the son of Mr. & Mrs. Haggett of Bridge Street, Usk. The family also lost another son named Reginald in World War One15 years almost to the day.
His QSA had the clasps Cape Colony/Orange Free State/Transvaal/Tugela Heights/Relief of Ladysmith and Laing's Nek.

In 1901 the inhabitants of Usk and district presented inscribed silver watches to four men who had served in South Africa and returned. These men were South Wales Borderers men; Corporal David Lewis and Privates Charles Thomas and William Sweet. The fourth man being Fred Hayes of the Imperial Yeomanry.
I have never seen an example of one of these watches so do not know if any extant.

The main driver of the fundraising appeal for funds to help support the widow and child of Thomas Bayliss was the local solicitor John Maitland Watkins. The tragedy of war was soon to touch his family as his son Illtyd who graduated at law at Cambridge was killed in Belgium in 1915. Illtyd's name is to be found on the WW1 memorial in Usk town centre.