policeman •sportsman •soldier · danny richards, robin mellor, peter wright, paul wood, daryl...

TITLE

1

HEDDLU DE CYMRU • SOUTH WALES POLICE

LEARN • ENGAGE • REMEMBER

R CHARD THOMASPOLICEMAN • SPORTSMAN • SOLDIER

LED BY IWM

1

R I C H A R D T H O M A S • P O L I C E M A N • S P O R T S M A N • S O L D I E R

Not long ago I stood in MametzWood on the Somme. It was abright, sunny, day but in the Woodit felt cold and unsettling.

It was here nearly a hundred yearsago that Richard, “Dick”, Thomasdied. Ahead of me was, whatseemed to me, gently slopingground that led to the Wood butto Dick and his comrades, facing amurderous hail of bullets, it musthave been like the steepest of themountains of Wales.

Many Welshmen died and manywere injured both mentally andphysically in the attacks on theWood. Their bravery and sufferingand its impact on the communitiesof Wales is rightly something thatwe continue to remember and tohonour as exemplified by themagnificent Welsh DragonMemorial that stands facing theWood.

I have been privileged to Chair aProject Group in South WalesPolice which has undertaken workto commemorate the efforts andsacrifices of those police officersfrom our predecessor forces ofGlamorgan Constabulary, CardiffCity Police, Swansea BoroughPolice, Merthyr Borough Policeand Neath Borough Police, who

served during the First World War.Ninety two of them, Dick Thomasincluded, made the ultimatesacrifice.

Much has been done so far toremember, in particular, thosewho died through the placing ofcrosses on individual graves andthe laying of wreaths onmemorials where those who felland have no known grave arecommemorated. Dick Thomasand others have been honoured inthis way by the placing of such awreath at the Thiepval Memorialto the Missing of the Somme.

I was, therefore, very pleased,when it was suggested that thenew joint vehicle facility forBridgend County Borough Counciland South Wales Police should benamed after one of ourpredecessor police officers whodied during the war. In response Ihad no hesitation in puttingforward the name of DickThomas. It was, to my mind,entirely appropriate that a manwho had lived in Bridgend, was apolice sergeant there, had playedfor the town’s rugby club and hadserved with a Battalion of theWelsh Regiment which had drawnmen from the area, including a

INTRODUCTION

2


number of police officersstationed there, should beremembered in this way.

The facilities in the building arethe very best and will, I’m sure,bring lasting benefits to bothorganisations. It is part of a worldthat is very far away from that inwhich Dick Thomas and his fellowpolice officers and soldiers foughtand, in many cases, died.However, despite the greatchanges in the years that havegone by, it is important that wecontinue to recognise thesacrifices of those who have gonebefore us.

This booklet will, it is hoped, alsoplay its part in remembering DickThomas and those who servedwith him in the police and in thearmy. It has been produced inconjunction with a display whichwill form a permanent feature ofthe new building -“Ty RichardThomas.” Dick Thomas and hisgeneration have now passed awaybut they will not be forgotten.

Yn angof ni chant fod.

Gareth Madge OBEChair, First World War Project Group

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We gratefully acknowledge theassistance of Dick Thomas’grandson, Richard Thomas,particularly in providing photographsand other items regarding hisgrandfather. We also appreciate thesupport of other members of thefamily.

We would like to thank the Trusteesof the Butetown History and ArtsCentre, Cardiff, for their kindpermission to reproduce the imageof Jack Sullivan’s painting “So LongButty” or “So Long, Taff”, MametzWood, 1916.

The assistance provided by DrJonathan Hicks is also appreciatedas is the support of the PrintingDepartment of South Wales Policein the creation of the display for TyRichard Thomas and the productionof this booklet.

SOUTH WALES POLICE FIRST WORLD WAR PROJECT GROUP

The members of the Group are:Gareth Madge, Chair, Danny Richards, Robin Mellor, Peter Wright, Paul Wood, Daryl Fahey, Coral Cole, Allison Tennant and Philip Davies ofthe Western Front Association

3


At 7.30 in the morning of 1st July1916 there commenced one ofthe bloodiest battles in Britishmilitary history, the Battle of theSomme. On that first day alonethere were nearly 60,000 Britishcasualties of whom nearly 20,000were killed. It was a battle thatwas to continue until November1916 by which time the Britishhad suffered nearly 420,000casualties.

It was intended to break thestalemate on the Western Frontby destroying German forces toenable the Allies to advance but,importantly, it was also designedto relieve the pressure on Frenchforces which had been attackedearlier in the year by the Germans

at Verdun-a battle which wasdescribed as continuing “to bleedFrance dry.”

There had been a massive Britishartillery bombardment for eightdays before 1st July which wasintended to destroy Germandefensive positions andparticularly the extensive barbedwire emplacements, in order tomake the advance of the infantrythat much easier. In the event theartillery barrage did not achievethe success it had been hoped forand so the soldiers who went onfoot into the attack facedmurderous fire especially frommachine guns.

It was against a background of theinitial stages of the offensive

THE BATTLE FOR MAMETZ WOOD

British artillery Fricourt-Mametz, August 1916 © IWM (Q5817)

4


making little or no progress that itfell to the 38th (Welsh) Division toattack and secure Mametz Wood.

The Division had its origins in thedesire, spearheaded by DavidLloyd George early in the War, tocreate a Welsh Army Corps. Inthe event, this did not fullymaterialise and the 38th Divisionwas designated as a “Welsh”Division. It comprised threeinfantry brigades and supportingarms-113th Brigade (battalions ofthe Royal Welsh Fusiliers), 114thBrigade (battalions of the WelshRegiment) and 115th Brigade(battalions from the Royal WelshFusiliers, Welsh Regiment andSouth Wales Borderers). Policeofficers from South Wales werelargely to be found in thebattalions of the Welsh Regiment-10th and 13th (1st and 2ndRhondda), 14th (Swansea) and16th (Cardiff City).

Mametz Wood was the biggest ofthe woods in the Somme area andsituated near the villages ofFricourt and Mametz. It was abouta mile wide and a mile deep. Itwas thick with trees andundergrowth and defended byGerman troops from a Prussianregiment.

British Army map of Mametz Wood9th July 1916

The Welsh Division’s offensiveagainst the Wood began on 7thJuly when two attacks were madeon its eastern edge by the 16th(Cardiff City) Battalion of theWelsh Regiment and the 10th and11th Battalions of the South WalesBorderers. Despite the efforts andbravery of the attacking soldiersthey were repelled by heavymachine gun fire from the Wood.

5


It was during these attacks thatGlamorgan Policemen, SergeantRichard (“Dick”) Thomas andPC’s Robert John Harris andWilliam Edward Trinder, all of theCardiff City Battalion, were killed.

The History of the WelshRegiment describes the efforts ofthe Cardiff City Battalion and theSouth Wales Borderers to reachthe Wood:

“At 8.30am on 7th July, when theguns ceased their bombardment,the front waves of the twobattalions moved over the crestand advanced steadily down theslope, followed by successivewaves.

It was not long before the enemymachine guns smote them hipand thigh, frontally from the woodand in enfilade from Flatiron andSabot Copses, the 16th Welshlosing more heavily than the 10thSWB, since they were the moreexposed. Pushing forward gallantlythe foremost waves succeeded inreaching a line of shell holesabout 200 yards from the edge ofthe wood, where they took cover.The enemy had concentratedtheir fire on the successive waves,as they came across the crest andannihilated them in turn.

The attack was definitely broughtto a standstill. The guns againbombarded Mametz Wood at11.15am and twice again theremnants of the two Battalions,some of whom had beenwithdrawn over the crest, andsome of whom had not yetadvanced, essayed to supporttheir comrades nearer the wood.Major J. R. Angus personallydirected every advance, exposinghimself freely and showing a fineexample of leadership anddisregard of danger.”

Eventually at 4.30pm theexhausted battalions were forcedto withdraw.

MAJOR J.R.ANGUS

Major Anguswas a formerGlamorganpolicemanwho hadserved at

Barry amongst other places andwas a sergeant in the force at theoutbreak of the war. He joinedthe Cardiff City Battalion on itscreation, along with othercolleagues from the force,including F.W. “Fred” Smith who,as a Lieutenant Colonel,

6


commanded the Battalion atMametz Wood. James Angus wasto become Acting CommandingOfficer of the 11th Battalion of theSouth Wales Borderers in 1917before, later that year, hetragically drowned in a swimmingaccident.

The next attack on Mametz Woodcame on 10th July and includedthe 14th (Swansea) and the 10thand 13th (Rhondda) Battalions ofthe Welsh Regiment. The attackwas preceded by an artillerybarrage which was intended to“creep” forward ahead of theadvancing infantry, thus clearingthe way for them.

The advance commenced at4.15am and the History of theWelsh Division described it as:

“one of the most magnificentsights of the war. In the words ofofficers of a neighbouring divisionwave after wave of men were seenadvancing without hesitation andwithout a break over a distancewhich in some places was nearly500 yards.”

Amongst those from the SwanseaBattalion who distinguishedthemselves was Lieutenant FrankHawkins who had been a member

of the Glamorgan Constabularyprior to the war but left the Forceto run a public house inPontypridd. He played rugby forthe Glamorgan Police team, forPontypridd, and for Wales in twointernational matches in 1912,against Ireland and France. Duringthe course of the battle hedisplayed great courage whichearned him the award of theMilitary Cross, the citation forwhich in the London Gazette for22nd September 1916 reads:

“Temp 2nd Lt. Frank JamesHawkins Welsh Regt. forconspicuous gallantry in action.He attacked a hostile machinegun and killed the man working it.He showed great bravery tillseverely wounded.”

LT FRANKHAWKINSMC

On enteringthe Wood thetroops foundthe goingtough. The

war diary of the Swansea Battaliondescribed it as “very thick andowing to the intensebombardment was most difficultto penetrate. The rides were

7


almost indistinguishable and it wasdifficult to keep direction.”

The fighting which followed in theWood was bloody and intense andcontinued for the rest of the day.By the evening, however, theWelsh Division was in control of

most of the Wood. The exhaustedsoldiers dug in for the night.

The following day, 11th July, theWelsh made further attacks andthat evening they were relieved bythe 21st Division whichproceeded on 12th July to

German ammunition wagons destroyed by British artillery fire in Mametz WoodJuly 1916 © IWM (Q874)

Mametz Wood, 10th August 1916 © IWM (Q860)

8


complete the capture of theWood following the withdrawal ofthe German troops. Ultimatelysuccess was achieved but it cameat great cost. Nearly 4000 men ofthe Welsh Division were killed,wounded or missing.

Fred Smith, who had been aGlamorgan Police Inspector atBridgend before the war but nowcommanded the Cardiff CityBattalion, summed up thechallenges faced by his men in aletter to a police colleague,

Captured German gun, Mametz Wood10th August 1916 © IWM (Q1038)

British Ambulance, Mametz Wood, July 1916 © IWM (Q4015)


Superintendent W. Davies ofBridgend, quoted in the “WesternMail” of 26th July 1916:

“We have passed through a veryeventful period the last fiveweeks, and were in the heavyfighting of the 7th, 10th, 11th,and 12th of July. Our menacquitted themselves well, butmany have fallen. I could saymuch more which would interestyou, but the censor must beobeyed. We have lost eighteenout of our old officers, but modernshell and machine gun fire is suchthat the toll of the attackers mustbe great. My chaps took amachine gun from the big wood. Ihave it still on our wagons. Thoseinfernal things are the most to bedreaded of all the modern enginesof war, and take the greatest toll when resolutely fought.”

The fighting at Mametz Wood would touch communities across Wales - from remote hillside farms in Snowdonia, to villages in Carmarthenshire and to the towns and valleys of South Wales. Remembrance of the bravery and sacrifice of the men who were there has passed down the years and continues to the present day.

The Welsh Dragon Memorial at Mametz Wood

Mametz Wood today

9


Richard (or “Dick” as hewas popularly known)

Thomas was anotable figure in thecommunities ofSouth Wales

through his serviceas a police officer

and also hissporting prowessparticularly as a

Welsh internationalrugby player.

He was born at Ferndaleon 14th October 1881and joined theGlamorganConstabulary on4th November1904. Hepreviously workedas a collier. Heserved as apoliceman in theAberdare, YstradMynach and Bridgend

Divisions of theForce. On 16thAugust 1913, hewas promotedto sergeant and wasstationed atBridgend at thecommencementof the FirstWorld War.

Dick Thomas isseated far right

RICHARD THOMAS THE POLICEMAN

10

11


Dick Thomas madea name for himselfas a rugby player inthe years beforethe First WorldWar. It was a timewhen the gamewas developing atclub andinternational levels.The Welsh teamwas especiallysuccessful between1900 and 1911, aperiod which hasbecome known as its first “GoldenEra” when it won the TripleCrown six times and beat NewZealand in 1905 and Australia in1908.

Dick played for several clubs-Ferndale, Penygraig, Cardiff,Mountain Ash, Llwynypia, andBridgend-as well as for theGlamorgan Police team which hadbeen established in 1897. He wasdescribed as a hard tacklingforward who did not shirk thephysical challenges of the game.His overall skill as a player thoughmust have been considerable ashe often substituted as a back forthe police team. Anotherprominent rugby playingpoliceman of the era was Fred

Smith who playedfor the GlamorganPolice team andalso Cardiff.Dick was in theGlamorgan Policeteam which playedthe WelshRegiment inJanuary 1914. Itwas the first timethat the Glamorganside had playedagainst a serviceteam which was

regarded as one of the best in thearmy. However, the police team,which had four internationalplayers including Dick, won 9-3.

Dick also featured in the lastmatch played by the GlamorganPolice before the First World Warin March 1914. Ironically, it wasagainst Dick’s old club, Ferndale.The police won 6-3, Dick scoringone of their two tries.

It was whilst playing for MountainAsh that Dick won fourinternational caps for Wales. Thefirst was against South Africa in1906 at St Helen’s, Swansea. Itwas a match Wales was widelyexpected to win, but, as it turnedout, South Africa won 11-0.

RICHARD THOMAS THE SPORTSMAN

12


His next international match wasagainst France in March 1908 inCardiff, the first between the twoteams. Wales won comfortably onthis occasion by 36 points to 4.

The final match of the 1907-08season was against Ireland inBelfast and, again, Dick played atforward for Wales. After a closecontest Wales eventually won 11-5, one of their tries being scoredby Johnny Williams of Cardiff whowas also to die at Mametz Wood.The victory against Ireland meantthat Wales had won the “Grand

Slam” for the first time.Dick’s finalinternational appearance wasagainst Scotland in 1909, a matchwhich Wales won 5-3.

In addition to his internationalmatches, Dick also played for theGlamorgan County team onseveral occasions, including theirmatches against New Zealand in1905, South Africa in 1906 andAustralia in 1908.

Whilst Dick Thomas was highlyregarded in rugby circles as a hardplaying and skilful forward, he wasalso a notable boxer winning the

Glamorgan Police team 1908, Dick Thomas seated second from right. Fred Smith is standing second from right back row.

13


Glamorgan Police heavyweightchampionship on three occasions.In addition he won the Glamorganand MonmouthshireConstabularies assault at armscompetition in 1909.

The “Western Mail” of 4th March1914 carried a report of an assaultat arms competition held at thePark Hall, Cardiff in which Dickfought against a Constable OliverWilliams of the Newport Police in

Wales Grand Slam Team 1908, Dick Thomas third player from left, back row.

Glamorgan Police team1912-13, Dick Thomas seated third from right middle row.

14


the semi finalwith the

referee stoppingthe fight in the first

round in favour of Dick. He hadbeen due to fight against a fellowGlamorgan Police officer, PCCharles Hutchings of Whitchurch,in the final but Hutchings had been injured during his semi finalcontest and withdrew. Dick was,therefore, declared the winner and presented with what thereport described as “ a valuablesilver cup.”

Dick had, however, been lesssuccessful at the fifth WelshAmateur Boxing Championshipsheld, at the Park Hall, Cardiff theprevious month, February 1914,when he had contested the final ofthe heavy weight championship

with a W.H. Bradley of Cardiff afterDick had, in the words of the“Western Mail” report of 16thFebruary, “knocked out W. Scott(St James’s Newport) with twopunches” in the semi final. It was,however, another story in the finalas the report continues:

“Dick Thomas had to face aredoubtable opponent in W. H.Bradley (of Cardiff) in the final.Bradley…. looked very littletroubled when Thomas startedshooting punches at him with rightand left. When the oldinternational tired perceptiblyBradley opened out in really classystyle. A shower of upper cuts andstraight lefts soon sent Thomas tothe boards. Before the end of theround Bradley became the firstheavy weight amateur of Wales.”

Dick Thomas’ sporting trophies

15


RICHARD THOMAS THE SOLDIER

Dick Thomas with his wife and daughter

16


Along with many other Glamorganpolicemen Dick Thomas joinedthe 16th Battalion of the WelshRegiment after the outbreak ofthe war. Among those who alsodid so were Inspector F.W.(“Fred”) Smith and Sergeant J.R.Angus both of whom had beenmembers of the Glamorgan Policerugby team.

Dick joined as a private soldier inJanuary 1915 but his qualities ofleadership were soon recognisedand he was in due coursepromoted to be companysergeant major.

He landed in France with the 16thBattalion as part of 115th Brigade,38th (Welsh) Division on 4thDecember 1915. During its earlydays on the Western Front thebattalion suffered casualtiesincluding its then Commanding

Officer, Lieutenant Colonel FrankGaskell who was shot by a sniperand died of his wounds on 17thMay 1916. He was buried thefollowing day and the BattalionWar Diary records that FredSmith and Dick Thomas wereamong those who attended.

It was during the Cardiff CityBattalion’s attack on MametzWood amidst heavy fire that DickThomas became one of nearly 300casualties the Battalion sufferedthat day. Many years later asurviving veteran of the attack,William Davies, described what hesaw in an interview with the BBCre-broadcast in August 2014:

“I remember one man, he was an old Welsh rugbyinternational forward. CSMDick Thomas from MountainAsh. He was CSM in the CardiffCity Battalion. He was a big,huge man. Lying down in frontof me, not far in front of meand he got up on his knees andtwo hands you know, knees onthe ground. Went down head tothe ground. Killed like that. Justin front of me. And I hid behindhim all day.”

Dick’s Glamorgan Police colleagueand Commanding Officer of his

J.R. Angus and Fred Smith in theirrugby playing days far from thebattlefields of France

17


Battalion, Fred Smith, wrote to hiswidow on 15th July 1916:

“I am deeply grieved to tell youthat your husband, my old friendDick, was killed in action on the7th July whilst attacking a wood.He died at once and did notsuffer. I had already recommendedhim for the Military Cross for hisgallantry and splendid example tohis men. Poor Sergeant Harris(late of our force) was killed atthe same time, and of coursemany others in the Battalion. Weall miss Dick’s smiling face, andwish he could return to us, andwe all extend to you our sinceresympathy on this your great loss,yours, Fred Smith, Lieutenant-colonel, O.C.”

The Glamorgan Gazette for 21stJuly 1916 carried the followingreport under the heading “LocalConstabulary Heroes-International Footballer Killed”:

“The terribleness of the war isbeing brought home to us lately inBridgend.” Thus said the Rector ofCoity (Rev. T.P. Price), writing fromCardiganshire, in a sympatheticletter to the bereaved widow ofCompany-Sergeant-Major RichardThomas, of Bridgend, formerly amember of the GlamorganConstabulary; and the truth of thisremark is almost daily insistentlybeing brought home to us, as onefamily after another is plungedinto grief, and the community,knowing the families and thecircumstances, is called upon tomourn with the mourners. Thefirst announcement of the deathof Company-Sergeant-MajorRichard Thomas came fromRegimental Sergeant Major JohnThomas, who was his fellow policesergeant at Bridgend. In a letter tohis wife, written on July 10th andreceived on Saturday afternoon,Company Sergeant Major JohnThomas said:-“Just a line to letyou know I am all right. Wish Icould say the same about all theother boys. Poor Dick Thomas waskilled yesterday morning wherethe big fighting that you readabout in the newspapers is goingon. Captain Herdman and he wereleading the company into action,

Fred Smith asCommandingOfficer of theCardiff CityBattalion

18


and Dick was about the first to beknocked over. The captain waswounded. Bob Harris was alsokilled near the same spot. Trinderwas wounded and is now inhospital. No doubt it will be aterrible shock to Mrs. Thomas.Colonel Smith is all right, but weare very much upset over the lossof Dick. He used to keep the lot ofus alive with his jokes.”“

The “Bob Harris” referred to (alsoexceedingly popular amongst theofficers and men of the GlamorganConstabulary) was formerly Sergt.R. J. Harris, who was stationed atAberkenfig, and for a time atNantymoel, and whose home wasat Llechwaun Farm, Ynysybwl.Both were in the same battalion ofthe Welsh Regiment, joining withInspector Fred Smith. “Trinder” isPC William Trinder who wasstationed at Caerau, Maesteg. Hishome is in Gloucestershire.Captain Herdman, who waswounded in the abdomen andboth arms, is a Bridgend boy, anda son of the late Mr. J. Herdman,mining engineer to the DunravenEstate, a position to which a fewyears ago Capt. Herdmansucceeded on the death of hisfather.”

The report concluded with theseremarks about Dick Thomas:

“Only a few weeks ago he spent abrief furlough with his family atBridgend. He was of a genialdisposition, and was extremelypopular not only as a footballplayer, but as a police officer inevery place where he had beenstationed. He was 36 years ofage, and leaves a widow and twochildren to mourn the loss of onewho was well beloved by all hiscomrades, and by all the peoplewho knew him in the sphere inwhich he moved.”

A Sergeant Caleb Morris ofAberdare wrote a poem as atribute to the members of theGlamorgan Constabulary who hadserved during the war. One verseis dedicated to Dick Thomas:“Another hero, strong and tall,A master with the gloves and ball,A football player, lithe and bold, An International of old. He won his cap for strength and dash -

I mean Dick Thomas, Mountain Ash;

A Sergeant Major at the FrontWas in the van, as e’er his wont.Poor Dick is numbered with the slain,And buried on a foreign plain...”

19


The attacks by the Welsh Divisionon Mametz Wood, as we have seen,took a terrible toll and Dick Thomaswas not the only police officer fromSouth Wales to fall during thosedays. They too should not beforgotten and we give brief detailsof them. They were, like Dick, fromthe Glamorgan Constabulary. Theyserved in the same police force anddied as soldiers on the samebattlefield.

They and Dick have no knowngrave. They are all commemoratedon the Thiepval Memorial to theMissing of the Somme along withsome 72,000 other soldiers fromBritain and South Africa.

POLICE CONSTABLE 122ROBERT JOHN HARRISGLAMORGAN CONSTABULARY

Robert (“Bob”)Harris was bornon 20th January1887 atYnysybwl, theson of Mr andMrs John Harrisof Llechwen

Farm, Ynysybwl, Pontypridd.He was a collier before joining theGlamorgan Constabulary on 31stOctober 1908 and at the time ofthe Census of 1911 he was servingat Nantymoel. He subsequentlyserved at Aberkenfig.

After the outbreak of war he joinedthe Welsh Regiment and servedwith the Cardiff City Battalion. BobHarris was killed in action duringthe Battalion’s attack on MametzWood on 7th July 1916. Asubsequent newspaper report of hisdeath describes him as being“exceedingly popular among theofficers and men of the GlamorganConstabulary.”

BROTHERS IN ARMS

SERGEANT 23140 16TH BATTALIONWELSH REGIMENT

“So Long Butty” or ”So Long Taff,”Mametz Wood, 1916 by Jack Sullivan

20


POLICE CONSTABLE 205EDWARD BERESFORD GLAMORGAN CONSTABULARY

EdwardBeresford wasborn on 15thMay 1888. Hisplace of birth isgiven in SoldiersDied in the GreatWar as Old Hill,

Staffordshire but the Census of1911 states that he was born inNetherton, Worcestershire whilstGlamorgan Police records show it asDudley, Worcestershire.

He joined the GlamorganConstabulary on 20th August 1910and at the time of the Census of1911 he was lodging at 44 HighStreet, Barry.

At the start of the First World Warhe was a constable stationed atPenarth. He then joined the armyon 7th September 1914 servingwith the 8th Battalion of the SouthStaffordshire Regiment, andeventually attaining the rank ofsergeant. His Battalion landed inFrance on 14th July 1915.

On 9th July 1916 the Battalion wasordered to attack QuadrangleSupport Trench on the Somme in

order to assist the attacks beingmade by the 38th (Welsh) Divisionon nearby Mametz Wood. At firstthe Battalion’s attack was successfuland part of the trench was capturedbut German counter attacks laterforced the Battalion to fall back. Itwas during the fighting on 10th Julythat he was killed in action.

The Western Mail of 31st July 1916reported:

“Killed: Sergeant Beresford, SouthStaffordshire Light Infantry, whoprior to the war was a policeconstable stationed at Penarth.According to a letter received atCardiff the gallant non-com diedwhilst leading his men forward in anight attack, which was ultimatelysuccessful. The letter was from anofficer of his battalion, who giveshim a splendid name for valuableassistance rendered both in and outof the trenches. Deceased was asingle man, and had been in thecounty constabulary for four years.He volunteered for military serviceon September 7, 1914.”

Another contemporary newspaperreport states that he was the son ofEdward Beresford of Pentre,Rhondda and that he had threebrothers also serving in the army.

SERGEANT 14215 8TH BATTALION, SOUTHSTAFFORDSHIRE REGIMENT

21


POLICE CONSTABLE 766WILLIAM HENRY LOUDGLAMORGAN CONSTABULARY

PC Loud was bornin Worle,Somerset in 1894but subsequentlymoved with hisfamily to live inSouth Wales. At the time of the

Census of 1911, he was living at 28Tallis Street, Cwmparc, Rhondda withhis parents, Robert and Ellen andother members of the family. He wasone of eight children, with five sistersand two brothers. At that time hewas employed in the coal mines as acollier/hewer.

He joined the GlamorganConstabulary in 1914 and served inMaesteg. After the outbreak of warhe enlisted in the army serving withthe 10th (1st Rhondda) Battalion ofthe Welsh Regiment. He went withthem to France in 1915 as part of the38th (Welsh) Division and took part inhis Battalion’s attack on MametzWood on 10th July 1916 when he waskilled in action.

POLICE CONSTABLE 89WILLIAM EDWARD TRINDER GLAMORGAN CONSTABULARY

PC Trinder was from Gloucestershirehaving been born in Winstone,Cirencester on 21st May 1886. He was the son of James and JoannaTrinder.

He joined the GlamorganConstabulary on 5th December 1908and was stationed at Caerau nearMaesteg from where he joined thearmy after the start of the war. Heserved with the 16th (Cardiff City)Battalion of the Welsh Regiment withwhom he went to France inDecember 1915.

He took part in his Battalion’s attackon Mametz Wood on 7th July 1916and was killed in action.

SERGEANT 23311 10TH BATTALIONWELSH REGIMENT

LANCE CORPORAL 32681 16TH BATTALIONWELSH REGIMENT

22


REMEMBRANCE

The Roll of Honour to the fallen from the Glamorgan Constabulary


Designed and Printed by South Wales Police Print Department. Print Ref: 2131

THE THIEPVAL MEMORIAL

South Wales Police wreath laid at the Thiepval Memorial, April 2015

policeman •sportsman •soldier · danny richards, robin mellor, peter wright, paul wood, daryl...

Documents