Remembrance and War Graves

Remembrance

In the churchyard in Pennant Melangell, you will find four gravestones commemorating some of those from the local area who died or who returned profoundly changed and affected by what they endured in the First World War. 

Please also see our blog post for Remembrance Sunday here.

The following biographies have been complied by Llangynog WI and are shared with thanks and kind permission below.

Private Edward Evans

Died 3rd January 1920

Edward was born in 1888 in Llangynog to William and Catherine Evans. In 1891 the three year old Edward was living with his parents and five year old brother, William, at Tyn-y-Coed. By 1901, the family had moved to Berwyn Square and had a Gladys Reese (aged 6) boarding with them. In 1911, the 23 year Edward was still living at home, and was working as a railway porter with the Tanat Valley Railway Company. His father was working as a labourer in a granite quarry and Gladys Reece, now 16, is shown as an ‘adopted daughter’. Intriguingly there is also mention of a one year old Fitzwarren Francis, born in Whittington, who is recorded as boarding with them.

Edward enlisted into the 4th Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. The battalion was in action on the Western Front throughout the war. In 1918 they were involved at the Somme and in the final advance in Artois including making the official entry into Lille. In November they moved to the Bethune area where demobilisation began, with the first parties returning to Britain in January 1919.

Sadly, Edward died at 1 Berwyn Street, Llangynog, on 3rd January 1920, aged 32. His death certificate informs us that he was a railway porter (ex army), and that he died of tuberculolsis. The informant was his elder brother, William. Edward is buried at Pennant, in St. Melangell churchyard.

Statistics of the time show us that after the war was over many were left with considerable scar tissue on their lungs due to the effects of gas. Gas was used liberally by both sides and unfortunately, this scarred tissue was particularly susceptible to tuberculosis attack.

We believe that this is what happened to both Edward Evans and Richard Lewis. This is why they are both quite rightly recognised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and are included in their list of war dead, even though they died over a year after the Armistice was signed.

Private Thomas Lewis

Died 11th November 1918 (Brother of William and Richard Lewis)

Thomas was born in 1891 to Richard and Margaret Lewis. The 1891 census was taken when he was just a few months old and he is recorded as living with his parents, his seven year old brother William (also commemorated on the Llangynog War Memorial), and three other siblings – including Richard, who died in 1918 but is not listed on the War Memorial. A link under the picture of the War Memorial gives information about him.

They were all living at Buarth Glas, Llangynog. By 1901 the family had moved to Pen-y-Buarth, a property very close-by, and now there were eight children in total. In 1911 we know that the 20 year old Thomas was working as a collier’s haulier and living with his uncle, Griffith Lewis, in Treorchy, Rhondda. It was in Treorchy that Thomas enlisted into the East Yorkshire Regiment.

In 1915, the battalion was operating in the Ypres area of France when the Germans used poisoned gas for the first time. From 1915 to 1917 they were engaged in a number of battles, and in 1918 they fought on the Somme in the Battles of the Lys and the Aisne. This left the troops exhausted. In August they were involved in training newly-arrived American troops.

Presumably, some time before the end of the war, Thomas was sent to do duty on Bere Island, near Cork, in Ireland. We simply don’t know why he was sent to Bere Island, maybe to recuperate from the effects of the war. However, we do know he tragically died there, at the age of 28, of influenza, on the 11th November 1918, on the last day of hostilities – Armistice Day.

Thomas is commemorated with his brother William, on a headstone in the churchyard of St. Melangell. Because he was still in military service at the time of his death, his grave is recognised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as having war grave status.

Private William Lewis

Killed in action 31st October 1917 (brother of Thomas and Richard Lewis)

William was born in Llangynog in 1884 to Richard Lewis and his wife, Margaret. In 1891 when William was about seven years old he was living at Buarth Glas, Llangynog with his parents and four siblings – a girl and three boys. Of these four sons, three were to sadly die as a recognised consequence of the war.

In the 1901 census, the seventeen year old William was still living with his parents, but at Pen-y-buarth, Llangynog, and was working as a farm hand. By now he had seven siblings. In 1911 at the age of 27 he was working for and living with a farmer, John Jones, at Lower Sweeney, Oswestry. By June 1915 William had met and married Catherine Ann Davies. Unfortunately they were not to have very long together.

William went to Welshpool to enlist into the Montgomeryshire Yeomanry, and was posted to Egypt in March 1916. Although the Montgomeryshire Yeomanry were initially mounted, by March 1917 they were dismounted and re-roled as infantry becoming part of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. After seeing action and surviving the first and second Battles of Gaza, William found himself fighting the more successful Battle of Beersheba as part of the 20th Corps.

The battalion met with stout resistance at one location where the Ottoman soldiers fought to the last man. Intense hand-to-hand fighting in the trenches continued until the Ottoman trenchline was captured. During this fighting the Royal Welsh Fusiliers captured three quarters of the prisoners and suffered two thirds of the casualties of the 20th Corps. Casualties were: 1,010 wounded, 5 missing and 136 killed – including, sadly, Private William Lewis. He was 33.

William is buried and commemorated at Beersheba War Cemetery, Palestine. He is also commemorated, together with his brother, Thomas, on a headstone in the churchyard at Pennant Melangell. [Please see photograph above]

Private Richard Lewis

Died 8th December 1919 (brother of Thomas and William Lewis)

Richard Lewis’ brothers Thomas and William are both commemorated here on our Memorial Plaque, but Richard is not. He is, however, commemorated on an official British Commonwealth War Graves Headstone, in the churchyard of St. Melangell.

Richard was born in 1882, the eldest son of Richard and Margaret. He was two years older than William and nine years older than Thomas. In the 1911 census, Richard is recorded as married to an Ellen Jane Lewis and had two children one aged two and one aged 7 months. They lived at Ivy Cottage, Llangynog, and his father was living there with them. At this time he was working in the Llangynog Granite Quarries as a waggoner. However, his mother is recorded as staying with her married daughter, grandchildren, and other family members at Little Nut Tree, Llynclys.

Richard joined the 10th Battalion, King’s Own Scottish Borderers, which wasn’t formed until June 1918 in France. It took part in the following operations of the 100 days offensive leading to final victory: The final advance in Flanders and the fifth Battle of Ypres. After Armistice, the Battalion was engaged in road repair and refresher courses for men returning to civilian trades. Demobilisation proceeded rapidly during January and February 1919, and his battalion ended the war in Belgium.

Tragically, Richard Lewis passed away on 8th December, 1919 at the Cottage Hospital, Oswestry. He presumably had returned to quarry work and died from, according to the death certificate “the effects of a fall of stone, causing bruises of skull and vertebra and paralysis which was accelerated by a condition of tuberculosis. He lived just 13 weeks and 2 days.” Private Richard Lewis was 37 years old when he died, and is commemorated with a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone.

Statistics of the time show us that after the war was over many were left with considerable scar tissue on their lungs due to the effects of gas. Gas was used liberally by both sides and unfortunately, this scarred tissue was particularly susceptible to tuberculosis attack.

We believe that this is what happened to both Edward Evans and Richard Lewis. This is why they are both quite rightly recognised by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and are included in their list of war dead, even though they died over a year after the Armistice was signed.

Gunner Thomas Ellis Jones

Killed in action 4th October 1917

Thomas was born in 1893 to farmer, Edward Jones and his wife, Mary. In the 1901 census, the eight year Thomas is recorded as living with his parents and five siblings at Nant-y-Wern, Penybont Fawr, which just so happened to be the next property to Glanafon Uchaf where the eight year old Griffith Evans was living. It seems more than likely that they knew each other well, probably going to school together. By 1911, ten years on, Thomas was living as a farm servant with a farmer, Thomas Davies Jones, at Ty’n Cablyd, Llangynog.

After war broke out he enlisted in Dolgellau into 76th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery as a gunner. A typical gun crew comprised ten men, a sergeant in charge, a bombardier, and five gunners, with three in reserve to bring up the ammunition. When on the move, the eighteen pounder gun was hooked up to a two wheeled limber pulled by six horses in pairs, a driver on the left hand horse of each pair.

The Brigade fought at the Battle of Loos, in 1915, before a Somme campaign the following year. In April 1917 they supported troops of the 4th Canadian Division at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, part of the British-led battle of Arras. Later, July-November the brigade fought in the battle of Passchendaele.

It is very likely that Gunner Thomas Ellis Jones was killed here. He lost his life on the 4th October 1917, aged 24. He is buried and commemorated at Cement House Cemetery, Langemarch, Belgium. He is also commemorated on the Llanrhaeadr war memorial, and in Pennant Melangell churchyard, on the headstone of his parents grave. His mother died just four years later, but his father lived on until 1951.

Burma Star

Meurig Moreton Owen

Died 12th February 2010