Captain
John Lewis WILLIAMS
Infantry
Died: 12th July 1916 - Age: 34

Commemorated:

1. Memorial:Corbie Communal Cemetery Extension
2. Book:The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918Pg.138
3. Memorial:The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour1C GQS
    

Awards & Titles:

 

Family :

Son of Edward and Mary Williams, of Llwyncelyn, Whitchurch, Glamorgan; husband of Mabel Williams, of Caercady, Penarth.

Service Life:

Campaigns:

Unit / Ship / Est.: 16/Welsh Regiment  

16th (Service) Battalion (Cardiff City) Formed at Cardiff in November 1914 by the Lord Mayor and Corporation. November 1914 : attached to 130th Brigade in 43rd Division. Was at Colwyn Bay in December. 28 April 1915 : formation became the 115th Brigade in 38th (Welsh) Division. Moved to Winchester in August 1915. Landed at Le Havre in December 1915. 7 February 1918 : disbanded in France.

Action : The Battles of the Somme 1916 

The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.

Former Welsh International Rugby Football player. WILLIAMS, John Lewis (1882-1916), Wales and Cardiff Rugby wing three-quarter, and coal exporter (Greenslade and Williams). John was born 3 Jan. 1882, the son of Edward Williams, Llwyncelyn, Whitchurch, Cardiff. He was one of the principals in the firm of Messrs. Greenslade and Williams, coal exporters, Cardiff Docks. After playing rugby for Whitchurch he joined the Cardiff club and played his first game for them in 1903. In 1909-10 he captained the Cardiff XV. He played for Wales seventeen times between 1906 and 1911, in which year he retired. He was a member of the British team that toured New Zealand and Australia in 1908 and wrote to the South Wales Daily News and South Wales Echo a series of articles describing incidents on that tour. In the first World War he went to France with a service battalion of the Welch Regiment and held the rank of Captain. He died 12 July 1916 from wounds received in action whilst commanding C Coy.

Masonic :

TypeLodge Name and No.Province/District :
Mother : Glamorgan No. 36 E.C.South Wales

Initiated
Passed
Raised
13th December 1912
14th February 1913
11th April 1913
 

Source :

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Additional Source:

Last Updated: 2019-11-11 09:41:32