Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Book: | Beyond The Five Points | Pgs 320-321 | |
Awards & Titles: | Victoria Cross Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the British Empire Knight Bachelor Privy Counsel Knight of Justice, Order of St. John of Jerusalem Defence Medal (1939-1945) 1939-45 Star War Medal (1939-1945) France & Germany Star (1939-45) Deputy Lieutenant | ||
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The Second World War 1939-1945, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 1/5 The Welsh Regiment |
1/5th Battalion August 1914 : in Pontypridd Moved to Tunbridge Wells in November 1914 and in February 1915 to the Forth and Tay defences in Scotland. 17 April 1915 : attached to 159th Brigade in 53rd (Welsh) Division. Moved to Bedford. Sailed from Devonport 19 July 1915. Landed at Suvla Bay 9 August 1915. 8 October 1915 : amalgamated with 1/5th Bn, forming 4th Welsh Composite Bn. Resumed original identity 10 February 1916/ 11 December 1915 : evacuated from Gallpoli and moved to Egypt. On 3 July 1917, the two Bns formed the 4/5th Bn. |
| Action : War Survivor |
Although many perished in times of national conflict and in the service of their country, many more survived including those interned as Prisoners of War. Stories of those who did survive are included as part of this site, especially those with high gallantry awards, those included against an external rolls of honour and those who had a distinguished career in wartime and military leaderhip.
Detail :
Awarded The Victoria Cross, London Gazette 2 Novemuber 1944 for his actions at The Falaise Road, Matigny, Normandy on Wednesday 16th August, 1944.
"On 16 August 1944 at Barfour, Normandy, France, Lieutenant Watkins' company came under murderous machine-gun fire while advancing through corn fields set with booby traps. The only officer left, Lieutenant Watkins led a bayonet charge with his 30 remaining men against 50 enemy infantry, practically wiping them out. Finally, at dusk, separated from the rest of the battalion, he ordered his men to scatter and after he had personally charged and silenced an enemy machine-gun post, he brought them back to safety. His superb leadership not only saved his men, but decisively influenced the course of the battle."
He is commemorated by a statue memorial at the Millenium Stadium, Cardiff.
See also: VC Online.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | South Wales Jurists' No. 7092 E.C. | South Wales |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
10th July 1951 | 4th December 1951 | 11th March 1952 |
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley