Llangwm is a small village, situated south of Haverfordwest on the banks of the River Cleddau. It was well known for its shellfish, most particularly cockles, and also for the quality of a vein of anthracite which was mined locally, at Hook Colliery. The village Church is named in honour of St. Jerome. I don't have a transcription of the War Memorial at the moment, so apologies if anyone is missing from the page.

Llangwm War Memorial

 

The Great War, 1914-1918

Percy George Adolph, Private, 13150, Welsh Regiment. Percy had been born at Angle, and was the only son of George and Mary Adolph, later of Continental, Goodwick, Fishguard. He enlisted at Haverfordwest into the Army, and was posted to the 1st Battalion, Welsh Regiment. The battalion was stationed in India at the outbreak of war, and was recalled to Britain, where it joined 84 Brigade, 28th Division on 22 December 1914, at Hursley Park. During January 1915 it moved to France, landing at Le Havre and moved to the Western Front, where it saw its first major action during the Second Battle of Ypres. The 1st Welsh landed on 18 January and spent their first night in France in a cotton shed in the Docks at Le Havre, before entraining the following day for Hazebrouck, and marching to Merris. The 1st Welsh then saw their first taste of the front line trenches at Hill 60. After a spell in the line, they rested a few days before moving back into the line at the Bluff on the night of 15 February 1915. The trenches were in an awful state, and not deep enough for safety and during the next two days, the 1st Welsh lost 28 men killed and a further 29 wounded while bringing the trenches up to standard. Percy was killed here on 17 February 1915. He was just 18 years old, and as his grave was lost in further fighting in the area, he is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium.

 

William Joseph Bevan, Private, 643915, Labour Corps. William was the Husband of E. B. Bevan, of 23, Union Road, Neath. He enlisted at Cardiff into the Army, and was posted to the 67th Company, Labour Corps. Men of the Labour Corps were pressed into service as infantry during 1918, due to the terrible losses suffered by the British that year. William was probably wounded on the southern banks of the Somme Valley, and died of wounds on 23 September 1918. He is buried at Doingt Communal Cemetery Extension, France.

David Harries George, Trooper, 1900, Cavalry. David was the Son of George Protheroe George and Elizabeth Anne George, of Great Nash Farm, Haverfordwest, and he served with the Royal Horse Guards (The Blues). At the outbreak of war, the Blues were stationed at Windsor, and mobilised to join the 8th Cavalry Brigade, 3rd Cavalry Division, and landed at Zeebrugge on 7 October 1914. David served with the Blues through the Battles of Ypres, and returned home ill at some time, probably due to the terrible conditions in the trenches. He died on 8 September 1917, aged 23, and is buried at Llangwm Church Cemetery.

William Henry Hitchings, Private, 203690, East Yorkshire Regiment. William was the Son of Frederick and Sarah Hitchings, of Sprinkle Hill, Hook, Haverfordwest. He enlisted at Cardiff into the Army, and was posted to the 1/4th Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment, which was attached to 150 Brigade, 50th (Northumbrian) Division. It moved to France 16 April 1915, and served with distinction on the Western Front throughout the war. The Division moved to Ypres, where they took part in the Second Battle of Ypres from April to June 1915. During the summer of 1916 the Division were on the Somme, where they fought at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, the Battle of Morval and the Battle of Le Transloy. After spending a winter on the Somme, they moved north to Arras, where they took part in the Arras Offensive of April 1917, and fought at the First Battle of the Scarpe, capturing the Wancourt Ridge. William was killed at Arras on 23 April 1917, aged 21, and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, France.

 

John Hutchings, Private, 201971, Welsh Regiment. John was born at Llangwm. He enlisted at Pembroke Dock into the Welsh Regiment, and was posted to the 18th Battalion, which was attached to 119 Brigade, 40th (Bantam) Division. This Division was formed between September and December 1915, composed of bantam units and others which had a mixture of regulation-height and shorter men. Weeding out of very under-sized or unfit men delayed the training programme, and it was not until late spring 1916 that the Division was ready to proceed on active service. The Division moved to France between 1-9 June, and moved to the front near Loos. Late in 1916 they moved south to the Somme, and fought at the Battle of the Ancre, and remained in the area over the winter. In March, 1917 the Germans withdrew to their shortened line, called the Hindenburg Line, and the 40th Division were one of the Divisions that followed the withdrawal. Later in the year they took part in the Battle of Cambrai, playing an important role in the attack on Bourlon Wood. John was killed in action at Bourlon Wood on 24 November 1917. He is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial, Louverval, France.

Edwin Arthur John, Private, 624939, Canadian Expeditionary Force. Edwin was born at Derby Farm, near Llangwm, on 11 April 1893, the Son of Edwin R. and E. C. John. The family emigrated to Canada in 1904, embarking from Liverpool aboard SS Bavarian on 22 September, and arrived at Montreal. They then set up home at Erskine, Alberta, before moving on to Turgoose, British Columbia. Edwin enlisted into the Canadian Infantry at Stettler, Alberta, on 22 February 1916, and joined the 151st Overseas Battalion, CEF. Edwin then travelled to Britain, where he joined the reinforcements for the 50th Alberta Regiment, which was attached to the 10th Canadian Brigade, 4th Canadian Division. The battalion arrived in France in August 1916, and fought through the later Battles on the Somme in 1916. In April 1917 it took part in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, and remained on the Arras front afterwards, where it took part in The Battle of Hill 70. On 25 August 1917 the 50th Battalion was tasked with the capture of Aloof Trench. Edwin and his brother John were both killed here that day, on 25 August 1917, when Edwin was hit by a sniper during the assault. John fell while cradling the body of his dead brother. Edwin was 24 years old, and is commemorated alongside his brother on the Vimy Memorial, France.

 

James John, Private, 883636, Canadian Expeditionary Force. James was born at  Derby Farm, near Llangwm, on 17 July 1888, the Son of Edwin R. and E. C. John. The family emigrated to Canada in 1904, embarking from Liverpool aboard SS Bavarian on 22 September, and arrived at Montreal. They then set up home at Erskine, Alberta, before moving on to Turgoose, British Columbia. James followed the lead of his brother Edwin, and enlisted at Stettler, Alberta on 1 August 1916 into the 151st Overseas Battalion, CEF, and travelled to Britain, where he was posted to join the same battalion as Edwin, the 50th Alberta Regiment, attached to the 10th Canadian Brigade, 4th Canadian Division. The battalion arrived in France in August 1916, and fought through the later Battles on the Somme in 1916. In April 1917 it took part in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, and remained on the Arras front afterwards, where it took part in The Battle of Hill 70. On 25 August 1917 the 50th Battalion was tasked with the capture of Aloof Trench. Edwin and his brother John were both killed here that day, on 25 August 1917, when Edwin was hit by a sniper during the assault. John fell while cradling the body of his dead brother. John was 19 years old, and is commemorated alongside his brother on the Vimy Memorial, France.

 

William John Jones, Private, 55216, Hampshire Regiment. William was the Son of Thomas and Ann Jones, of Edwards Pill, Llangwm. He enlisted at Inverness into the Army, and was posted to the 2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment. The battalion had been in India at the outbreak of war, and was recalled to Britain where it joined 88 Brigade, 29th Division. The Division took part in the Gallipoli Landings of 25 April 1915, before moving to the Western Front in 1916, where it took the line opposite Beaumont Hamel leading up to the Somme Battles, and was decimated here on 1 July 1916. It then fought during the Battle of Arras in the spring of 1917, and later that year fought at Third Ypres. The Division fought at the Battle of Cambrai in November and December, 1917 before moving back to Flanders early in 1918. The German Spring Offensive hit the British on the Somme on 21 March, 1918, and hit in Flanders just weeks later. The 29th Division fought at the desperate defensive battles of Estaires, Messines, Bailleul and Kemmel, before the war turned in favour of the Allies after a series of successes on the Somme in August. The Division then took part in the Offensive in Flanders, where they took part in the Action of Outtersteene Ridge, and then at the Battle of Ypres. William was killed at Ypres on 20 October 1918. He was 22 years old, and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium.

 

Stephen Arla Phillips, Armourer, 340270, Royal Navy, H.M.S. Aboukir. Stephen was the Son of the late Thomas Phillips, of Cresswell Quay, Begelly, and the husband of Hannah Phillips, of Black Tar, Llangwm. He served in the Royal Navy as a regular, and at the outbreak of war was an Armourer aboard the armoured cruiser H.M.S. Aboukir. Aboukir had been launched in 1900, and at the outbreak of war was sent along with her sister ships Bacchante, Euryalus, Hogue and Cressy to patrol the North Sea. At around 6 am on 22 September the three cruisers were steaming at 10 knots in line ahead and they were spotted by the U-9, commanded by Lt. Otto Weddigen. Although they were not zigzagging, all of the ships had lookouts posted to search for periscopes and one gun on each side of each ship was manned. Weddigen ordered his submarine to submerge and closed the range to the unsuspecting British ships. At close range, he fired a single torpedo at the Aboukir. The torpedo broke the back of the Aboukir and she sank within 20 minutes with the loss of 527 men. The captains of the Cressy and Hogue thought the Aboukir had struck a floating mine and came forward to assist her. They stood by and began to pick up survivors. At this point, Weddigen fired two torpedoes into the Hogue, mortally wounding that ship. As the Hogue sank, the captain of the Cressy realised that the squadron was being attacked by a submarine, and tried to flee. However, Weddigen fired two more torpedoes into the Cressy, and sank her as well. The entire battle had lasted less than two hours, and cost the British three warships, 62 officers and 1,397 ratings. One of the dead was the 45 year old Stephen Arla Phillips. He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent.

James Henry Skyrme, Stoker 1st Class, 296150, Royal Navy. James was the Son of William and Jane Skyrme, of Williamston Terrace, Guildford, Llangwm. He served as a pre-war regular in the Royal Navy, aboard HMS Amphion. Amphion was a new scout cruiser, and was stationed in the English Channel. In the afternoon of 6 August 1914, Amphion was patrolling in the Channel when she struck a mine which had been laid earlier that day by a German minelayer. She blew up and sank almost immediately, with the loss of 150 lives. Among the dead was James Skyrme. He was 33 years old, and is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, Devon. Amphion was the first Royal Naval ship to be sunk in the course of the Great War.

 

James Charles Thomas, Private, 85944, Machine Gun Corps. James was the Son of Mrs. Ann Thomas, of Talyhoo Farm, Llangwm, and had enlisted at Pembroke into the Welsh Regiment at the outbreak of war, being allotted the service number 6462. James was then transferred into the 235th Company, Machine Gun Corps, which was attached to the 12th (Eastern) Division. The Division landed at Boulogne on 31 May 1915, and took over the line at Ploegsteert Wood. They then moved south and fought in the Battle of Loos, and the subsequent actions of the Hohenzollern Redoubt, and remained there until March 1916. By June they were in position at the Somme, and attacked Ovillers on 2 July. They fought at Pozières and Le Transloy before being moved to the Arras area during October, 1916, where they fought in the March 1917 Battle of Arras, taking part in the First Battle of the Scarpe, and the Battle of Arleux. They then fought at the Third Battle of the Scarpe, and helped capture Roeux. The Division remained at Arras until taking part in the Battle of Cambrai in November, 1917. James was wounded and taken prisoner at Cambrai in November, and died of his wounds on 4 December 1917. He was 26 years old, and was buried by the Germans at Caudry. The cemetery is now known as Caudry British Cemetery.

 

Joseph Watkins, Leading Seaman, 1774C, Royal Naval Reserve. Joseph was the Son of James and Margaret Watkins, of Angle, and the husband of Alice Watkins, of 17, Angle. He served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, aboard HMS Champagne. She had been taken over by the Admiralty for service as an auxiliary cruiser, as part of the 10th Cruiser Squadron, and sunk a German submarine in March 1915 whilst patrolling between Scotland and Norway off the Skerryvore Lighthouse. In 1917 she was lent to the French navy and was renamed the Champagne, but retained her British crew, and on 9 October 1917 she was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine whilst in the Irish Sea with the loss of 5 officers and 51 men. Joseph was one of the men lost aboard Champagne that day. He was 38 years old, and is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, Devon. Joseph had been awarded the Russian Medal for Zeal for his part in the sinking of the German submarine in 1915.

 

Arthur Williams, Lance Corporal, 11541, South Wales Borderers. Arthur was born at Llangwm, and had enlisted at Brecon prior to the war, into the 2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers. The battalion had been stationed in China at the outbreak of war, and fought a successful action there against the German garrison at Tientsin. It was then recalled to Britain, where it joined 87 Brigade, 29th Division. The Division took part in the Gallipoli Landings of 25 April 1915, before moving to the Western Front in 1916, where it took the line opposite Beaumont Hamel leading up to the Somme Battles, and was decimated here on 1 July 1916. It then fought during the Battle of Arras in the spring of 1917, and later that year fought at Third Ypres. Arthur was mortally wounded at Ypres in October 1917, and died of his wounds at the Casualty Clearing Station at Dozinghem on 6 October 1917. He was buried at Dozinghem Military Cemetery, Belgium.