As part of the commemoration of the First World War, the museum will be publishing a monthly bulletin on what the Regiment was doing that month 100 years ago. The July bulletin has some background information and a brief history of The Herefordshire Regiment. The War diaries exist from July 1915 and these will form the basis of the bulletins.
A – Casualties 1914 – 19 Intro A – Casualties 1914 – 19 1st Bn A – Casualties 1914 – 19 other
B – Honours & Awards 1914 – 19
1918 Nov Part 1 1918 Nov Part 2
1918 Oct -Part 1 1918 Oct – Part 2
1918 Sep Part 1 – 1918 Sep Part 2
1918 Aug – Part 1 1918 Aug – Part 2
I would like to learn more about the 1st Bn. at the First Battle of Gaza. I am trying to research the history of Cpl. Thomas Duffty who died 27 Mar 1917 and whose parents lived in Chapel Cottage Brilley. i suspect he also served at Gallipoli. I am available to visit Hereford if the records are available for viewing.
Grandfather George Arrowsmith served throughout ww1 in Herefordshire 1/1st battalion
There is a photo here – http://www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk/items/26114 – of volunteers at Llandrindod Wells. At least three of them joined the Herefordshire Regt, and I know that one of them (my grandfather Emlyn James) enlisted on 11 September, so I assume that the others also enlisted in the Herefords at the same time. The local newspaper (Brecon and Radnor Express) contains excerpts from their letters, particularly during the Gallipoli campaign. I look forward to publication of the diaries.
The September bulletin refers to the number of men recruited in one month as a proportion of the male population of Herefordshire. In fact at least some men were recruited from Radnorshire. Is there any information about how many men were from Herefordshire and how many from outside the county? Apart from Radnorshire, were men recruited from any other counties?
Also, would men from Llandrindod have enlisted in Llandrindod, or did they travel to Hereford to enlist?
Thank you for your two emails and am sorry for the delay in replying. The Herefordshire Regiment had a Company based in Radnorshire in 1914, with Headquarters in Rhayader and a detachment in Knighton. The connecton with Radnorshire went back to 1860 and ceased in 1920.
With regards to your enquiry re numbers of men from Radnorshire, I will have to do some further research and come back to you. The men in Llandrindod would almost certainly have had to go to Hereford to enlist. There will be a number of men from Gloucestershire as the Regiment had a Company in Ruardean in the Forest of Dean.
With regards to your grandfather, do you have service number for him? This will be a 4 figure number and if yu have his medals the number will be on the rims.
Best wishes
John Scott
Asst.Curator
Thank you for your reply. My grandfather’s service number was 2366, but later on he had a 6-figure number (235733) which is the number on his ID tags. If there is any additional information about him in the Herefordshire Regt archives, I would be very interested. Equally, if there is information about other men from Radnorshire who enlisted at the same time as he did, it might help in putting names to the unknown men on the photo I linked to in in my first post. The two whose names I know who enlisted with him were Frank Edwards (2377) and Tom Edwards (2374).
I am in the process of uploading information about him, and about those of his old comrades that I have any information about, to the IWM Lives of the First World War site.
Dear Sir,
My Great Uncle Wallace Jones Pte 3987/236541 Hereford Regiment roll j/1/106b2 page 599 medal index card. Born 25 May 1898,of 15 New Street, Ross, Hereford was killed 6/11/1917 & is buried e.25. Beersheba War Cemetery he had 3 brother’s serving two being killed E.F.Jones R.F.A & T. Jones K.S.L.I.surviving brother C.J.Jones K.S.L.I.& R.E.(Charles John being my Grandfather ).If you could give me any information on Wallace that would be great & i would like to come down to your museum for a visit. Thanking you Arthur Wood.
Arthur,
Many thanks for your e-mail.
Probably best way forward is to fix a visit to the museum where we could discuss the individuals in a but more detail. If you have any additional info artefacts or photographs it would be useful to see these.
Best is to contact me by e-mail with some dates which you might be able to visit – we are open only by appointment but can manage most days with some notice.
Regards
Andy
Hi John,
Thank you for your reply.
Have been trying to sort dates that i can get cover being a one man band.Bad days for me Mondays & best days some Saturdays can you do weekends ? it might be best for me to fall in with dates that are best for you.Please give me your availability.
But looking forward to our meeting & visiting your museum.
Kind regards Arthur
Susan
Thank you for your enquiy and I am sorry for the delay in replying. The Museum does not hold any enlistment papers for the First World War. However I have looked at the information held on Ancestry and have found the following:
1495/235290 Thamas Matthews served with the Herefordshire Regiment from the 23 June 1914 to 23 January 1919. He was aged 24 years when discharged and recived the British War Medal, Allied Victory Medal, Territorial Force War Medal and the Silver War Badge.
155220 Driver Thomas Hubert Matthews served with the Royal Field Artillary and received the British War Medal and Allied Victory Medal.
Service papers do not appear to have survived for either of the above persons. Without further information regarding the person you are researching, I am unable to help further.
Yours sincerely
John Scott
Assistant Curator
Very many thanks for your prompt response.
Kindest regards, Sue
Good day. Im trying to trace my great grandfathers service records. We believe he was in the knighton TA then despatched to Gallipoli
George Edwards Lloyd of the oaks, culvert lane, beguilldy, DOB 17.12.1889
i have seen a photo of him stood on knighton station ready to be sent to hereford but alas i have no more information
I am catching up belatedly with your posts. In the December 1914 post, you include the photo of Llandrindod volunteers with the comment “reputed to include Frank James EDWARDS (and his brother Thomas) John Emlyn JAMES and possibly Bromage as well.” I can confirm that Emlyn James (my grandfather) is the man kneeling second from left in the front row, bareheaded: Frank Edwards is standing on the left, wearing a hat, with his arms folded: and I believe that Tom Edwards is standing at the far left, bareheaded. These three men, together with A. H. Berry and Alfred Bromage, remained together for much of the war. There is a better copy of the photo at this site: http://www.peoplescollection.wales/items/26114
I had a look at the Brecon & Radnor Express online to see whether the paper had published Col. Drage’s letter about the Christmas dinner but I couldn’t find it. I did discover that back in Radnorshire Mrs Drage was organising a Christmas entertainment for the families of Presteigne men serving with the forces. http://cymru1914.org/en/view/newspaper/4093491/6/ART120/drage
Another photo in the December 1914 post shows a group of men in Aberystwyth. One of them looks like my grandfather (Em James, far left): and the one on the far right seems to be Tom Edwards. I’m interested in the one named as Ted James, in the back row: could he be my grandfather’s brother Wyndham Edward (Ted) James? According to Lives of the First World War, he was in the Machine Gun Corps, Service #36849: did he start off in the Herefords? Or is this an entirely different Ted James? Do you have any information that might help?
Alathea
Thanks for yours of 9 May and I apologise for the delay in replying.With regards Wyndham Edward (Ted) James I can confirm that he served as 36849 Corporal James in the Machine Gun Corps (MGC). He was awarded the Military Medal, British War Medal and Allied Victory Medal. It is possible that he originaly enlisted in the Herefordshire Regiment before transfering to the MGC.His Medal Index Card only shows the Machine Gun Corps so this means that he only served overseas with the MGC. Unfortunately there appear to be no surviving service papers available for him.
Your sincerely
John Scott
Assistant Curator