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Home » War and Rebellion » First World War (1914-18) » Battles

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A newspaper cutting showing the battle line on the Somme front
Newspaper cutting showing cannons, dead horses and soldiers on the front line during the First World War
  • This letter, dated 10 June 1917, was sent by W. Thomas Williams from the battlefields of the First World War in France. He writes about his recent experiences of the fighting and heavy shelling during the Battle of Messines. This letter comes from a large collection of letters sent by Thomas Williams during the First World War to his parents, Mr and Mrs Thomas Williams, Llanllechid. The following is a translation of the letter: 'Dear Parents, It is Saturday night and I have been up all night. It is fairly quiet at the moment so I am taking this opportunity to reply to Maggie's letter. I was very glad to hear that you are getting on so well. We have commenced upon another major battle and the enemy is up and there is much evil in this part of the country. We are staying in a farmhouse which is not far from the trenches and the land is so flat that the enemy can see everything which is happening. They have air balloons in the sky in front of us and they appear so close that you could almost throw a stone at them. When we arrived here there were people living in these farmhouses and the land had been worked with great care. They work hard to plant peas, potatoes, beans and wheat. About a week ago, when the battle commenced, the old farmers had to run for their lives and abandon everything. The greatest damage was done when our own shells were blown up. They had been stacked in piles nearby and when the shells started ...'
Letter sent from the trenches in France by W. Thomas Williams to his parents in Llanllechid, 10 June 1917 [image 1 of 3]
  • The South Wales Borderers fielded seven battalions (about 3,500-4,500 men) during the opening stages of the Somme offensive on the Western Front in July 1917. On the 16th and 17th July, the 1st Battalion - part of the 3rd Brigade - was at Bazentin Le Petit Wood, near Mametz Wood. The battalion made significant gains, suffering only light casualties - 4 killed and 10 wounded. These messages are from General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3rd Brigade to Commanding Officer 1st Battalion South Wales Borderers and read as follows: 'Message timed at 0122 hrs 16th July 1916 1st Div wire reads following from 3rd Corps Commander which please convey to all ranks begins aaa well done 3rd Brigade and artillery supporting them aaa. Ends.' 'Message timed at 0122 hrs 16th July 1916 1st Div wire reads following from 3rd Corps Commander which please convey to all ranks begins aaa well done 3rd Brigade and artillery supporting them aaa. Ends.' 'Message timed at 445 hrs 17th July 1916 GOC 1st Div desires to express to all concerned in last nights operations arty [artillery] and infy [infantry] alike his appreciation of their splendid effort as the result of which the whole situation on the 3rd Corps front has been materially altered for the better aaa He feels sure that they will carry through further operations with the same precision and dash as they exhibited last night Ends.'
Two field messages sent to the 1st Battalion of the South Wales Borderers after the start of the Somme offensive in July 1916
  • This field message was written on a German Army Message Form by Lieutenant Colonel Burleigh Leach to Colonel C E Pereira (staff officer), 30 October 1914 and reads as follows: 'Can you push the King's formed astride the road - YPRES - GHELUVELT - to restore the line of trenches - when this is done advise our guns put up their range by 200X - at the present they are firing into our old trenches then the line will be restored. Signed: B Leach, Lt Col 1/24th Regt SWBNote: Sorry impossible to move King's at present. R Grant Capt for Col Westmacott (CO 2nd Worcesters). CMG Received. 2.15 pm'.
Field message sent by the Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, South Wales Borderers, during the first battle of Ypres, October 1914
  • David Jones (1895-1974) was born in Brockley, Kent. His mother was an Englishwoman but his father hailed from Holywell, Flintshire, and Jones retained a strong Welsh identity throughout his life. He attended Camberwell Art School between 1909 and 1914 and Westminster Art School in 1919. During the First World War he served as a private with the 15th (London Welsh) Battalion of the Royal Welch Fusiliers on the Western Front. His wartime experiences had a profound influence on his work both as an artist and writer. His first and most famous written work, 'In Parenthesis', published in 1937, provides a vivid portrait of the experiences of a number of ordinary soldiers between December 1915 and July 1916, ending with their tragic slaughter at Mametz Wood.
New Year's Card designed by the poet and artist David Jones, 1918 [image 1 of 2]