5 Bn SWB (Pioneers)

[grahamd]

Happy St Davis Day.
Could any of you WW1 experts advise if there might have been members of the 5Bn SWB which I understand was Service Bn recruited from withe rank of Dvr? I have tracked a newspaper article from Aberystwyth in 1917 which refers to a Dvr J Walker and a Dvr Daniel (I believe my grandfather from the address), but I can't trace his service record. From the medals list I have found a J Walker Regt number 17667 and a D Daniel Regt number 17666, both showing 5 SWB. I know lots of WW1 service records were destroyed in WW2, and assume these were part of those missing. Would a Pioneer Service battalion have had Dvrs? Thanks in anticipation.

[welchboy]

5th (Service) Battalion, S.W.B., was a Territorial Battalion formed at Brecon September, 1914 and came under the orders of the 58th Brigade, 19th (Western) Division.
Moved to Park House Camp, Tidworth and was in billets at Basingstoke by December 1914
10.1.1915 converted to a Pioneer Battalion and left the 58th Brigade, moving to billets in Burnham the same month.
March 1915, moved again to Bulford and from there in April, 1915 moved to Perham Down.
Finally landed at Le Harve on 16.7.1915.

[welchboy]

Reference to D. Daniel 17666 : Medal Card records him as David J. Daniel, Private, 5th Battalion South Wales Boarderers. Entered Theatre of Operations France 17.7.1915. Awarded 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. Placed on the Class Z Reserve List 3.3.1919.

The Class Z Reserve was created by Army Order on 3.3.1918 and abolished 31.3.1920. It where those after being demobilised could be returned to serve if called upon to do so