Any Info on 15563 Rhys Roberts Please?

[BennytheBall]

Hi to all our Forum researchers,One of our branch members' is trying to find out any information on an uncle of his, he was 15563 Rhys Roberts from Nant-Gwyn-Nant, Begerlet.He might have enlisted into the RWF WW1 but went to the 17th Bn Liverpool Regiment.He was KIA at Flanders on the 14th Jan 1916.Any info on him please would be much appreciated, keep up the good work.Best RegardsBennytheBall

[Baconwallah]

Pte Rhys (also Rees and Ross) Roberts 15563 Liverpool Regt, born Beddgelert, Caernarfon, enlisted at Liverpool, date unknown, and embarked for France 07/11/1915. He died, age 24, on 14/01/1916 ('died' can mean anything, died of wounds, died in accident or of sickness). His grave is in Cerisy-Gailly Military Cemetery, Cerisy, Somme.

I can find no record of any RWF service.

Hope this helps, Benny.

John

[Hywyn]

From a local newspaper around the time of his death. Got a (not very good) photo if needed.
"Whilst preparing a bomb for discharging at the enemy ‘somewhere in France’ on January the 14^th Pte Rhys Roberts of the 17^th (Service) Battalion King’s Liverpool Regiment was accidentally killed along with two comrades owing to an explosion. Pte Roberts left with the first lot of Liverpool Pals who went to the front. He lived at 3 Wadham Road, Bootle before enlisting and was the son of Mr William Roberts of Bwlch Farm, Beddgelert. He was well known at Portmadoc from where he went to Bootle. Whilst at Portmadoc he joined the 1^st 6^th RWF. He married last summer and his wife is a native of Benllech, Anglesey. A member of Stanley Road Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church he was one of 80 others who joined the colours from that place of worship."

The 1st 6th reference is, I'm sure, a reference of his time as Pte 683 in the TF from 1908 to 1913.
I'm sure I have seen articles about that Stanley Rd Chaple- their Memorial. I'll have a think.

His brother William Roberts enlisted under age as 25939 in 17th RWF from 19/4/1915 to 24/9/1915 Said he was 19, he was 12 in 1911. He later enlisted/called up as Pte 92078 in RWF but I can't find any more yet on that number. Subject to the others confirming it I make that number enlisting aroud June 1918 so maybe he didn't get overseas until after armistice, that is if he went at all. He wasn't renumbered in the 1920 renumbering to the seven digit numbers, not with RWF at any rate.

Census show two other brothers. Pierce M and Robert. Can't pinpoint them to Beddgeleret area. Let us know if they are in another area by wartime.

Hywyn

[Hywyn]

Re Stanley Road Chapel. The Jeeeermans wot bombed Stan Boardmans' chippies also got the Chapel. The WW1 Memorial survived though. Scroll down to the bottom of this blog by Hywel Roberts, (ex?) Mayor of Caernarfon who was baptised there a couple of years before it's demise. There may be some on here who know Hywel to ask if he has photos of the Memorial if none are available? Rhys is bound to be on it I should think.

http://blogs.caernarfonherald.co.uk/hywelroberts/



Hywyn

[ap1]

Thats a great post Hywyn, the newspaper article brings him to life and gives a small window into his life via the chapel link, joining with Pals and his accidental death. Of course, then you start to wonder how the widows life panned out over the following years.

Thanks

Al

[Hywyn]

Whilst tidying up my stuff I saw that 25938,the number immediately previous to William when he enlisted under age, was allocated to Richard Humphrey Roberts of 6 Gwynant, Beddgelert. Their papers show that they enlisted same date, 19th April 1915, at Llandudno. Richard was one of three killed on 27th July 1916 whilst the 17th were in the trenches, consolidating & wiring. They had of course just gone throughthe Mametz action just over a fortnight earlier.
25940 was Iorwerth Parry from Clwb Street, Beddgelert who seems to have survived.


Other numbers either side are then from other towns/villages. Looks like the three Beddgelert lads all went off to Llandudno to join together.

[Baconwallah]

Subject to the others confirming it I make that number enlisting aroud June 1918 so maybe he didn't get overseas until after armistice, that is if he went at all.
Hywyn

I have 91785 and 91787 enlisting 11/06/1918 so mid to late June would be about right, I think. Both these men embarked for Italy 05/11/1918, missing the war by a few days.

John

[Clive Hughes]

Rhys Roberts appears on the Benllech War Memorial, with the address Bryncelyn, and also on the associated Llanfair-Mathafarn-Eithaf panel of the North Wales Heroes' Memorial Arch in Bangor, Gwynedd.

Unsurprisingly, there is also an R.Roberts on the Beddgelert panel of the Arch which may well be him.

His headstone at Cerisy-Gailly has the Welsh personal epitaph "Cu Iawn Fuost Gennyf Fi" (last word mis-inscribed 'Genuyf') - "You were very dear to me" - from the 2nd Book of Samuel, Chapter 1 verse 26, and used a few times on CWGC headstones in Belgium. I suspect it was already commonly in use on civilian headstones before the war.

I'm pleased to have learned more about him through this thread, thanks all.

Clive