The Swansea Pals, later the 14th (Service) Battalion, Welsh Regiment (Swansea) ('14th Welsh') was a Welsh infantry unit recruited from Swansea in World War I as part of 'Kitchener's Army'. It served in 38th (Welsh) Division and took part in the division's costly attack on Mametz Wood during the Battle of the Somme. The battalion continued serving on the Western Front for the rest of the war, including the Third Battle of Ypres and the final Hundred Days Offensive.
Recruitment
On 6 August 1914, less than 48 hours after Britain's declaration of war, Parliament sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men for the Regular British Army, and the newly appointed Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward. This group of six divisions with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'. K2, K3 and K4 followed shortly afterwards.War Office Instructions No 32 (6 August) and No 37 (7 August).Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 2 & 8. However, these were soon joined by groups of men from particular localities or backgrounds who wished to serve together. Starting in London and Liverpool, the phenomenon of 'Pals battalions' quickly spread across the country, as local recruiting committees offered complete units to the War Office (WO), which constituted the Fifth New Army (K5).
Immediately after the outbreak of war, Alderman T.T. Corker, the Mayor of Swansea in South Wales, proposed to form a home defence force or 'Civic Guard' to protect local industry and infrastructure such as railways and docks when the local Territorial Force battalion, the 6th Welsh Regiment, left the town for active service. One such volunteer unit began to be organised as early as 13 August by the Swansea Football and Cricket Club, which formed a Club Training Corps and established a rifle range under the grandstand of St Helen's Rugby and Cricket Ground. It soon numbered over 100 men. However, the mayor was advised that the creation of home based units was not a priority for the WO (although the Volunteer Training Corps was organised nationally as the war progressed). The mayor and corporation then turned their attention to assisting 'Kitchener's Army'. Two prominent local businessmen, Sir Alfred Mond of the Mond Nickel Refinery, and F. Cory Yeo of the Graigola Colliery, both based at Clydach, independently offered funds to raise a battalion in Swansea, and on 16 September the mayor held a public meeting at the town's Albert Hall. This meeting enthusiastically agreed to form a Swansea battalion of the Welsh Regiment. The WO promptly accepted the offer and advertisements and further public meetings publicised the new unit, whose recruits were invited to enlist at Swansea Guildhall. By 25 September over 274 volunteers had signed up including the nucleus from the Swansea Training Corps. They were being drilled at St Helen's cricket ground, while the recruiting office had moved to the better suited Mond Buildings in Union Street. Major Henry Benson, DSO, a retired officer of the East Surrey Regiment who had family connections with Swansea, was appointed as the battalion's first commanding officer (CO) with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. Dyson Brock Williams, a prominent Swansea resident and member of the cricket club, who had been involved in recruiting the battalion, became Captain and adjutant, and was promoted to Temporary Major in May 1915. Another early officer was the Mayor's son, Llewellyn Corker, who had initially enlisted as a Trooper in the Glamorgan Yeomanry but was now commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Swansea Battalion.Frederick, pp. 295–7.Lewis, pp. 17–32, 41, 53.Marden, pp. 282–8.Munby, pp. 1–3.Welsh Regiment at COs of World War I.Munby, pp. xiii–xiv.
Another meeting, held at Cardiff under the chairmanship of David Lloyd George on 28 September, led to the formation of the 'Welsh National Executive Committee' (WNEC), which proposed to raise a complete Welsh Army Corps of two divisions. This proposal was authorised by the WO on 10 October, and the Swansea Pals became part of this larger effort. However, the initial surge of volunteers was already receding: by mid-October the Swansea battalion had reached a strength of 436 but further recruitment efforts would be needed to bring it up to the required strength of 1381 other ranks (ORs) (four service companies and depot companies). Meetings and fund-raising concerts were held across Swansea and the new battalion held a joint parade with the 6th Welsh even though the Swansea Pals were still wearing their civilian clothes. Eventually the WNEC obtained uniforms in the grey Welsh cloth known as Brethyn Llwyd until sufficient khaki could be obtained. The battalion became the 14th (Service) Battalion of the Welsh Regiment and on 2 December it went by two special trains to Rhyl in North Wales to join 2nd Welsh Brigade of 1st Division, Welsh Army Corps (which were redesignated 129th (2nd Welsh) Brigade and 43rd Division shortly afterwards). The other three units in the brigade were the 10th (1st Rhondda), 13th (2nd Rhondda) and 15th (Carmarthen) Battalions of the Welsh Regiment.James, p. 83.Welsh Regiment at Long, Long Trail.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 81–8; Appendix 2.38th Division at Long, Long Trail.War Office Instruction No 56 of September 1915, Appendix IX, footnote.Bilton, pp. 16, 217–24.Lewis, pp. 27, 32–53.John, p. 19.Munby, pp. viii–ix.Renshaw, pp. 47–8.
Training On arrival at Rhyl the battalion was still only partially uniformed and equipped, but shortages were slowly filled and training advanced (the battalion brought in two civilian physical training instructors from Swansea). In April 1915 129th Bde and 43rd Division were renumbered as 114th Brigade and 38th (Welsh) Division respectively. By then the WNEC's over-ambitious plan to raise a complete Welsh Army Corps had been abandoned, and the 38th was the only Welsh 'Kitchener' division formed. In May 1915 Lt-Col Benson reported to Swansea Council that the strength of the 14th Welsh was 39 officers and 1144 ORs, still 200 short of its establishment, and urged them to continue their recruitment efforts. By the summer of 1915 battalion training and selection of specialists such as signallers was proceeding well, but with units scattered across North Wales there was no opportunity for divisional training. However, in August 1915 38th (W) Division began to concentrate around Winchester where it trained for open warfare on the Hampshire downland, leaving trench warfare to be learned when the troops reached the theatre of war. 14th Welsh were accommodated in tents at Morn Hill Camp on Magdalen Hill Down. Training with modern service rifles began for 14th Welsh in mid-September and men of the battalion carried out their musketry courses at Chilcomb Range and Rollestone Camp from 21 October. On 6 November 38 (W) Division was warned for service with the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front. Two days later 14th Welsh moved to Hamilton Camp, Salisbury, in order to complete the musketry courses, and mobilisation was completed.John, pp. 29–33.Lewis, pp. 44, 48–64.Munby, pp. 13–6.14th Welsh War Diary, September 1915–May 1919, The National Archives (TNA), Kew, file WO 95/2559/3.
Lieutenant-Col Benson was one of nine battalion COs in 38th (W) Division (all previously retired officers – 'dug-outs') who were replaced by younger men before the division went overseas. He was succeeded on 1 December by Maj Leonard King, from the 7th Middlesex Regiment, a pre-war Territorial Force (TF) unit, who was promoted to Lt-Col. Major John Hayes (formerly of the 3rd Dragoon Guards and later of the Shropshire Yeomanry (TF)) arrived to serve as second-in-command.Lewis, pp. 55, 64, 71, 86.Monthly Army List, August 1914..Middlesex Regiment at COs of World War I.
21st (Reserve) Battalion 21st (Reserve) Battalion, Welsh Regiment, was formed at Colwyn Bay in July 1915 from the depot companies (E Companies) of the 14th (Swansea), 15th (Carmarthen), 16th (Cardiff City) and 19th (Glamorgan Pioneers) battalions of the regiment that were training in the area. As a Local Reserve battalion its role was to provide reinforcement drafts to the parent battalions when they went on active service. Lieutenant-Col Richard Vyvyan commanded the battalion from 19 July 1915 until he was replaced by Lt-Col Charles Young on 13 February 1916. By September 1915 it had moved to Kinmel Camp as part of 13th Reserve Brigade. On 1 September 1916 the Local Reserve battalions were transferred to the Training Reserve (TR) and 21st (R) Bn Welsh became 61st Training Reserve Battalion, though the training staff retained their Welsh Regiment cap badges. On 1 July 1917 it was redesignated 221st (Infantry) Battalion, TR, and on 23 July it joined 196th (2/1st Highland Light Infantry) Brigade of 65th (2nd Lowland) Division at Curragh Camp in Ireland. On 1 November it was transferred to become 52nd (Graduated) Battalion, Cheshire Regiment. It remained at the Curragh when 65th Division was disbanded in March 1918. After the Armistice with Germany it was converted into a service battalion on 6 February 1919, and in April it went to Germany to join 1st Brigade in Western Division of the British Army of the Rhine. The division was disbanded in August and 52nd Cheshires returned to Kinmel where it was finally disbanded on 22 September 1919.Training Reserve at Long, Long Trail.Becke, Pt 2b, pp. 63–5.James, p. 66. Rinaldi.
Service On 2 December 14 Welsh marched from Winchester to Southampton Docks and embarked for France, landing at Le Havre the following morning. It then went by train to join the divisional concentration at Aire on 5 December, with 14th Welsh billeted at Creques, where it resumed training. From 20 to 27 December the battalion was attached to the experienced 57th Bde of 19th (Western) Division for its introduction to trench warfare in the line at Richebourg-Saint-Vaast. Each company was attached to a different battalion of 57th Bde. Afterwards the battalion went to rest billets at Robecq. On 7 January the battalion went up to the reserve billets and next day relieved 15th Welsh for a three-day tour of duty in the front line in front of 'Winchester Street'. The line was quiet, but the battalion lost its first men killed and wounded. It did another spell in the Winchester Street trenches 12–14 January, then 38th (W) Division moved to the Neuve-Chapelle sector, where 14th Welsh held the front line 26–31 January. It then began a period of regular rotation, alternating with 15th Welsh between the front line trenches or brigade reserve at Richebourg, then moved to the trenches at Givenchy in March. There was a steady toll of casualties in the line or from accidents on the bombing range, and that battalion received 68 reinforcement drafts. In April the division took over the line at Festubert, with 14th and 15th Welsh alternating in the front line. The area was so waterlogged that the defences took the form of a series of 'islands'. At night working parties helped the Royal Engineers (RE) to build up the crumbling parapets, a dangerous task when the opposing lines were only away. Intermittent shellfire and sniping caused a steady trickle of casualties when in the line, and further drafts of reinforcements were received.John, pp. 39–60.Lewis, pp. 65–86.Marden, pp. 377–9. Lieutenant-Col King had gone on sick leave in January and was temporarily replaced by his second-in-command, Maj Hayes. King returned during March but was invalided on 4 April and Hayes was promoted to succeed him in command of 14th Welsh.Lewis, pp. 71–3, 86.