Lives of the First World War

1920

John joined the 2nd Battalion The South Wales Borders well before the war, in April 1906, and later was known to have visited his half sister Margaret at home in 4 Bank Street, Machynlleth. It has been established that he was based in China at the outbreak of World War One. (The following month his battalion was deployed against the German territory of Tsingtao, in one of the lesser-known episodes of the war. Following a siege, Tsingtao was taken by a combined force of Japanese and British soldiers on 16th November 1914). His battalion was subsequently returned to Britain and became part of the 29th Division that deployed to Gallipoli in April 1915. It would appear that he had to endure the horrors of that campaign for several months until they were evacuated to Egypt in January of the following year. John was to have a little rest and they were redeployed to the Western Front two months later, where they were subsequently involved in the battle of the Somme. John must’ve been severely wounded during one of these campaigns as he was discharged from the army in August 1917. He died aged 34 in Tregaron, Cardiganshire on 31st January, 1920.

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