Faces of WW1 update

ITV, Western Front Association and NWM - North Wales newspapers are going to be publicising our Faces of WW1 project. Looking forward to receiving many more photographs!

This is Harry Dudley 10th Battalion who fell on 30th April 1916.

29 APRIL 1921 - ON THIS DAY IN ROYAL WELCH HISTORY

Murder of Major GL Compton-Smith by the IRA, 1921
He was serving in Ireland with 2 RWF. During the Great War he had commanded 10 RWF and been awarded a DSO and French Croix de Guerre. On 16 April 1921 he was kidnapped by the IRA as a hostage for the lives of IRA men under sentence of death. When they were hanged he was shot by the IRA. He left his cigarette case to his brother officers and it was found later in the house of a member of Sinn Fein.

19 April 1775 – ON THIS DAY IN ROYAL WELCH HISTORY

Action at Lexington in the War of American Independence, 1775

The RWF were part of a small force sent from Boston to Concord to secure a large store of
arms. Marching through hostile countryside they reached Lexington where the local militia
awaited them and shots were exchanged. These were the first shots fired in the American
War of Independence. On the return journey more serious fighting occurred at Lexington,
before the exhausted force reached Boston. 

Our new poster

17 APRIL 1917 – ON THIS DAY IN ROYAL WELCH HSTORY

2nd Battle of Gaza, Palestine, 1917
Following the failure of the first battle in March a second was lost with even larger forces. This resulted in the 24th and 25th Battalions joined the Territorial battalions in the line-up. After preliminary actions the main battle began on the 19th. It proved to be yet another costly failure. Following major changes in the high command any further attack was delayed until
later in the year.

During the 2nd Battle of Gaza 8 tanks were used to support the attacks. The 53rd (Welsh) Division attacked along the coast while the 24th and 25th Battalions were involved in fighting in the centre of the line. 

16 APRIL 1932 – ON THIS DAY IN ROYAL WELCH HISTORY

1 & 2 RWF met at Gibraltar, 1932
A not very common event which occurred when the 1st Battalion, which was en route home from the Sudan, called at Gibraltar where the 2nd Battalion had been part of the garrison since the previous October.

The attached photo provide a snapshot of life for the soldiers of the 2 RWF on Gibraltar in 1932. 

Special Visitor at the Museum today

Wales' First Minister, Carwyn Jones, came to see us at the Museum today. He was interested to see and hear what we had planned for the WW1 commemorations. He was impressed by our WW1 Faces project which is huge, enjoyed hearing about our plans for a Christmas Truce Exhibition which is going to tour in Europe and kindly tried on one of our new WW1 replica helmets that we have bought especially for school visits.