Kia November 4th 1918 age 19, Welsh Guards, RWF, Welsh Regiment

[Jerry B]

One of two recent additions that fill gaps I had in my great war collection. I have all his service papers as the seller emailed them to me except I don't have his medal rolls as I downgraded my ancestry account a while back. I have his MIC but not the medal roll for the VM and WM.

A victory medal for Samuel Osborne #'s 2289/TR4-21696/58092


Samuel was the son of George and Miriam Louisa Osborne, of Menai Cottage, Bangor, Caernarvonshire.

He had originally enlisted into the Welsh Guards, but was discharged after being found to be under-age and re-enlisted on 7 February 1917, age 17 years and 10 months, joining the 62nd Training Reserve Battalion, the 12th Reserve battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers being sent to Kinmel Park classified as a Young Soldier.

In May 1918 he was posted to France, joining the 9th Battalion, Welsh Regiment, which was attached to 58 Brigade, 19th (Western) Division.

His luck ran out when he was killed in action during the battalions’ final battle of the war, on 4 November 1918 aged 19. He is buried in Cross Roads Cemetery, Fontaine-Au-Bois, France. He was also entitled to the British War Medal, which is missing.

he died less than a week before the end of the war after first joining up too young and even when he died he was still only 19.

He gave his all, let us not forget him.

A brief history of 9/Welsh Regiment.

9th (Service) Battalion
Sept 9th 1914 Formed at Cardiff as part of the K2 Second New Army and then moved to Salisbury Plain to join the 58th Brigade of the 19th (western)Division then moved to billets in Basingstoke, November 1914.
Jan 1915 Moved to Weston-super-Mare and then Perham Down in May 1915.
July 1915 Mobilised for war and landed at Havre and engaged in various actions on the Western Front including;
1915
The Action of Pietre; diversionary action during the Battle of Loos
1916
The Battle of Albert, The attacks on High Wood, The Battle of Pozieres Ridge, The Battle of the Ancre Heights, The Battle of the Ancre.
1917
The Battle of Messines, The Battle of the Menin Road Ridge, The Battle of Polygon Wood, The Battle of Broodseinde, The Battle of Poelcapelle, First Battle of Passchendaele, The Second Battle of Passchendaele.
1918
The Battle of St Quentin, The Battle of Bapaume, The Battle of Messines, The Battle of Bailleul, The First Battle of Kemmel Ridge, The Battle of the Aisne, The Battle of the Selle, The Battle of the Sambre and the passage of the Grand Honelle.
11.11.1918 Ended the war at Wargnies north of Le Quesnoy, France.

[Gunny Hartmann]

Look after them Jerry!....

[kradman]

It's items like this that brings home the waste of life of ww1 ,so near to the end and his luck ran out

[harryamb2]

treasure to hold.

[HPL2008]

Thanks for sharing.

This kind of material always makes me think of the lyrics of Eric Bogle's "The Green Fields of France".

(For those who don't know the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxkhBvO8_kM )

[Jerry B]

so sad when you think he was so keen to join up that he enlisted underage into the Welsh Guards and then tried again when still underage but was accepted as a young soldier. they kept him in training until he was 19, in line with the regulations and then he went to war and lasted less than six months to lose his life with less than a week to go before the end of the war.

Truly one of those who gave their today for our tomorrow.

[jwp]

[Jerry B]

Thanks for this.

[thorne83]

War diary...

[Jerry B]

Thanks very much for the 9th Welsh war diary extracts, it is much appreciated.