The Aberystwyth Comforts Fund 1915-1919

Once it became clear to Britain that the war was not nearing its end in 1915, the home front of Aberystwyth realised that actions needed to be taken to aid the morale of soldiers from the town. The Aberystwyth Comforts Fund (ACF) was launched on June 22nd, 1915 by Sergeant Major Thomas Richard Fear who had retired from his military career and had been living in Aberystwyth since 1908. The Fund’s task involved sending packages to soldiers who once lived in Aberystwyth (of which there were over 1,000) by providing, as the Cambrian News on July 30th, 1915 stated, ‘comforts to the soldiers and sailors on active service abroad’. 

Sergeant Major Thomas Richard Fear and Aberystwyth servicemen

Having written a 12,000-word piece on the importance of the ACF in sustaining morale throughout the remainder of the war, it is difficult to summarise the extent of its influence. Regardless, what is clear from my findings in the samples of letters I had read (dated November 1915, October-November 1916, November 1917 and November 1918) was that many if not all soldiers appreciated the gifts given within the packages, which, throughout the war, were mainly cigarettes.  Aberystwyth soldier J Jenkins, who was serving in France on November 7th, 1915, writes about the cigarettes he had received stating that they were ‘quite a change to the trench cigs’ showing to those on the home front of Aberystwyth how appreciative soldiers were to receive higher quality goods than those in the trenches. This is not to say that cigarettes were the only luxuries sent to soldiers. Other Aberystwyth soldiers such as J Mason,  who served in the BEF through the A Com Regiment on November 11th, 1915, mentions that ‘I can assure you that I and my friends enjoy the cake.’ 

The impact of the Fund became increasingly beneficial as the war continued as Aberystwyth soldiers such as W. Lloyd, who served in the A. Squadron of the Royal Hope in France, wrote on November 5th, 1917, mentioning ‘my boys in my trench were without cigarettes + could not get any anywhere’. At this point, Comforts Fund packages were one of the few sources of luxuries making them even more vital to sustaining morale among Aberystwyth soldiers in the trenches. However, it is important to mention that some packages sent to Aber soldiers such as Tom Rees, an Aberystwyth soldier, serving in Egypt but situated in the Citadel General Hospital, shows that not all luxuries sent to soldiers were entirely successful. He wrote on November 6th, 1917, expressing his thanks for the goods ‘except for the cake which had gone mouldy’. 

While Aberystwyth soldiers clearly valued the goods they had received in the ACF packages, it was evident when reading the letters sent back by soldiers that the actual connection to home was more important to them. A continued sense of community between Aberystwyth soldiers and the home front could be seen through soldiers such as Sailor John Johnson,  who referred to himself as ‘one of the Aber boys’ in November 1915. This phrase remained a constant throughout the war and shows that regardless of the time spent in the trenches, Aberystwyth soldiers still retained a connection to their hometown and was a significant driving force behind their sustained morale. The ACF played a large part in ensuring this as Private Arthur Edwards, who served in France through the 9th Royal Welsh Battalion, wrote in his letter on November 1st, 1916 stating that he was ‘beginning to think you had forgotten me’. However, the contents of the ACF package (like local newspapers) kept Aberystwyth soldiers thinking of home and returning home which other soldiers such as W Morgan, who served in the B Company of the Nelson Battalion in the BEF, also shared hopes for. This can be seen when he wrote on November 4th, 1917 about the ‘hope that the day will soon arrive so we shall all come home’. 

There are many other letters providing numerous perspectives of other Aberystwyth soldiers in regards to the receiving of their Comforts Fund packages, however, this provides an overview to the clear importance that the ACF had in the period from 1915 until the war’s end.

Blog by project volunteer Oscar Seager

Sources
Cambrian News
Comforts Fund Papers, National Library of Wales 

Unusual stories from the Great War

These unusual and more lighthearted pieces of  'war news' appeared in a Welsh newspapers . . .

Saved by a Cat
Autumn 1914 :

“Lieutenant R. Lloyd of the Grenadier Guards became detached from his regiment near the French frontier and was later found in an exhausted condition in a farm outhouse. A cat was found sleeping on the officer’s neck and it is believed the warmth of the animal saved the soldier’s life.”


Flag Day for Horses
September 1916:

“The Flag day for Sick and Wounded Horses of the British Army which was held on Monday 4th September realised from the sale of flags and subscriptions over £49. It is hoped to make this amount up to £50.”
                                                                 

Ducks arrive in Aberystwyth
Autumn 1916:

“A flock of mallard ducks, eight in number, were seen in the harbour on Thursday morning last. They flew from Constitution Hill to Alltwen Cliff and returned again to the harbour. A larger number were seen in the bay a few days later. It is believed that this part of the country will be visited by a larger number of these birds this winter than in the past as the wild ducks which breed on the Belgian swamps will be driven away by the sound of artillery bombardment.”

Blog by one of our project volunteers 

Experiences of Children in Aberystwyth during the Great War - Part 2

School life

Very soon after the outbreak of war there was some discussion in the education authority concerning what school children should taught about the war.  The chairman of the Aberystwyth District Education Committee Mr Percy Wilkinson said at a meeting of the authority In September 1914 that schoolchildren should be instructed about the war, particularly about its causes and the combatants. He did not know if the committee had authority to require head teachers to give that instruction. In reply Mr Peter Jones said that it was doubtful whether teachers would be sufficiently qualified to undertake that duty.  Another proposal was that the war would teach the children geography which would be useful for them. The chairman asked if it would also teach children something about the patriotism of the soldiers. The Director felt that all schools should study Europe in the coming winter, giving head teachers instructions to see that the geography of Europe with special reference to the history of the war be studied in every school. As the Cambrian News reported he declared that,” The war could be used to illustrate the duty of every child to be patriotic and its bearing on their life as a nation and on the future of the British Empire.”

Not surprisingly, there was also some controversy in the education authority about whether German should continue to be taught at the County School but this debate rapidly became entangled with the issue of the person who was teaching it - Dr Davies - who was a conscious objector.   This matter aroused strong feelings amongst everyone including among pupils at the school as it touched on ideas about the values and moral principles on which the war was being fought.

Strong voices on the Governing Body of the school wanted Dr Davies to be dismissed from his post as, although they refused to admit this directly, they feared that his attitude as a conscious objector would have a negative influence on the children’s views on the war. Mr Davies’ opponents led by Alderman C.M. Williams also claimed the children saw the teacher as a coward and a laughing stock who therefore presented a poor example.  At times unsubstantiated complaints were dragged up against Dr Davies though, in reality none had been made against him as a teacher either by parents or pupils.

There was much lengthy and frequently bitter debate during the Governors’ meetings about the rights and wrongs of Mr Davies’ continued employment at the school. All of these discussions were reported in great detail in the local press over several months. In September 1917 a petition was signed by 119 pupils at the school in support of Mr Davies saying that he had never attempted to force his views on them. This backed up representations supporting Dr Davies from the National Union of Railwaymen and the North Cardiganshire Trade Union and Labour Council. Despite this show of support a month later the governors finally voted to dismiss Mr Davies from his post by five votes to four, though they did so crucially without giving any reason for their decision. 

In reaction to this some of the older children, mainly boys, took matters into their own hands.  On November 21 and 22 1917 they  absented themselves from school and  paraded through the town in support of Mr Davies, shouting “The Governors should be shot, shot, shot” and “C. M. Williams should be shot, shot, shot”. The eventual outcome in January 1918 was that the teacher was reinstated and he returned to the school to a “tremendous ovation “from pupils. The case shows how children were giving serious thought to important moral principles that underpinned the war. They were arguing for tolerance and fair play in the face of what they saw as injustice, persecution and tyrannical attitudes that some people sometime labelled “Prussianism”.

On some occasions, children were able to learn directly about the war from hearing about the experience of local soldiers. One such visit was made to Cwmpadarn School in January 1917 by an ex-pupil , Corporal Arthur Williams RFC. He had spent 14 months in France and was spending his first leave in his home village. He gave what the Cambrian News described as an interesting and thrilling account of his experiences on the Somme. For some time he was attached to a French Battery and he said his knowledge of French had been useful and had improved. Corporal Williams also told the story of a lucky escape. Whilst he was performing his duties as a wireless operator in a dug out, the place was blown to pieces by a shell. He was extremely fortunate not to be injured but he did have to be dug out by his comrades after being buried for an hour.

Like many other schools, Aberystwyth County School was extremely proud of its pupils’ contribution as soldiers. At Aberystwyth County School in 1916 a Roll of Honour was established and published in the Ystwythian Magazine. By 1917 264 ex- pupils had joined the colours of whom 16 had been killed, 25 wounded, two had won medals and three had been mentioned in dispatches. Most schools worked hard at raising money for those who were fighting or had been injured, for example there were collections for St Dunstan’s Home for the soldiers and sailors blinded in the war.

Image from National Library of Wales

Another example of school pupils’ efforts to raise money was the Patriotic Concert held on Friday 3 August 1917 by the pupils of the National School, Penparcau in aid of the Darllenfa Sewing Circle. The children acted in musical sketches, gave recitations and sang and all proceeds went to the women to provide funds for making comforts for soldiers on active service.

Image from National Library of Wales 

School children in Aberystwyth made significant contributions to the drive for War Savings. The purpose of the War Savings movement was to raise money to enable the country to continue fighting the war. The children were told for example that fifteen shillings and sixpence would buy 124 cartridges for rifles. Most Aberystwyth schools joined the scheme - Alexandra Road Girls School and the Boys School, Cwmpadarn, Penparke and the County School.  They each had to form an association.  Schools in Cardiganshire as a whole contributed to the War Savings movement through the sale of war savings certificates. By February 17 1917 the schools had contributed almost £1000 to a total of £3816 nine shillings raised in Aberystwyth through the Local War Savings Committee. Head teachers such as Mr Ainsleigh Jones, head of the National School, were credited with the success of the movement. Mr Jones appealed to his pupils to save money during the school holidays and they brought in £40 in the first week of the winter term whilst Alexandra Girls School pupils brought in £23 and five shillings on the first day of term.  

Blog by one of our project volunteers 

Material collected  from Aberystwyth War Items Volumes 1-4 , compiled by George Eyre Evans and Catherine Powell Evans. National Library of Wales

Experiences of Children in Aberystwyth during the Great War - Part 1

There are somewhat limited accounts of events and news concerning the experiences of children in Aberystwyth during the war but a few reports in the Cambrian News between 1914 - 1918 reveal some of their activities and involvement in the war effort.

One activity that girls helped with was knitting for the troops. In the autumn of 1915 the staff and children of Alexandra Road Girls’ Council School received a letter of thanks from Mrs Lloyd George for a large box of woollen comforts – mittens, socks and helmets which they had sent to 11 Downing Street for the National Fund for Welsh Troops. After sending off the items which had been” most willingly and carefully knitted by the older girls”, the staff and girls collected almost £4 to buy more wool so that they could continue with their knitting.

The school also sent items directly to the Cardiganshire Battery.  The Cardiganshire Battery of the Royal Field Artillery had been based in Aberystwyth before the war, being a territorial unit of the 2nd Welsh Brigade. One knitter, Gwladys Harries, was lucky enough to receive  a personal letter from  Major Rea, the commanding officer of  the Battery,  who was delighted with his socks and  lucky enough to find a piece of paper  giving the knitter’s name inside them when he put them on. He managed to find an address and wrote a letter of thanks saying they were the best pair of socks he had ever had and sending his best wishes.

The contribution from boys to the war effort seems to have been made mainly through the Boy Scout Movement.  Very soon after the outbreak of war in 1914 the Scouts raised £18 10 shillings in Aberystwyth through organising, with the help of some ladies, a sale of flowers.  Through Lady Evans of Lovesgrove the money was shared out between the Prince of Wales Fund, the British Red Cross Society and the Belgian Relief Fund.

 In 1916 under the supervision of their Scout master, the Reverend Dr Stephenson, the Scouts set up a collection of all kinds of waste paper, starting first at the north end of the town -   in Queen’s Road and Northgate Street. The price for the paper - £4 a ton -was regarded as quite high so it was felt that if the boys were well supported they could raise a substantial sum.  The proceeds of the sale of paper were given to the War Service Committee’s Fund. The Scoutmaster asked if some patriotic person had a shed where the boys could store the paper. By August 1916 the boys had made £10 from the waste paper collection and arrangements were made to make weekly collections from businesses which were willing to join the scheme. Early in 1917 Aberystwyth, following the example of other towns, took over the system for collection of waste paper mainly because quantities increased as people supported the scheme. The council was able to start collections of tins and jars as well with the Scouts continuing to help.

The Scouts were encouraged in their efforts by their County Commissioner, Sir Edward Pryse, who was serving at the front. He wrote several letters to them which showed how anxious he was that the Aberystwyth troop should be a continued success. In his absence his wife presented badges to the boys who had earned them and she referred to “the excellent manner in which the lads carried out their duties”. 

In September 1918 the Cambrian News offered children a halfpenny per pound for waste paper and cardboard brought to their offices in Terrace Road. As early as May 1916 the Cambrian News had had to be printed in a smaller format due to the increased cost of paper due to shortage.

Another more unusual way in which school pupils helped the war effort was by collecting sphagnum moss.  Sphagnum moss was in great demand during the war for medical purposes. It was not only a highly absorbent material, much more effective than cotton wool, but it also had antiseptic properties. These were extremely valuable when treating wounds sustained in the horrendous conditions of the trenches where so many men died because their wounds became infected. In late 1916 several large sacks of moss were collected in North Ceredigion and dispatched by Aberystwyth War Service Association to the sterilising depots in London. One of the depots said it was in urgent need of as much moss as possible and would be pleased if the helpers would continue to collect it. The importance of the moss is reflected in the fact that Aberystwyth had its own Sphagnum Moss Committee part of the War Service Association led by Mr J Emrys Jones of 43 Queens Road.  In March 1917 Scouts together with County school pupils cycled to Capel Bangor with Mr Emrys Jones and succeeded in filling twelve sacks with moss. 

Children like everyone else must have been affected by food shortagesi n 1917 and  later food rationing in 1918.  On 29th May 1917 an appeal from the Ministry of Food urged everyone - and children were specifically included -to reduce the consumption of bread. One of the most serious shortages by 1917 was of wheat. On a Friday afternoon in October 1917 pupils of Alexandra Road Boys School were given a holiday to gather horse chestnuts to be used in place of grain. They managed to collect nearly two hundredweight which equates to 100 kg. 

Armistice Day on 11 November 1918 was of course a cause for great celebration for the whole town but children played a big part in creating the excited atmosphere. News first reached Aberystwyth at about 10.30am and half an hour later the streets were decorated with flags and bunting. Groups of boys paraded in the streets drumming on any conceivable object that would make a noise. On November 20 an organised procession took place in which all the schoolchildren in the town took part, many carrying banners.  The County School pupils paraded their banner showing the school motto “Nerth Dysg ei Ymdrech.

Blog by one of our project volunteers 

Material collected  from Aberystwyth War Items Volumes 1-4 , compiled by George Eyre Evans and Catherine Powell Evans. National Library of Wales

Interesting War Work – “Mothering” friendless soldiers

An article in the Cambrian News in July 1916 with the above headline focussed on the contribution to the war effort made by Mrs Florence Loxdale of Castle Hill, Llanilar, who was familiarly known in the county as a daughter of Gogerddan. In her interview Mrs Loxdale said she couldn’t nurse and would be of no use on a farm but still wanted to do her bit, in an unobtrusive way so she thought of the idea of mothering soldiers by which she meant keeping in close contact with soldiers who were lonely and without family through sending letters and parcels.

Reproduced by kind permission of The National Library of Wales

At the time of her interview Mrs Loxdale had twenty three boys she was communicating with, of whom ten were from the Llanilar area. The other men were from a variety of countries – England, India, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Russia, Serbia, France and Belgium. She was very interested in each individual and spent her entire mornings every day replying to the letters as she received them.  She also sent her boys parcels and, when she could, bought them items they needed for example, army boots.

After a while she was asked to take on more men but she refused because she felt that if she did she would have to have a secretary to help her which would then dilute the effect of her personal contact with the soldiers who had become friends.

How did she get into this work?  She started out by preparing parcels to send out to local boys and gradually became aware of the large numbers of British and Allied soldiers who were lonely and friendless and had no one to write to. She attended a meeting at Red Cross Headquarters of the Allies in London and was so impressed by the warmth of her reception, particularly by the Serbian Legation who was so grateful for the help they were receiving from Britain and its Allies.

The youngest of her boys was a seventeen year old Serbian who had gone through terrible experiences when Serbia had been invaded and the fate of his parents was unknown. Mrs Loxdale wrote to him every day. She said she often received letters that were very sad and brought tears to her eyes and that it was particularly hard to write to those who were going out to fight for the second or third time. 

There was sometimes though brighter news such as her Belgian soldier who had just been decorated with the Croix de Guerre and the Medaille Militaire for conspicuous bravery.  A South African had also won a DCM for conspicuous bravery in Gallipoli. Mrs Loxdale  particularly admired him because he had paid his own fare in 1914 to come over to Britain to fight on her side even though a few years earlier at sixteen he had been commandeered by the Boers in South Africa to fight against the British. In 1916 he was in hospital but no details of his condition were given.  A Canadian boy was also in hospital having had his shoulder and right arm blown away. A second Canadian had just gone out to France a few days earlier. 

Her French correspondent had no family and she was the only person he had to write to. He asked her for a body belt and money to buy boots and puttees. Her Russian soldier was a prisoner of war and desperately needed a great coat for the winter. Her Australian was one of the original Anzacs who went through the entire terrible Dardenelles campaign. After that he was sent on to Egypt and was fighting there. Her Indian contact was really an Irishman who had worked in India for many years and had been taken prisoner early in the war.  Mrs Loxdale commented in her interview, “You can imagine how anxious I am about them all because they are so splendid and they are doing it all for our sake.” She said she wished that other ladies would consider doing similar work to her as the men were very appreciative, as were the authorities.

Another strong message from her interview was about the urgent need for postal reform. She felt that parcels should be allowed to be sent to hospitals post free. She gave the example of a mother who had prepared a parcel for her son lying wounded in hospital. The mother had managed to get together the things her son needed but the postal charge was one shilling and nine pence and she only had a shilling. Mrs Loxdale said that people like this mother were already sacrificing so much and deserved some help.

Blog by one of our project volunteers 

Aberystwyth soldiers and their memorials

Oswald Robert John Green, Lieutenant, Welsh Regiment

Oswald was born to William Arthur and Sophia Green of the Foundry, Aberystwyth. He was educated at Jasper House and Aberystwyth University.  He held the Royal Humane Society Medal for life saving from drowning. He was always to fore in local sport, excelling in swimming, cricket, golf and particularly football, and was a successful captain of Aberystwyth Football Club before the war. He contemptuously rejected many offers to become professional. A bold trait of Oswald was when any young player received a heavy tackle he always tried to ‘protect them’ and he carried this trait into the battlefields of the Great War. 

Oswald was the husband to Winifred Gwendoline Green, of Buchland House, Neath Abbey, Neath. He joined the 9th Battalion of the Welsh Regiment and he took part in the Battle of the Somme, and the Second Offensive of Ovillers-La Boiselle. The village was captured on 1st July 1916 but at a large cost. Oswald was mortally wounded from this assault and he died of his wounds on the 5th of July 1916, in the hundredth week of the war when casualties were rising dramatically, aged 35. He is buried at Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt-L’Abbe, France. 

http://ww1ceredigion.wordpress.com  
http://somme-roll-of-honour.com/Units/british/9th_Welsh.htm

Edwin Griffiths Jones, Private, 22360, Royal Welsh Fusiliers

Edwin was born in Aberystwyth, the son of John and Susannah Jones. He went to Ysgol Sir Ardwyn County School and graduated  from  Aberystwyth University in 1911, going on to teach geography at the County School. Before the war he lived with his wife, Lily Jones, at 2 Llican Terrace, Great Orme, Llandudno. 

He enlisted at Aberystwyth in the 15th Battalion, Royal Welsh Fusiliers.   On the 7th May 1916, a party of his unit was to raid the German trenches at Fauqissart. Edward was wounded in the raid and he died of his wounds after being evacuated to the Hospital at Merville. He is buried and remembered in the Merville Communal cemetery.

http://historypoints.org/index.php?page=aberystwyth-war-memorial-fww-surnames-f-j

https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/name/755189

http://www.walesatwar.org/en/individual/detail?id=1938

Robert Humphrey Davies, Second Lieutenant, Royal Welsh Fusiliers

Robert was born in Swansea to the Reverend Evan William and Sarah Davies. Robert was a student of Aberystwyth University, where he met his future wife, Rosa Gwendoline Davies, and the pair lived in Dolgoed, Elm Tree Avenue, Aberystwyth. Robert originally signed up to the Royal Engineers Special Gas Company and served in France from September of 1915.  

Robert was commissioned to the Royal Welsh Fusiliers where he saw action at Armentieres. His unit advanced over the River Ancre where there was heavy fighting and he was killed in action here on 23rd August 1918. He was 30 and is buried at Bouzincourt Ridge Ceremony, Albert, France. He is also commemorated in Llanbadarn Fawr with the use of a Cross memorial in respect of those fallen in both World Wars, which was unveiled on 8th January 1921 and was attended by Lieutenant Colonel Lewis Pugh Evans. 

https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/6920_

Blog by Jack Atherton, project volunteer 

Sources as cited in the text and also: 
https://ww1ceredigion.wordpress.com/2016/06/29/wythnosweek-100-30mehefinjune-6gorffennafjuly-1916/

https://museum.wales/blog/2016-01-05/Our-Museum-during-the-Great-War/

The Merediths - Aberystwyth's 'Patriotic Family'

A remarkable family, of Portland Street, Aberystwyth, nine members of whom fought in the First World War on several fronts and all survived:

Sergeant Albert Meredith

The father, he served for thirty years in the Cardigan Militia.

Sergeant Thomas Meredith

The Eldest son, he has been in the army since the commencement of the war and fought in France. His wife resided in Gogerddan-place.

Bombardier James Meredith R.F.A

The second son, he was in Egypt for a year and in the army since the commencement of the war. His wife resided in Cambrian-square.

Private Albert Meredith L.G.C

The third son, he was in the army for over two years.

Corporal Sidney Meredith R.F.A

The fourth son, he joined the army at the commencement of the war and was also in Egypt like James.

Private George Henry Meredith

The fifth son, he had been in the army for over two years and has been in Kirkee, India for over eighteen months. 

Driver Arthur Meredith R.F.A

The sixth son, he was in the army for over three years and was based in France.

Private William Meredith

The Seventh son, he was part of the Cheshire Regiment and joined the army during the war and he always expected to go abroad.

The Cambrian News  7th June 1918

Blog by Jack Atherton, Project Volunteer 

Image courtesy The Cambrian News

John Bird and the Battle of Cambrai

John Frederick Bird, was born in 1892 and was the son of Frederick and Kate Bird. They lived at 7, South Road, Aberystwyth. He enlisted at Aldershot on 25 October 1915 and went to France in June 1916 with the 5th Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps. The 5th FA was attached to the 2nd Division, and John would have treated many wounded men during the Battle of the Somme in that year. In March 1917 the Division followed the German Retreat to the Hindenburg Line, and in April they fought at Arras, the First Battle of the Scarpe, the Battle of Arleux and the Third Battle of the Scarpe. Their next major action was at the Battle of Cambrai. The Division was still in the area when John was killed in action on 18 February 1918. He was 25 years old and is buried in the British Extension of Metz-en-Couture Communal Cemetery, France.

J.F.C Fuller, a British Army officer, planned a project to raid a flat swamp area southwest of Cambrai in the north of France. The area was perfect for British tanks to find enemy targets due to the flat terrain, but it also had slight slopes which made tank movement easier. The plan was to release a large group of tanks without an opening bombardment so that the enemy were taken by surprise. The previous battle of Passchendaele had seen much bloodshed for the allies due to stale and predictable tactics, one of these was bombardments signalling the beginning of an assault of a trench line. The Germans had become accustomed to quickly preparing their defensive line as soon as the bombardment had ended which allowed them to inflict brutal casualties. 

Robert Hunt Library/Mary Evans Picture Library/age fotostock

Nineteen British divisions were assembled for the offensive and were supported by 476 tanks (378 of which were fighting tanks) as well as five cavalry divisions. John, as a soldier in the Medical Corps, would have been supporting this offensive as high casualties would have been expected especially with the volume of men in the assault. 

The British attacked at night on November 20th, as this meant that German reconnaissance aircraft could not detect the British Divisions’ movements. The attack was a complete surprise and the British tanks pulverised the German defences and managed to capture 7,500 prisoners with few casualties. However, due to poor weather the cavalry could not capitalise on the chaos and infantry reinforcements could not reach the battle to exploit the ambush. 
The German Second Army led by General Georf von de Marwitz staged a swift counter-attack with a strength of 20 divisions. The speed of the attack caught the British off-guard and they only avoided disaster through the heroics of the Guards Division that caused the outflanking German force to get bogged down. The British were forced to retreat by the 5th of December due to the strength of the German force.

Casualties were equal for both sides at around 45,000 soldiers. Despite the British retreat and failure to take advantage of the early successes found by the tanks, the battle highlighted that armour was a useful resource in assaulting defensive lines. The battle was a turning-point as it saw a removal of stale tactics that had only brought stalemate. John fought valiantly but died in combat on the 18th February 1918 from ongoing fighting in the area of Cambrai. Fighting in Cambrai would continue until the wars end where the British were trying to apply constant pressure onto a German army whose morale was slowly breaking.

Blog by Jack Atherton, Project Volunteer 

Sources:

·   https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Cambrai-1917

·   https://www.wwwmp.co.uk/ceredigion-memorials/aberystwyth-post-office-war-memorial/

·   http://www.remembrancetrails-northernfrance.com/history/battles/the-battle-of-cambrai-20-november-to-4-december-1917.htm