Three:Private John Roberts, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, killed in action during the battleof Mametz Wood on the Western Front, 12 July 1916 from Anglesey and commemoratedon the Theipval Memorial, France. Medals Mint in Boxes of Issue.

Three:Private J. Roberts, Royal Welch Fusiliers, who was killed in action on 12 July1916

1914-15Star (26349 Pte. J. Roberts. R. W. Fus:); British War and Victory Medals (26349Pte. J. Roberts. R. W. Fus.), good very fine, in their named card boxes ofissue (3)

StTysilio Cenotaph: Private J. Roberts, 17th R.W.F., 12th July 1916, France

PrivateJohn Roberts Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 17th Battalion, no 26349

JohnRoberts was born in Llanbedrgoch to Margaret Jane and Hugh Roberts who laterlived at 18 Druid Road in Menai Bridge. On the 1911 Census the family lived at20 Druid Road, a house of 3 rooms. Hugh Morris Roberts was 36, as was his wifeMargaret; Hugh worked for LNWR as a Platelayer. John was 18 and working as aFarm Labourer, Ellen was 10, Robert 6, Richard 3 and David 1.

Whenhe signed up with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, he may well have encountered LtCol Charles Dixon or Henry Rees Davies (a son to Richard Davies of Treborth),local Recruiting Officers.

Theaction of the 17th RWF at Mametz Wood is famous, sadly because of the loss oflife amongst the Welsh troops but also because of the legacy of David Jones, anartist, who wrote the poem ‘In Parenthesis’ many years later. David Jones waswith the RWF at Mametz and it haunted him for the rest of his life. Troops wereadvancing through the semi darkness of a wood, having to cope with the unevenground under their feet and the firepower of the Germans facing them. Nowadaysthe site is marked by an elevated statue of a Welsh dragon tearing barbed wirein its claws. This memorial by David Peterson was placed in an open position,facing the wood, in 1987.  Dragon mametz

Memorials                               

Johnis remembered on the family grave on St Tysilio Menai Bridge (Church Island):Er Serchog Gof Am Hugh M Roberts 18 Druid Road, Menai Bridge. A fu farw Medi.19, 1950. Yn 76 mlwydd oed. “Eu hûn mor dawel yw”. Hefyd ei annwyl briodMargaret Jane Roberts A fu farw Tach. 17, 1959, yn 85 mlwydd oed. Hefyd JohnRoberts, A laddwyd yn Ffrainc 1914-1918. yn 23 mlwydd oed. “Hedd PerffaithHedd.”  Roberts St Tysilio

(AlsoJohn Roberts, killed in France 1914 – 1918, 23 years of age ‘Peace, PerfectPeace’.)

Onthe St Tysilio Cenotaph, he is listed: Private J. Roberts   17th R.W.F.  12th July 1916   France

Inthe Welsh National Book of Remembrance, Royal Welch Fusiliers 17th Battalion,page 424: Pte John Roberts - Llanbedrgoch 

CommonwealthWar Graves Commission: J. Roberts - Rank: Private - Service No: 26349 - Date ofDeath: 12/07/1916 - Age: 23 - Regiment: Royal Welsh Fusiliers 17th Bn. - Son ofHugh and Margaret Roberts, of 19, Mount St., Menai Bridge, Anglesey –Commemorated: Thiepval Memorial in France

The first attack, on 7 July 1916, failed toreach the wood. Welsh soldiers, who were expected to make a frontal assault indaylight on German positions, were machine-gunned as they moved across openfields.

A smoke screen that might have concealedtheir approach failed to appear and heavy casualties were suffered.

There was no lack of courage on the troops;they had been set an impossible task.

Maj Gen Sir Ivor Philipps, in command of38th (Welsh) Division, was sacked on 9 July and replaced by the moreexperienced Maj Gen H. E. Watts.

Another assault on the wood was planned for10 July.

This time the attack was launched at dawnand was preceded by a heavy artillery barrage of German positions.

The attackers still had to cross hundredsof yards of open ground in the teeth of machine gun and rifle fire.

Many men were cut down, but Welsh troopsforced their way into the wood, where they outnumbered the German defenders bythree-to-one.

Wood fighting was brutal, much of itinvolving hand-to-hand combat, and German resistance was fierce. The plan ofattack had envisaged the wood being taken by 08:15 on 10 July - in fact it tookuntil 12 July for the enemy to withdraw completely.

The Welsh troops had not been trained forthis kind of warfare. Once in the wood, visibility was restricted and it wasdifficult to keep one's bearings.

Only officers carried compasses and verymany of them became casualties leading the attacks.

Artillery support, initially planned tomove forwards 50 yards every minute, was difficult to coordinate with theactual advance of men on the ground.

Communications wires were quickly cut andmessages back to the guns had to be carried by runners, many of whom werekilled.

Artillery fire frequently fell short, orshells burst early when hitting treetops, causing casualties among the troopsthey were meant to be helping.

The attack of 7 July had been hindered byheavy rain which turned the ground into sticky mud. Now the weather was hot(reaching 82 degrees Fahrenheit) and there was not enough fresh water to goaround.

More Welsh troops were thrown in to thewood to support the first wave of the assault. Towards evening, the northernedge of the wood was reached in places, but the Germans were still holding onand threatening counter-attacks.

Bitter fighting continued throughout 11July. The Germans suffered heavy casualties themselves and eventually decidedto withdraw.

By dawn on 12 July, Mametz Wood had beentaken and the 38th (Welsh) Division was relieved and taken out of the frontline.

Overall, the division suffered severecasualties: One-fifth of its total strength on the eve of the battle. Of these,565 were killed, 585 reported as missing (most of whom would have been killed,although a few were captured) and 2,893 were wounded.

The record of the 38th (Welsh) Division wascontroversial at the time. Rumours circulated of Welsh troops bolting andpanicking.

Given their limited training, their lack ofcombat experience and the difficulty of the challenge they faced, the doggeddetermination of the men of the division was impressive.

Image caption Already an artist, experienceof war turned David Jones into a poet

The Battle of Mametz Wood has left anenduring legacy.

Siegfried Sassoon, Robert Graves and FrankRichards - some of the most famous of the writers produced by the war - even ifthey did not fight in the battle itself, were close enough before, during orafter July 1916 to comment on what they saw.

Wyn Griffith, a staff officer serving withthe 38th (Welsh) Division, whose brother Watcyn was killed during the battle,wrote a vivid and searing memoir Up To Mametz (1931).

David Jones, a private soldier serving with15th (London Welsh) Royal Welsh Fusiliers, wounded in the fighting in the wood,placed his experiences at the heart of his epic poem In Parenthesis (1937).

Christopher Williams's uncompromisingdepiction of close-quarter combat The Welsh Division at the Battle of MametzWood was commissioned by David Lloyd George shortly after the battle.