R.J WILLIAMS

Welsh Regiment, 13th Battalion
Service No: 18912
Born: 1893, Troedrhiwfuwch, Glamorgan
Killed in Action: 10 July 1916, Mametz Wood, France | Aged 22
Commemorated at Thiepval Memorial, France (Pier and Face 7A and 10A)

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Richard John Williams, known lovingly by his family as Johnny, was born in 1893 in the close-knit village of Troedrhiwfuwch, Glamorgan. He was the son of Edwin and Jane Williams, and grew up in a lively household at 44 High Street, with his sisters Lilly and Lizzie Jane, and brothers Edmund, Oliver, Trevor, and Thomas. His father worked as a Coal Hewer, and Johnny, like many young men of the village, followed him into the mines.

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The family later moved to 57 High Street, where Johnny, his father Edwin, and brother Edmund all worked as Hewers, while his older sister Lizzie Jane remained at home to help care for the family. Johnny and his siblings had all attended Troedrhiwfuwch School, which stood at the heart of the community.

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When war broke out, Johnny, the eldest son, answered the call to serve. He enlisted in Bargoed and joined the 13th Battalion, Welsh Regiment as Private 18912. His bravery did not go unnoticed—he was officially listed as "Wounded" by the War Office and was entitled to wear the Wound Stripe, authorised under Army Order 204 (6 July 1916).

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On 10 July 1916, during the fierce fighting of the Battle of Mametz Wood—a key offensive in the opening stages of the Somme Campaign—Johnny was Killed in Action, aged just 22. Like so many of his comrades in that chaotic and brutal assault, he has no known grave. He is commemorated with honour at the Thiepval Memorial, which stands as the official memorial to the missing of the Somme.

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“Richard John Williams was known lovingly by his family as Johnny. He sadly left for war in November 1915 and never returned. He was killed in action aged 22, at Mametz Wood on 10th July 1916. He has no known grave and his name appears on the Thiepval Memorial. His sister Lizzie Jane (who was five years younger) spoke about Johnny for the rest of her life, until she died in 1972, and this continued into the next two generations, so much so that he has continued to feel like a very present member of the family. Lizzie Jane, had a large framed photograph on her parlour wall of her brother and because it was black and white always told people about her brother’s beautiful auburn hair. When her own son Edwin was born fourteen years later, in 1930, she commented how strong a family resemblance there was and how much he resembled her beloved brother Johnny. Sadly, the photograph of Johnny has been lost to the family.”
— Elizabeth Jones, Great-Niece

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🕊️ “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old...”