AN IMPORTANT '8th/10th 'ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS" SOMME CASUALTY
1914-15 Trio, Plaque & Papers.
KILLED IN ACTION
(13th November 1916)
First Day Battle of The Ancre
To:
15825. Pte S. BAILEY. 8th/10th ROYAL WELSH FUSILIERS
First fought in Gallipoli.(2b BALKANS) with 8th from 28.8.1916. (MIC confirms)HISTORY
10th Bn Royal Welsh Fusiliers was involved in the Battle of the Ancre on 13th November 1916.
At 5.45am the Battalion attacked at Serre. 'B' & 'D' Companies reached the German 4th line but found it heavily defended by bombs and machine-guns. They lost touch with the flanking battalions and were practically surrounded, with most posted as 'missing'. 'C' Company got as far as the 3rd line but was forced to retire. A Private Herbert Barlow was reported as missing and subsequently was not heard of again. 158 Officers and men were similarly reported initially as 'missing', and of these, 85 were never heard of again. Steven Bailey was sadly one of them. His medal index card is very unusually marked as P.D.(Presumed Dead) as the fate of these men officially remains unknown.
Steven Bailey was from Briton Ferry, Glamorgan.
INCLUDED WITH THE MEDALS & PLAQUE IS THE ORIGINAL "KILLED IN ACTION" LETTER (left) . THIS WAS NOT WRITTEN UNTIL 11th JULY 1917 AS PRIVATE BAILEY WAS LOST WITHOUT TRACE ON THE SOMME ON 13th NOVEMBER 1916. Under the circumstances with literally hundreds of thousands of missing soldiers his fate would have remained uncertain for many months. Also included (centre) is the sad pension letter received by his widow. The couple had four children and received 28/9 (28 Shillings & 9 Pence per week, now £1.46pHe and Mrs M.A. Bailey had lived at 35 Lowther Street, Briton Ferry, Glamorgan.He was 32 years old and is commemorated with eternal honour on the
THEIPVAL MEMORIAL TO THE MISSING
SOMME, FRANCE. AN HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT GROUPING WITH ITS SAD & ORIGINAL PAPERS. LEST WE FORGET(SOLD)