At the end of I finished with a single question:
"How and when did Sapper David James Roach get injured?"
Sapper David James Roach, 92519, Royal Engineers signed up for the duration of WW1 and told his son John all about his service; including fighting at the Somme, Ypres, Cambrai and Mametz. But John could find no confirmation of his father's service history since his service record was one of several thousand destroyed during the Blitz.
John had his father's three campaign medals and so knew his service number. He also knew that his father had suffered badly with shell shock and had been injured by shrapnel at some point in the war, and that he had returned once his wounds had healed. But proving these facts to be true had eluded John for all of his life.
Men from the Royal Engineers. Sapper DJ Roach is seated in the front row, bottom left
Discovering that Sapper David Sidney Williams 92538 enlisted around the same time was a breakthrough since Williams was selected for officer training and his service record showed that he served with the 124th Field Company. This meant that finally a war diary could be ordered by my brother Tim, for him to trawl through. A few days later his text confirmed, "there were no entries for Roach".
Knowing that Sapper Roach had been injured meant that it was possible that he would have received a Silver War Badge if his injuries had been so bad that he was subsequently discharged. These details would appear in the .
There was no mention of Roach being awarded a Silver War Badge, this confirmed that he was not discharged which provided proof that what his father told him was true.
There is a which provides the casualty records for all ranks from lists published by the War Office. This includes rolls of honour and other reports of the time in a simple easy-to-search format. Within two minutes of logging on I found my own grandfather as well as the evidence that John so badly wanted:
Forename: D J
Surname: Roach
Casualty Status: Wounded
Rank: Sapper
Service Number: 92519
Regiment: R. E.
Daily List Date: 12th August 1916
Category: N.C.O.'s & Men
Casualty Status: Wounded
Source: Daily Casualty Lists听
This is the first confirmation that John Roach has ever had regarding his father being injured during WW1.
When John appeared on the Eleri Sion programme on 7 August he mentioned the 38th Welsh Division, since among his father's possessions were several items that alluded to the 38th Welsh Division which was used to assault and clear Mametz Wood in July 1916. It suffered severe casualties and did not .
The Royal Engineers of the 123rd Field Company supported and fought alongside the infantry battalions to take and hold Mametz Wood. However since the 123rd, 124th & 151st Field Companies were each linked to the 38th Welsh Division each of their respective Company War Diaries would need to be searched.
Luckily these are now available to download from the and since the 124th had already been searched for evidence of Roach it seemed logical to search the remaining two.
And incredibly a mention of Sapper D J Roach was located.
The following is an entry from the 123rd Field Company War Diary, which reports on the events of 11 July.
123rd Field Company War Diary. Courtesy of The National Archives
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It clearly shows that Sapper D J Roach was one of several Sappers wounded during that fateful day.
"As nightfall approached, the bedraggled troops found cover where they could, exhausted after 15 hours of continuous fighting. At daybreak on 11 July, the Welsh Division was in a state of disarray, scattered throughout the Wood, with many battalions severely depleted."
We know from the artefacts in John's possession that his father recovered from his wounds and returned to the Front before Christmas of 1916.
Christmas Card dated 1916. Note the Welsh Dragon, the emblem of the 38th Welsh Division
War diaries don't often include names of men, especially those from the ranks, which is why it was amazing to find mention of Sapper Roach in July 1916. But reading on through the war diary of the 123rd Field Company revealed a more incredible fact, which is transcribed below.
"14th November 1916. Received instructions from CRE to attach 2 NCOs and 10 Sappers to 14th Bn Welch Regiment to train for a raid on High Command Redoubt."
Amongst the names of the 10 Sappers selected is D.J. Roach 92519.
So here is the unequivocal truth that this quiet and unassuming man who was "the best father you could wish for" was involved in the Raid on High Command Redoubt, a crucial German strongpoint located near Ypres.
Join me and John Roach live on on Wednesday 24 September at 2pm.
My next emotional reunion between long lost family members is on 成人论坛 One鈥檚 on Wednesday 1 October from 7-8pm. Without spoiling the story I will just say - get your tissues ready!