Lieutenant Charles Bernard Davies, Royal Dublin Fusiliers

Description

Charles Bernard Davies was born on 5 June 1894. He attended Llandovery College where he gained a reputation as a sportsman of some repute. Indeed it seems he had already played rugby for both the Swansea and Cardiff Rugby Football Clubs at centre, as well as turning out for his home town club of Caerphilly. He was to play in the last fixture for Caerphilly against their arch rivals Bedwas before organised rugby was postponed for the duration of the war. The Caerphilly Journal reported the game that took place on 2 October 1914 - 'The meeting at Virginia Park between these near rivals which, under normal circumstances is usually one of the most remunerative fixtures of the season was witnessed by less than 100. Caerphilly fielded only 13 men whist Bedwas included a couple of Caerphillyites. In the first half both sides made strenuous efforts to score and the homesters were rewarded by Reggie Young [who was die along with his brother Archie in 1918] judging to a nicety a cross kick by Strickland and rushing over the line for a try; which was not converted. The second half was a ding-dong nature. C.B. Davies picked up at half way and beating man after man ran through the opposition and scored a really fine try.' It was to be the last try scored by a Caerphilly player until after the war. Charles Davies enrolled at Brasenose College Oxford in October 1914 and joined the Officer Training Corps. Lieutenant Davies was commissioned into the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and in the June of 1916 was camped near Mailly Wood in the Somme Region of the Western Front. The Battalion War Diary of the 8th and 9th of June describes the conditions he faced in the trenches:- '8/6/16 Rain commenced- work cleaning and draining trenches making Lewis Gun emplacements in front of parapet. Draft of 25 other ranks arrived. 9/6/16 Weather still very bad and work held up in consequence. Some overhead cover put up behind front trenches. Reconnoitring Patrol under Lt. C B Davies, LCpl Daly, Pte Dunne and Pte Hayden went out into Nomans land and only Pte. Dunne returned and he was severely wounded.' A telegram was sent to his mother informing her that: "Lieut. C. B. Davies Dublin Fusiliers is missing believed Wounded and prisoner 11 June. Any further reports will be sent on receipt." Investigations were made as to what had happened to C B Davies, and Corporal A Green wrote from his hospital bed in Etaples that : 'Lt. Davies went out with a party of men in a raid on the German trenches at Mailly on June 11th...Only Dunn got back. He lived long enough to state that he had seen Davies struggling with a big German in one of the German trenches He died soon after. He was a hard case, and refused to believe he was going to die although being badly wounded in five places. Lt. Davies was a very popular man in the Batt. a very good boxer. It is believed that he was taken prisoner.' Sergeant Carney made a statement that 'I believe that Mr. Davies was taken prisoner. He was fighting with some Germans and I saw some flashes near him, but do not know if he was hit...I was lucky in hitting on a passage through our wire. We searched the ground afterwards but found no trace of any of these men.' However, official confirmation of the death of C B Davies was received in September 1917. He is commemorated in Queens Cemetery, Bucquoy by a special memorial to six soldiers from the UK who were buried in Miraumont German Cemetery but whose graves were destroyed by shell fire in the Battle of the Somme.

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