William Horwood Lewis: A First World War Veteran by Mark Lewis
LEWIS William Horwood, Private, 21992
William is wearing the cap badge of the South Wales Borderers. The larger example shown here shows the Sphinx.
Later he was transferred to The King's Shropshire Light Infantry.
William never talked about his service in The Great War, during which he was badly wounded. Only once apparently, when his son Selwyn, threatened to run away and join the army, during the row that followed. Willam told Selwyn what the trenches were like, that time and that time alone.
Private William Horwood Lewis
William was born in Mumbles in July 1899 and had a sister, Elizabeth, one year older. He was always called Horwood by his mother, Alice, as her husband was also called William. According to the 1901 census, his father, William, then aged 34, was a Coal Merchant & Haulier and Alice was 28 years of age and they lived at 13, John Street, Mumbles.
The South Wales Borderers
Private William Horwood Lewis is pictured fourth from the left, in the front row, during training with his platoon.
The sergeant in charge and one other soldier, are wearing the correct South Wales Borderers cap badge. The other trainees have SWB tunic buttons in place of their cap badges. Above the button, they are wearing numbered cloth badges (thought to be 54 or 58) , until the the correct cap badges were available.
The King's Shropshire Light Infantry.
Newly called-up recruits could not be posted abroad until they were aged 18 years and six months and have had at least six months training. As William was born in July 1899, it was late 1917 or early 1918 when he was posted to the Western Front in France and joined The King's Shropshire Light Infantry.
He was serving in B Company, in the 7th Battalion of the Regiment, when the German Spring Offensive, called “Operation Michael,” began on 21 March 1918 and pushed the British back across the Somme battlefield. William suffered a gunshot wound through his right hand & forearm and was captured by the Germans on 27 March 1918, near the small village of Fontaine-lès-Cappy, between Amiens & Peronne and south of Albert.
German Spring Offensive > CWGC History
Fontaine-lès-Cappy, The Somme
Minden POW Camp
He then spent time in Minden Prisoner Of War Camp, in the Province of Westphalia, Germany.
'Minden Prisoner Of War Camp is three miles from the town and is surrounded by farms. It consists of a big Square with six blocks of huts. Capacity 18,000. The POW cemetery was at Minderheide and would have been nearby.'
Reported on 'Great War Forum' quoted from the Map of the Main Prison Camps in Austria and Germany, by Mrs Pope Hennessy:William's German POW Record
Lewis William, 21992; Pte; 7th King's Shropshire Light Inf. B; Captured at FONTAINE, 27 March 1918, Wounded on his upper right arm (R. Oberarm), West Front; Born 7.1899 Mumbles, Address 9, John Street, Mumbles.
Two Letters
Mark has transcribed two of his Grandfather’s letters, which were written when William was only 18 years old and refer to the fact that someone is writing letters for him, owing to his injury.
'so I remain your loving son Horwood X x x'
'Love from Bessie & Billie, your loving mother xxx'
The supply of bread to POWs, is mentioned by William in his letter and more information concerning Bread Supply, Accomodation, the German Censors and much more, is available at: WW1 Prisoners of War on Picture Postcards > The site reveals, that In December 1916, the British Red Cross decided to open its own Bakery in Copenhagen, to speed up delivery of bread to the camps, as bread from other sources took six days to arrive at the camps and was often mouldy.
Back to 'Blighty'
William said that he was transferred to a hospital in Switzerland and repatriated back to the United Kingdom.
He was a patient at various hospitals in the UK, King George Hospital in Waterloo, London, (closed June 1919) and Alder Hey in Liverpool. The hospital was first established as a military hospital in 1914, and had an occupational workshop, where disabled soldiers could learn new skills.
King George Hospital in Waterloo > 'Lost Hospitals in London'
Victoria Hall, Red Cross Hospital, Mumbles
William was then transferred to a convalescent hospital, Victoria Hall Red Cross Hospital, Dunns Lane, Mumbles, which was very near to his home.
William, pictured back left, is with other patients, all wearing 'Hospital Blue' and VAD nurses at Victoria Hall. Penny Hehir, has identified her grandmother, Margaret Wood, as the nurse on the right hand side, who often served at the hospital with her mother, Nurse Lucy Wood (see photos and medal below). Seated in front is Matron, Mrs. Moreton. Photo: M A Clare.
William Horwood Lewis, with another 'Victoria Hall' patient.
After the war: Shown here after 1965, William painted Swansea buses with his good hand.
William lived on Park Street, Mumbles for the rest of his life.
Acknowledgements:
Photographs of William: by his grandson Mark Lewis
Photographs: the great granddaughter of Lucy and the granddaughter of Margaret, Penny Hehir
Additional research and graphics, John Powell
Michelin Maps, Fontaine-lès-Cappy, The Somme, France
Badges of Kitchener's Army by David Bilton
Great War Forum
Map of the Main Prison Camps in Austria and Germany, by Mrs Pope Hennessy
'There were nine hospitals at Aachen and this is where all the British POWs were sent before being repatriated home.'
A report on Doncaster 1914-1918 At Home At War by Acting CSM Charles J MarchantCWGC History: German Spring Offensive
WW1 Prisoners of War on Picture Postcards: The supply of bread to POWs
Lost Hospitals in London: King George Hospital in Waterloo
The 'Hospital Blue' uniform: was worn by those patients at Military or Convalescence Hospitals, who could get out of bed. They were a flannel type material of Oxford blue hue with a single breasted suit and trousers. Each had a white lining. The tie would have been red and the shirt white. Regimental caps were worn and medals were displayed on the left breast. It was designed to be easily washed and had no pockets, a point of complaint by many servicemen.
The photo of William painting the bus is thought not to have been taken before 1965. The bus (72 seater with doors) shown in the picture above was used unpainted aluminium (silver) until 1965, when they had to be painted red, as the sea air caused rusting. William is shown painting, but with his wounded hand.