Davies, Robert Victor

If you can add any information about this soldier, please use the comment form at the bottom of this page.

If you would like to be informed of any additions or amendments to The Great War Project, please join our Facebook group.


The Great War Project navigation

Overview  A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   R   S   T   W


Robert Victor Davies

56806, Private, 15th Royal Welsh Fusiliers
Killed in action, 31 July 1917, aged 20
No known grave (Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Belgium)

CWGC registered (Only son of Robert Samuel and Mary Grace Davies, of Pretty, Amlwch, Anglesey. Native of Llandudno)

Robert Victor Davies, the son of Robert Samuel Davies and his wife Mary Grace Davies (née Pritchard, b Amlwch, Anglesey), was born in Llandudno on 9 June 1897. The Census of Wales for 1901 records the family living at 10 Clonmel Street – Robert Samuel Davies was a printer’s compositor. Robert Victor Davies attended Lloyd Street School and transferred to the new Dyffryn Road School in 1905. Robert Samuel died in 1908 and the Census for 1911 records the family living at 29 Alexandra Road, Llandudno. Robert Victor (13) was described as at school. He left school in June 1911.

Aged 18, Robert Davies enlisted into the Welsh Horse Yeomanry, Territorial Force, in November 1915. He was given the regimental number of 1466. The regiment had been formed in 1914 and its first line battalion, the 1/1st had sailed for Gallipoli in September 1915, dismounted as infantry. Robert’s service record no longer exists but he almost certainly was posted to the 3/1st Battalion at Newtown. The 3/1st Welsh Horse was a training formation but in April 1916, a draft of 160 NCOs and men (including Robert Davies) was sent to Ireland to reinforce the 6th Cavalry Reserve Regiment and help put down the Easter Rising in Dublin.

The Military Service Act of 1916 deemed that soldiers in the second and third line battalions of the Territorial Force as eligible for overseas service. Since the concept of yeomanry cavalry had become archaic by this date, the Welsh Horse was run down and suitable soldiers in its reserve battalions were sent overseas to reinforce infantry battalions. In August 1916, Robert Victor Davies arrived in France still maintaining his Welsh Horse regimental number. He was posted to the 15th (Service) Battalion of the Royal Welch Fusiliers with a new service number of 56806. The 15th RWF, also known as the 1st London Welsh, had formed in London in October 1914, becoming part of the 38th (Welsh) Division at Llandudno before landing in France in December 1915.

Robert Victor Davies was killed in action on 31 July 1917 aged 20. This was the day when the 38th (Welsh) Division was engaged in the Battle of Pilckem Ridge, a phase of the Third Battle of Ypres otherwise known as Passchendaele. He has no known grave.

Known memorials:

  • Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Belgium
  • Llandudno Roll of Honour
  • Llandudno War Memorial
  • Memorial Chapel, Holy Trinity Church, Llandudno
  • Llanrhos Parish War Memorial, All Saints’ Church, Deganwy
  • Amlwch War Memorial

2 comments to Davies, Robert Victor

Leave a Reply

You can use these HTML tags

<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>