Great Britain Ceramic memorial plaque, WWI S.Wales Borderers.

[Jerry B]

A great war memorial plaque for Private Wm. Williams of the South Wales Borderers. Impossible to find out for whom it was made to commemorate him by his familly. I have seen one other of this type for a member of a Scottish regiment and a paper version of the same design. It is in its original frame, though the paper backing has been removed to see if it had a makers mark on the back, which it does not.

There are more than 20 W Williams who fell while serving with the regiment during the war.

Name, Rank, Service Number, Date of Death, Age, Regiment / Service, Service Country, Grave /Memorial Reference, Cemetery / Memorial Name

WILLIAMS, W Private 39398 25/02/1917 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom I. I. 14. SUCRERIE MILITARY CEMETERY, COLINCAMPS

WILLIAMS, W E Private 12079 04/02/1917 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom V. H. 17. A.I.F. BURIAL GROUND, FLERS

WILLIAMS, W H Private 67794 03/11/1918 18 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom North of Church. RHUDDLAN (ST. MARY) CHURCHYARD

WILLIAMS, W P Private 18852 31/03/1916 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom III. H. 21. ST. PATRICK'S CEMETERY, LOOS

WILLIAMS, W T Private 40731 15/08/1917 28 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom XXII. P. 15. ETAPLES MILITARY CEMETERY

WILLIAMS, WALTER GEORGE Private 22493 02/03/1916 28 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom V. A. 58. BETHUNE TOWN CEMETERY

WILLIAMS, WILLIAM Private 4/13281 09/11/1917 25 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom E. 1085. KARASOULI MILITARY CEMETERY

WILLIAMS, WILLIAM Private 12652 09/08/1915 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom Panel 80 to 84 or 219 and 220. HELLES MEMORIAL

WILLIAMS, WILLIAM Private 31474 09/02/1918 28 South Wales Borderers United

Kingdom Panel 65 to 66. TYNE COT MEMORIAL

WILLIAMS, WILLIAM Private 14084 30/04/1917 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom Panel 16 and 62. BASRA MEMORIAL

WILLIAMS, WILLIAM Private 200917 09/06/1917 29 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom III. C. 150. BAILLEUL COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION, NORD

WILLIAMS, WILLIAM Private 13022 03/12/1917 22 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom Addenda Panel. CAMBRAI MEMORIAL, LOUVERVAL

WILLIAMS, WILLIAM DANIEL Private 14520 25/07/1916 24 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom X. G. 33. CATERPILLAR VALLEY CEMETERY, LONGUEVAL

WILLIAMS, WILLIAM HAMILTON Private 25424 21/11/1917 19 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom Panel 5. CAMBRAI MEMORIAL, LOUVERVAL

WILLIAMS, WILLIAM HENRY Private 14682 30/07/1916 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom Pier and Face 4 A. THIEPVAL MEMORIAL

WILLIAMS, WILLIAM JOHN Private 10655 18/02/1917 31 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom Pier and Face 4 A. THIEPVAL MEMORIAL

WILLIAMS, WILLIAM JOHN Private 20903 03/03/1916 22 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom III. D. 35. LE TOURET MILITARY CEMETERY, RICHEBOURG-L'AVOUE

WILLIAMS, WILLIAM MITCHELL Private 16417 01/07/1916 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom Pier and Face 4 A. THIEPVAL MEMORIAL

WILLIAMS, WILLIAM THOMAS Private 16911 30/05/1918 South Wales Borderers United Kingdom SOISSONS MEMORIAL

[Tony]

Jerry,

That's a great plaque the first time I've ever seen anything like it, I imagine many have been broken over the last 90 odd years.

Tony

[Jock Auld]

What a nicely made and well crafted tile, obviously well loved and missed by his family.

[Mervyn Mitton]

Jerry - after the 1st WW had ended, many families wanted to remember relatives who had been killed. Companies set-up many different

styles of small memorials - where the soldier's details could be added. Many of these were sold by post - with the details already added.

I think you will find that this was something similar - and the listing of countries at the end would allow it to be sold in all of them. You will

note that apart from the Union Jack there is no Crown or, mention of a specific country. Mervyn

[Jerry B]

Jerry - after the 1st WW had ended, many families wanted to remember relatives who had been killed. Companies set-up many different

styles of small memorials - where the soldier's details could be added. Many of these were sold by post - with the details already added.

I think you will find that this was something similar - and the listing of countries at the end would allow it to be sold in all of them. You will

note that apart from the Union Jack there is no Crown or, mention of a specific country. Mervyn

Mervyn,

You are correct I think, the name has been added to a pro forma plaque.

Thanks Tony and Jock Auld.

Here it is shown with the more commonly seen form of memorial plaque and a Victory medal to show the size of it. The other plaque and medal were from another member of the SWB, private John Davies 44388, about whom I could find out many of his details, from the CWGC and I have visted his family memorial on which he is commemorated.

[peter monahan]

What a lovely thing! Too bad its to William Williams of the SWB. Narrowing it down to 1, 2 or 3 men would be the cat's meow!

Thanks for sharing!

[Tony]

Is that Victory medal in a little frame? How is the medal fixed in place?

Tony

[Jerry B]

What a lovely thing! Too bad its to William Williams of the SWB. Narrowing it down to 1, 2 or 3 men would be the cat's meow!

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks Peter. A prized item in my collection.

[Jerry B]

Is that Victory medal in a little frame? How is the medal fixed in place?

Tony

It is Tony. It has a slot for the suspension ring and is sealed from the back by a metal plate, as is the Memorial plaque/penny. The previous owner had opened them up to check the name & number of the Victory medal.

[Tony]

It looks almost homemade with that roughly cut plate, thanks for showing it.

Tony

[Jerry B]

It looks almost homemade with that roughly cut plate, thanks for showing it.

Tony

hi Tony,

I think they were home made. The plaque/penny is very worn and must have been polished a lot during its time. A shame in the end they had become neglected and suffered from that. When I visited his family plot on which he is commemorated to take a photo of it, his grand niece and her husband who had sold them were there tending the grave and said that they had ended up in a drawer for years.