John (Jack) Roberts' Grave "

Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, Longeval, France

April 2010

John Roberts was shot in the back by a German in High Wood.

TEXT ON GRAVE

Number: ?

Private J. Roberts

Royal Welch Fusiliers

20th July 1916

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The following account is also to be found on the buckleyatwar web site.

JOHN ROBERTS

John Roberts was the son of William and Hannah Roberts of 81 Brunswick Road, Buckley. John was born in Leeswood near Mold in 1884 and prior to the war was a Minor Hewer in the local collieries following on from his father his brothers William, Vincent and Thomas. Vincent was killed in an accident at Bolsover Colliery, Mansfield in1928.

We are not sure when John joined the Army but on 28/6/15 he landed in the Dardanelle's ( 8th Battalion ? ). He served in the 2nd Division from 19/8/15 to 25/11/15 whence it became the 33rd Division. We are not sure of the dates but after the Dardanelle's John returned to Buckley on leave and decided after the horrors of war he had seen he was not returning to his regiment and subsequently deserted.

The Army sent MP's from the camp at Saighton Chester to bring him back but John enjoying a pint in The Ship public house employed lookouts and was able to escape their clutches and hid in the Padeswood woods area but to no avail as he was quickly rounded up and sent back post haste to France.

We are not aware of the conflicts he was involved with in France but we do know that the Welsh Fusiliers were defending High Wood in July 1916 when the Germans made a big effort to capture the Wood.

John and another Fusilier from Drury near Buckley were retreating under heavy fire from the Germans when John was hit in the back and killed. We know this because the soldier from Drury survived the war and on his return contacted William and Hannah to describe to them how John had died. He confirmed that as they were running through the Wood with the Germans in pursuit John said "We are not going to get out of here alive" just as the bullet hit him. The date was 20 July 1916 and he is buried in Caterpillar Valley Cemetery Longueval, France.

He was in receipt of the Victory Medal, British War Medal and the 1915 Star.

My wife and I and other members of the family visited his grave in April 2010 the first of his family to do so.

His younger brother William (Bill, known as Warrior) was also in the war and survived only to suffer trench foot for the rest of his life.

Author: Dillon, Tom

John (Jack) Roberts' Grave "

Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, Longeval, France

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