Pte 21684 Oswald Evan Bennion

• Age: 19
• From: Llanfyllin, N.Wales
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Thiepval Memorial
  Panel Ref: P&F1D8B &8 C.

Oswald Evan was born in the June quarter of 1897 at Llanfyllin, Mid Wales, the son of Charles Bennion and his wife Elizabeth (nee Owen) of “Berllandeg”, Llanfyllin, Montgomeryshire. His birth was registered as Oswell. His parents married in 1892 and had six children; Oswald had older siblings Edward Owen and Sarah Mary, and younger siblings Jane Elizabeth (Bessie), David Thomas, and Edith Eleanor.

In 1901 the family is at Berllandeg, Llanferchain. His father is 39, working as a farm wagoner, his mother is 30. Edward is 8, Sarah 6, Oswald 4, and Jane 1 year old. The family speak both English and Welsh.

The 1911 Census shows the family living at “Berllandeg”, Llanfyllin, Montgomeryshire. Father, Charles aged 50, occupation farm worker who was born in 1861 in Llanfechain as was his wife and children. His wife Elizabeth is aged 40, born 1871. They have been married for nineteen years and have five children. Oswald is aged 13 and Bessie aged 11, born 1900 are both at school, and David aged 7, born 1904.  His older siblings had left had left the household by the time of the Census. Edward, 18, is a cowman on a farm in Bwlchycibau, about 3 miles away.  Sarah, 15, is a domestic servant in the household of John and Sarah Jones in "Hiraethog", Allerton Road, Wavertree. Sarah Jones was born in Llanfyllin, maiden name Owen, and appears to be Oswald's aunt.

Another child, Edith Eleanor, was born in 1912 but sadly died at 18 months.

According to an online memorial site (WW1.Wales), Oswald worked as a joiner in Liverpool before enlisting.

He enlisted in Liverpool on 26th September 1914 as Private 21684,  joining the 19th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment. He gave his age as 18 years and 26 days, (in fact he was 17 years old) and his occupation as joiner.  He was described as being 5' 8 and a half inches tall, weighing 139 lbs, with a 38" chest, a fresh complexion, blue eyes, and brown hair. His religion is recorded as Church of England, but another page shows Wesleyan. He gives as next of kin his father Charles at Berllan, Llanfylin. Oswald served in No.2 Company.

He arrived in France on 07th November 1915, disembarking with his battalion at Boulogne.

He reported sick on 24th April 1916 and the next day was admitted with jaundice to No.22 Field Ambulance. He was discharged to duty with his unit on 05th May 1916.

He was killed in action on the 30^th July 1916, aged 19, at the village of Guillemont, France, during the Somme Offensive.

19^th Battalion Diary 30^th July 1916

MALTZ HORN FARM

BATTLE begun. ZERO hour 4:45 am. The Battalion reached its objective, but suffered heavy losses, and had to evacuate its position owing to no reinforcements.

Everard Wyrall gives details of the attack in his book The History of The King’s Regiment; 

"The 2nd Attack on Guillemont- 29th July 1916 the 89th Brigade the 20th King's were to attack on the right and the 19th on the left. During the evening of the 29th the night was dark and foggy when the Battalions moved off and the 19th with Lt Col G Rollo commanding, when passing the South east of the Briqueterie they were heavily shelled first with H E and then with a new kind of asphyxiating Gas shell which had curious results, at first it had no nasty effect but about 8 hrs later men began to fall sick with violent headaches and pains in the stomach. All ranks had to wear gas masks which in the darkness and mist made the going terribly difficult. It was indeed wonderful that they were able to reach their Assembly point at all. But they did and by 2.45 a.m. on the 30th July 1916 the Btn was assembled having suffered about 30 Casualties on the way up ready for the Zero hour at 4.45 a.m.

It is known that the two left Companies of the 19th under Capt. Dodd and Capt. Nicholson advanced in touch with the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers on their left although they suffered many casualties from Machine gun Fire did not encounter many Germans and reached their final objective about the time allocated, beginning at once to dig in south of the orchard on the South east corner of Guillemont.  

On the left of the 19th the Scots Fusiliers most gallantly forced their way through Guillemont to the eastern side of the village but were soon overwhelmed by the enemy and few returned. 

At 8 a.m. finding that the village was not held the two left Companies of the 19th received no word from the rear or either flank believed themselves to be totally isolated so were forced to fall back and dig in, their position being untenable.

At midday the effective fighting strength of the 19th Btn was just 7 Officers and 43 other ranks" 

When darkness fell on the battlefield the 30^th Division held a line from the railway on the eastern side of Trones Wood , southwards and including Arrow Head Copse, to east of Maltz Horn Farm. On this line the division was relieved by the 55^th Division during the early hours of the 31^st July.

Casualties in the 19^th Battalion were 11 Officers and 435 Other Ranks 

The events of 30^th July 1916 were regarded at the time as Liverpool’s blackest day. There follows an extract from The History of the 89^th Brigade written by Brigadier General Ferdinand Stanley which gives an indication of the events of the day.

Guillemont

Well the hour to advance came, and of all bad luck in the world it was a thick fog; so thick that you couldn’t see more than about ten yards. It was next to impossible to delay the attack – it was much too big an operation- so forward they had to go. It will give some idea when I say that on one flank we had to go 1,750 yards over big rolling country. Everyone knows what it is like to cross enclosed country which you know really well in a fog and how easy it is to lose your way. Therefore, imagine these rolling hills, with no landmarks and absolutely unknown to anyone. Is it surprising that people lost their way and lost touch with those next to them? As a matter of fact, it was wonderful the way in which many men found their way right to the place we wanted to get to. But as a connected attack it was impossible.

The fog was intense it was practically impossible to keep direction and parties got split up. Owing to the heavy shelling all the Bosches had left their main trenches and were lying out in the open with snipers and machine guns in shell holes, so of course our fellows were the most easy prey.

It is so awfully sad now going about and finding so many splendid fellows gone. 

He was reported wounded in the Liverpool Daily Post on 11th September 1916; 

King’s (Liverpools) - Bennion, 21684, O.E. (North Wales); 

Oswald's death was reported in the Liverpool Daily Post on 10th October 1916:

Private Oswald E. Bennion, King's(Liverpool Regiment),son of Mr. and Mrs. C. Bennion, Berllan, Llanfechain, who joined the Army on leaving school at the age seventeen, and had seen two years active service, has been killed in action.  

His Casualty Form records on 05th August 1916, Wounded, to Field Ambulance, and a month later, Wounded and Missing.

His mother received information from a Pal (name not provided in surviving record) in October 1916, who was at that time in Dutton Military Hospital near Warrington, which his mother forwarded to Infantry Records, with a piteous letter:

"In reply to your [illegible] Pte. Oswald E. Bennion, No.21684, 19th Service Bn King's Liverpool Regt. Posted as missing ... Sorry to say he was on the 30th of July wounded and on his way to the dressing station [...] he came across another [...] however he helped him along. This one was wounded through the stomach and thigh couldn't hardly move so my poor Boy and him where [sic] within [five?] yards of the dressing station when all on a sudden [...] Germans started firing on the helpless Boys so they spied a shell hole and into that they tried to get, he got his comrade in and as he was getting in himself he was shot instantly and died without a murmur. This statement was sent to us by the one that was saved.

May I ask you Sir to kindly oblige me by letting me have his few belongings not for sake of their worth Sir but in Remembrance of my Dear Boy.

This from his sorrowing mother,
E. Bennion"

In November 1916 a report was received stating that Oswald's body had been found and buried by soldiers of the 1st/7th K.L.R.

His body was subsequently lost as he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.

The Thiepval Memorial, the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and men of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. Over 90% of those commemorated died between July and November 1916. 

On 01^st August 1932 the Prince of Wales and the President of France inaugurated the Thiepval Memorial in Picardy. The inscription reads: “Here are recorded the names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields between July 1915 and March 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.”

In March 1917 Oswald's personal belongings were sent to his parents: 1 wallet, letters, photos & cards, 1 small mirror, 1 hymn book, which his father acknowledged "with many thanks".

He earned his three medals.