Lieut Richard William Vaughan-Roberts

• Age: 23
• From: Blaenau Ffestiniog
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 19th Btn
• K.I.A Sunday 30th July 1916
• Commemorated at: Bernafay Wood Brit Cem
  Panel Ref: L.72

Richard William Vaughan-Roberts was born in the September quarter of 1892 in Blaenau Ffestiniog, the son of Dr. William and his wife Elizabeth (née Owens or sometimes Owen). His father was also a JP.  His parents married in Liverpool in 1890 at West Derby Register Office.  A younger brother, Morris Vaughan, was born in Ffestiniog in 1894. His mother, known as Bessie, was the daughter of well-known Liverpool architect Richard Owens, originally from Wales, who designed 250-300 chapels in North Wales, buildings in Liverpool such as Westminster Chambers in Dale Street, and over 10,000 terraced houses in the city, including the famed Welsh Streets. His son Hugh continued his practice after his death in 1891.

At the 1911 Census, at Minafon, William Vaughan Roberts is shown as a widower, he is  still a surgeon and lives with just a servant, Kate Hannah Hughes, as a housekeeper.

Richard is found in the household of his maternal uncle, Hugh Owens, an architect/surveyor, and his mother’s three unmarried sisters, Catherine, Anne, and Jane, at “Rhianva”, Warren Road, Blundellsands.  Richard is 18, an average adjuster student. Maurice, 17, is a student at Dover College.

Richard was educated at Oswestry Grammar School and Haileybury College, Herts. On leaving school resided with his Uncle, Hugh Owen, 'Rhiana,' Blundellsands and was articled with Mr. F. C. Danson, average adjuster of Tower Buildings. 

Prior to the War he was a member of Northern Cricket Club and Ramblers Football Club. 

Immediately upon the outbreak of war he joined the 1/10th Battalion, The King’s Liverpool Regiment, (Liverpool Scottish) as Private 3016 and went to the front arriving in France on 01st November 1914. 

He served with the Liverpool Scottish until at the invitation of his friend from Northern C.C., Wallace Fraser, Captain and Adjutant of the 19th Battalion K.L.R. he obtained a commission. He was Commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the 19th Battalion of The King's Liverpool Regiment on 05th June 1915 and was promoted further to Lieutenant on 12th December 1915. He joined the 19th Battalion whilst it was still in training in England. He crossed to France in November 1915, as bombing officer. It is presumed that his service followed that of the Battalion in the early fighting on the Somme.

He was killed in action on 30th July 1916, aged 24, during the Battle of the Somme at Guillemont. 

The Battalion’s objectives on the day were the German Trenches on the South Eastern edge of Guillemont, which was a heavily fortified village on top of a gentle slope with a front of about seven hundred yards. Each end of the front was also defended by Machine-guns, which could give covering and enfilading fire. The line of attack was entirely without cover. The 19th Battalion was on the left flank of the 89th Brigade advance, which began at 04.45am, in a thick and heavy fog.

As the Battalion moved forward in the fog, it was heavily shelled with high explosive and gas shells, which added to the confusion and consequent loss of direction. Despite this the edge of the village was reached, but the 19th Battalion was unable to link up with the Battalion on its left, the 2nd Royal Scots, and found both its flanks in the air. By that time the fog had lifted to a great extent, and thus allowed the German Machine Gunners a clear field of fire ; their numbers were augmented by Infantrymen and snipers who had left their trenches to lie in No Man’s Land to shelter from the British bombardment on their front line trenches.

They too, were able to take a heavy toll on the 19th Battalion, who were lying exposed, and by noon, the Battalion had been forced to evacuate its position. By the end of the day, nine officers and one hundred and eighty four ranks had been killed or died of wounds, and the Brigade had advanced about 300 yards along its front. Lieutenant Vaughan Roberts was amongst those killed. He was aged twenty four.

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 buried close to where he fell, and after the war when graves were concentrated, his body was removed and reinterred in Bernafay Wood British Cemetery.

The cemetery was begun by a dressing station in August 1916 and used as a front-line cemetery until the following April. It contained at the Armistice 284 burials but was then increased when graves were brought in from Bernafay Wood North Cemetery and from the battlefields immediately east of the wood.  Bernafay Wood British Cemetery now contains 945 burials and commemorations of the First World War, 417 of which are unidentified.

His death was reported in the Liverpool Daily Post on 10th August 1916:

“July 30, killed in action, aged 24 years, Richard William Vaughan Roberts, Lieutenant, King’s (Liverpool Regiment), elder son of Dr. W. Vaughan Roberts, J.P., Blaenau Festiniog, and the dearly-loved nephew of Mr. Hugh Owen and the Misses Owen, “Rhianva”, Blundellsands.”

Richard's great friend, Wallace Fraser was killed in the same action at Guillemont. Both men were subject of a Memorial Service which featured in the Liverpool Echo 16th August 1916

"A Memorial Service in memory of Captain Fraser and Lieut Richard W Vaughan Roberts, killed in action will be held at St Nicholas Church, Blundellsands on Friday next at 12 noon".

Another newspaper article states; 

“His younger brother, (Lieut. Maurice Vaughan Roberts), is in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers.  Both joined the Army as Privates early in the war and were promoted from the ranks on the battlefield.” (Maurice survived the war, as a Captain with the Hampshire Regiment.)

Richard earned his three medals.

On the 1921 Census his father, William, is the proprietor of the Queens Hotel in Festiniog. He died, aged 68, in 1928 and was buried on the 06th March 1928. 

Richard William is commemorated on the family grave in Anfield Cemetery, Liverpool, Merseyside. The inscription reads:

ALSO RICHARD W VAUGHAN ROBERTS, LIEUT. 19TH KINGS L-POOL REGT,ELDER SON OF THE ABOVE WHO FELL IN ACTION AT THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME, 30TH JULY 1916, AGED 24 YEARS.

Richard is also remembered on the following Memorials:

Liverpool Ramblers War Memorial, Moor Lane, Crosby

The Northern Club War Memorial, Elm Avenue, Great Crosby 

St Nicholas Church, Blundellsands

Liverpool Presbyterian, Blundellsands

Crosby and Blundellsands War Memorial

Southport War Memorial

Haileybury College Cloister Wall Memorial, Hertford Heath.

We currently have no further information on Richard William Vaughan-Roberts, If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.