Pte 15710 Robert Tudwal Williams

• Age: 27
• From: Liverpool
• Regiment: 13th KLR
• Died on Wednesday 21st August 1918
• Commemorated at: Warry Copse
  Panel Ref: A.8

Robert was the son of John Williams and his wife Jane (nee Lewis) who married in Liverpool in 1865. John was born in Canarvonshire, Jane in Liverpool. Robert was one of ten children. He had brothers William, Hugh, John, Owen, Richard and Charles, and sisters Ann, Jane, and Catherine, all born in Liverpool.

Robert enlisted at St George's Hall, Liverpool on 02nd September 1914 when he joined the 17th Bn as Private 15710.

He was billeted at Prescot Watch Factory from 14^th September 1914, he trained there and also at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 17th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain. He arrived in France on 7^th November 1915.

He survived the Somme battles of 1916 and had in all probability been wounded when he transferred to the 13th Bn of the King's Liverpool Regiment on 15th May 1918 having reached the rank of Lance Corporal when he was Killed in action on 21/08/1918. aged 27. 

The Bn War Diary for August 1918 records -

Part of the 9th Brigade 3rd Army advance on Bapaume August 21st – 24th

20th August – Bivouacked at Hannescamp. At 11 p.m. the battalion moved to assembly positions. Intermittent shelling of assembly area.

21st August – At Zero Hour 4:55 a.m. the battalion moved forward in a thick mist exacerbated by smoke cloud to cover tanks. Direction was extremely difficult. The troops never hesitated even though nothing could be seen of their objective or of the troops on their flanks. Several strong points were encountered, but were outflanked with Lewis Gun and rifle fire. ‘C’ Company on the right had no tank assisting but advanced in short rushes on the machine guns. Enemy heavy artillery was active throughout the day. The men suffered heavy casualties from exposure of the right flank.

Total casualties during the operation – 3 Officers Killed, including 2nd Lt. J.B. Friend, 263 Other Ranks. Of those other ranks were  Arthur Cottrell, Charles Napier Mitchell, Henry Pemberton, Andrew Pinder,  Herbert Cunningham Wands, William Watson and Robert Tudwal Williams who were all former Liverpool Pals. 

His brother Charles Griffith Williams had been killed at Guillemont on 30/7/1916 serving with the 19th Bn of the King's Liverpool Regiment. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing. 

Robert now rests at Warry Copse Cemetery, Courcelles-le-Comte and his parents had the following inscribed on his headstone:

"ALSO IN MEMORY OF 21435 PRIVATE C GRIFF WILLIAMS THE KING'S LIVERPOOL REGT. KILLED AT GUILLEMONT ON 31/07/1916".

The village of Courcelles-le-Comte was taken by the 3rd Division on 21 August 1918 and Warry Copse Cemetery was made by the 3rd Division Burial Officer at the end of the month. The cemetery contains 40 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, two of which are unidentified.

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