Glamorgan Cricket says \"Thank You\"

Glamorgan CCC paid tribute to its players who were killed during World War One in a moving event last night in the CC4 Museum of Welsh Cricket. The event, held in conjunction with The Royal British Legion’s ‘Thank You’ event also remembered those – both military and civilian - who played their part on the home front and returned to build a better life for the benefit of future generations.

Last night’s event began by remembering the Club’s players who gave their lives for King and Country, including:

• Archer Windsor-Clive (1908-1912) , a man tipped to be a future Glamorgan captain, died on 25^th August, 1914 at Landrieces from wounds after being struck by a shell whilst serving with the Coldstream Guards.

• Frank Dunn (1911) was killed on 16^th August, 1915 in crossfire whilst serving with the 5^th Battalion, Welsh Regiment at Suvla Bay, Gallipoli.

• Charles Donnelly (1899) was killed on 9^th May 1915 during a gas attack whilst serving with the King’s Royal Rifle Corpsduring the Battle of Frezenberg at Flanders.

• Humphrey Bircham (1893) died on 23^rd July 1916 after being struck by a shell, whilst commanding the 2^nd Battalion , the King’s Royal Rifle Corps at Pozieres during the Battle of the Somme.

• Charles Davies (1913) died whilst in captivity after being badly wounded serving in the Battle of the Somme with the Royal Dublin Fusiliers on 9^th June 1916.

• David Cuthbert Thomas (1914) died at Freicourt on 3^rd March 1916 of wounds after being hit by a sniper whilst undertaking reconnaissance serving in the Battle the Somme with 1^st Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers.

• Tom David (1913) was fatally struck by a shell at Ypres on 27^th July 1917 during the Battle of Passchendaele whilst a member of the 15^th Battalion, the Welsh Regiment.

• William Edwards (1913-1914) died of shrapnel wounds on 1^st November 1917 at Beersheba, Palestine whilst serving with the 4^th Dismounted Brigade of Riflemen in the 24^th Welsh Regiment.

• Alan Boswell (1914) was killed after being shot down over Belgium on 2^nd October 1918 whilst undertaking a sortie with 108 Squadron of The Royal Flying Corps.

• William Carrington (1896) was killed in Flanders on 28^th April 1918 whilst fighting with the 1^st Battalion the Leicestershire Regiment during The Hundred Days Offensive.

There were war-related fatalities during the years after the hostilities with Dyson Bransby Williams who played for Glamorgan between 1901 and 1921, and served as the Club’s Treasurer, committing suicide in April 1922 having never fully recovered from acting as second-in-command of the 14^th (Swansea) The Welsh Regiment during which he witnessed the horrors of Mametz Wood. Others thankfully recovered from their mental injuries with Jack Mercer, the only Glamorgan bowler to take all ten wickets in an innings, recovering from shell-shock whilst serving with the 12^th Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment in the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

Last night’s event also showcased some of the outreach work which the Club’s Community Department have undertaken as part of the Glamorgan Remembers Project. A couple of films were shown which had been produced by current pupils of Christ College, Brecon and Llandaff Cathedral School, whilst Louise Mumford, the Archivist of the Cathedral School also outlined the way the Cardiff school commemorates the pupils and staff killed during the War.

The event also remembered Freddie Mathias, who played for Glamorgan during the 1920s, who in September 1918 at the age of just 20, won the Military Cross for gallantry in completing many hours of successful reconnaissance over the Western Front with the Royal Flying Corps. After another special film was shown, his son Tim spoke about his father’s wartime exploits, his career in county cricket and his later life as a stockbroker.

The final section of the event involved a presentation by Swansea-based writer Dave Brayley who, with the support of Literature Wales and Fusion, has recently worked on a project with pupils at Mount Stuart Primary School who have looked at the life of former Glamorgan cricketer Frederick  de Courcy Hamilton and his legacy for the residents of Butetown who returned home after the First World War, in particular the creation of a multi-racial cricket team and other housing schemes.

The film produced by the Year 5 pupils called “Thank You, Frederick” will be shortly available to view on this website and its premiere at last night’s event, attended by staff, pupils and governors of the school was a moving and fitting end to an event as Glamorgan CCC looked back on events a hundred years ago.