William Pryce (Price) Davies was born at Oswestry in 1881 and christened at Holy Trinity on 3 March 1881. His parents were John and Mary Davies. He was the third of four children. The family lived at 4 Rose Place, Rope Walk (Albert Road). In 1883 his mother Mary died, possibly as a result of complications from childbirth; she had had another child, Ethel, who died aged 5 weeks. The mother and daughter are buried in Oswestry Cemetery (grave D104), their funerals were on 23 and 25 June 1883. His father, also known as ‘Brec’ – possibly after ‘Brecon’ his birthplace, was a printer and compositor at the Caxton Press on Oswald Road. In 1901 William and his father had moved next door to 5 Rose Place where they were boarding. William started work as an apprentice carpenter building carriages and coaches at the Cambrian Railway. He would later work as a cabinet maker for Messrs S Ashton & Sons. In 1910 he married Harriet Emily (nee Jarman) and they went to live at 42 Albert Road, sharing the house with his widowed father. Harriet died in 1912; she had had no children.

Around this time too William joined the 1/4 Bn KSLI Territorials. At the outbreak of war he was mobilised and went with the battalion out to India and the Far East. Whilst he was away in 1916, his father died; he is buried with his wife and baby in Oswestry. The battalion returned to UK and went over to France in July 1917. During October 1917 William took home leave, while at home he married again – to Lilian Fordham from Chirk. He returned to the front soon afterwards. In December 1917 the battalion was in action at the Battle of Welsh Ridge near Marcoing. Over the 30/31 December the battalion was heavily shelled causing many casualties – about 40 men were KIA and 100 wounded. The battalion stayed in the line until they were relieved on 3 January 1918.

William is recorded as having been killed in action on 1 January 1918. The Battalion War Diary does not record any casualties for this day and it is more likely that William was one of the casualties from the previous days fighting. His C/O, Second Lieutenant HS Trumper*, wrote to his widow ‘…..to assure you that we all feel for you in your great trouble. Your late husband will be missed by the whole company as a good comrade, and I can assure you we all deplore his death. He was killed immediately by concussion and was buried by his comrades. I have only just taken over command of the company so could not write before’. His body was buried on the battlefield and later re-interned at Fifteen Ravine British Cemetery, Villers Plouich. He is also commemorated on St Oswald’s Church War Memorial, Oswestry.

* Second Lieutenant HS Trumper also wrote to the families of Lance Corporal 200077 Samuel Vaughan (KIA 28 December 1917) and Corporal (Lance Sergt.) 20053 Thomas H Jones (KIA 30 December 1917).

Acknowledgements.

References and Sources

END