BORN – Llangefni, Anglesey
HOMEFRONT – Place / Occupation / Llangefni War Memorial / Llangefni County School War Memorial / London City & Midland Bank War Memorial
EDUCATION – Llangefni County School
JOB – Bank Clerk
UNIT – 12 Bn Gloucestershire Regiment
RANK – Second Lieutenant
THEATRE – Kaiser Offensive / Armentieres. St Andre, Lille, 12 Bn Gloucestershire Regiment. 9 July 1918
DIED – DoW 9 July 1918. Aged 25
BURIED – Tannay British Cemetery, Thiennes. (CWGC)
John Jeffrey Garland was born at Llangefni, Anglesey on 15 July 1892. He was the eldest son of George and Ellen Garland. He had four younger siblings; three brothers and one sister. His father was a grocer and corn dealer running the Britannia Stores in Llangefni. John attended the Llangefni County School. After school he began work for the London City and Midland Bank and entered bank service on 12 October 1909. Over the next few years he worked at their branches at Ffestiniog, Conway, Lampeter and, in 1911, at Llanfyllin and finally at Oswestry, where he lived at 36 Ferrers Road.
John first enlisted in June 1915 joining the Welsh Guards but failed the medical due to defective eyesight and was discharged on 17 July. In August 1915 he tried again. This time he was successful and joined the 24 Bn Royal Fusiliers as Private 3777 John Jeffrey Garland. He went over to France with the battalion on 15 November 1915. During his service in France he was badly wounded in the leg in July 1916 at Waterlot Farm when the 24 Bn was fighting on the Somme. He was sent home but wished to return to be with his friends at the front. He spent the following 15 months under treatment and recuperating and then went onto officer training.
He was commissioned on 30 April 1918 and returned to France in June joining 12 Bn Gloucestershire Regiment, serving as Second Lieutenant. He joined the battalion on 5 July, he was KIA on 9 July 1918. At that time the battalion was in the support trenches near to Armentieres engaged as working/carrying parties. Lieutenant Garland was killed during the morning of 9 July whilst returning from a working party. His sister always claimed her brother was killed by a ‘stray shell’. He was nearly 26 years old and is buried in Tannay British Cemetery. His headstone says: ‘Loving thoughts shall always wander to this sad and lonely grave’ . John is also commemorated on the Llangefni War Memorial, the Llangefni County School War Memorial as well as on the London City & Midland Bank War Memorial.
Acknowledgements. David Milton Jones – JJG was great uncle of.
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