Troedrhiwfuwch war memorial

Troedrhiwfuwch war memorial

This lonely roadside memorial might be a puzzle to passers by. Although there are hardly any houses in the area, the memorial records that 16 local men were killed in the First World War. Choose a category to read details of the local war dead

 First World War

 Second World War

Originally the memorial was a feature of the mining village of Troedrhiwfuwch. There were houses to its left and right, and a residential street diverged from the main road to the west. Several hundred people lived in the village, which had schools and other facilities. The buildings were demolished after the Second World War because the hillside to the west is unstable and there was a risk of landslip.

Three of the men named on the memorial – James Henry Hillman, George Pritchard Ward and Arthur Panter – served with the First Battalion of the Monmouthshire Regiment and were all killed on the same day in May 1915. James Hillman’s brother Thomas was in the same battalion and also died that day. Their bodies were never identified and they are commemorated on the Menin Gate in Ypres, Belgium.

About the village name:

A farm called Troedrhiwfuwch, on Cefn y Brithdir, was first recorded in 1657. The name derives from Troedrhiw'rfuwch, meaning “foot of the cow's slope”. The definite article yr (`r after rhiw) found in earlier spellings was lost in everyday speech. Troedrhiw and Troed-y-rhiw are common in place-names, especially in South Wales.
To hear how to pronounce Troedrhiwfuwch, press play: Or, download mp3 (39KB)

With thanks to Gelligaer Historical Society, and to Richard Morgan of the Welsh Place-Names Society for information about the village’s name

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First World War

  • S Davies, Private, Royal Welsh Fusiliers
  • John William Gill, Private 86555. Royal Engineers 170th Tunnelling Company. Died March 18 1916 aged 32. Loos Memorial. Son of farm labourer Albert Gill and Mary Elizabeth Gill; widower of Mabel Gill (nee Horne), who died shortly after giving birth. Was a coal miner in Penrhiwceiber, Cynon Valley, and earlier served with the South Wales Borderers in South Africa and India. Left two children.
  • Thomas Ivor Healey, Private 3190 (241290), Welsh Regiment 1/5th Battalion. Killed in action November 3 1917. Beersheba War Cemetery. Son of Thomas and Sarah Healey.
  • James Henry Hillman, Rifleman 2415, Monmouthshire Regiment 1st Battalion. Killed in action May 8 1915. Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial. Son of John and Annie Hillman, of 5 Conham Valley, Hanham, Bristol. Born in Llangynydd, Brecon. Enlisted New Tredegar. Lived in Troedrhiwfuwch. His brother, Rifleman Thomas John Hillman, was in the same battalion and was killed on the same day.
  • T Jones, Private               
  • P Leageian, Private, Welch Regiment. Awarded Distinguished Conduct Medal
  • F Mayo, Private
  • H Nash, Private, Worcs. Possibly: Herbert George Nash, Private 34212, Welsh Regiment 1st Battalion. Died October 2 1915. Loos Memorial, France.
  • Arthur Panter, Rifleman 2416, Monmouthsire Regiment 1st Battalion. Killed in action May 8 1915. Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial. Son of Sidney and Sarah Panter of 61 High Street, Troedrhiwfuwch.
  • H Phillips, Sergeant, South Wales Borderers
  • James Roach, Signalman, Royal Naval Reserve – HMS Goliath. Died May 13 1915 aged 26. Plymouth Naval Memorial. Son of James and Charlotte Annie Roach. Born in Bolton.
  • B Short, Private, South Wales Borderers.
  • George Pritchard Ward, Rifleman 1965, Monmouthshire Regiment 1st Battalion. Killed in action May 8 1915. Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial. Son of Robert and Martha Ward of 1 Chapel Road, Troedrhiwfuwch.
  • E White, Private 18354, Royal Irish Regiment 2nd Battalion. Died August 21 1918. AIF Burial Ground, Flers, France.
  • Edward Williams, Private 1563, Monmouthshire Regiment 1st Battalion. Killed in action April 1915. Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial. Son of George Williams and cousin of William John Jones of 54 High Street, Troedrhiwfuwch.
  • Richard John Williams, Private 18912, Welsh Regiment 13th Battalion. Killed in action July 10 1916. Thiepval Memorial, France. Son of Edwin and Jane Williams of 57 High Street, Troedrhiwfuwch. Was a coal hewer.
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Second World War

  • Mansel Vernal Phillips, Sergeant 1836048. Died December 4 1943. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Buried Hanover War Cemetery.
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