Boer and Waziristan war memorials, St Giles' Church

Boer, Waziristan, Malaya and Cyprus war memorials

Inside St Giles’ Church are two memorials to men from North Wales and Cheshire who died in the Second Boer War of 1899 to 1902. The conflict was between the British Empire and the forces of two republics, South Africa and Orange Free State. See below.

Another memorial inside the church commemorates the local men who died in the Waziristan War of 1919 to 1920. This was triggered when Afghan rebels attacked British colonial territory in what is now part of Pakistan. Many of the rebels had previously fought in the Indian Army, which had been led and trained by Britain. They used this training, and British-made weapons, to wage an effective guerilla campaign. The British forces countered with bombing raids by air, an early use of a technique which has continued ever since. See below.

In the area below the church tower hangs a USA flag, presented in July 2005 by the US Air Force. It replaced a flag given by the US Army’s 129th General Hospital in 1945 after leaving its wartime base in Penley. The original flag, presented as a token of thanks for Wrexham’s hospitality, was replaced because it featured only 48 stars and was looking shabby by 2005.

A window in the area below the tower was given by the RWF in 1895. A window in the RWF memorial chapel, in the north aisle, depicts the various RWF uniforms and the white goat mascot. This was installed in 1989 to mark the regiment’s 300th anniversary.

A brass plaque commemorates Royal Welsh Fusiliers who died in service in Malaya between 1954 and 1957 and in Cyprus in 1958 – see below. Opposite is a weathered stone memorial which was brought to the church in 1887 from the Crimea, where it had been replaced by another memorial. The stone commemorates RWF men who died in the 1854-1856 Crimean War.

With thanks to Alwyn Evans, of the Clwyd Family History Society, and David Davies

Where is this HiPoint?

Postcode: LL13 8LY

Boer War, Royal Welsh Fusiliers (A-G)
Boer War, Royal Welsh Fusiliers (H-N)
Boer War, Royal Welsh Fusiliers (O-Z)

Boer War, Denbighshire Yeomanry

Waziristan War, Royal Welsh Fusiliers

Malaya and Cyprus, Royal Welsh Fusiliers