By Des Quinn and Martin Williams

Unfortunately, we don’t know who Bert was. He is just one of the countless young men who went from Wales to fight in the fields of France and Flanders. The cap badge tells us that Bert was in the Welsh Regiment. Welsh Battalions were heavily involved during the Battle for Mametz Wood in July Bert could have been one of these soldiers. Bert would most certainly have had a wealth of knowledge regarding Welsh involvement on the Western Front and the terrible conditions that troops found themselves living and fighting in. Photograph courtesy of M. Williams

If Bert had been at Mametz Wood, imagine what he would have to say on the morning of the 12 th July when the wood was finally cleared by the 21 st Division. Welsh soldiers had been engaged in battle with German soldiers within the wood from the 7 th of July. On the 7 th July alone the 38 th (Welsh) Division suffered 400 casualties as German artillery and machine-gun fire ripped into advancing troops. Three sets of brothers died during the assault on the wood that day. On the 10 th July another frontal assault on the wood took place, and again many men were lost due to machine-gun fire and ‘friendly’ artillery rounds that fell amongst the battalions who had forged ahead into the wood itself.

Again, on the 11 th, attacks took place, this time on the northern and eastern edges of the wood. Exhausted, many battalions had to be withdrawn from battle and replaced by fresh soldiers that had been held in reserve. As had happened on the 10 th, the British artillery “opened up” and for hours the Welsh soldiers had to take cover in shell holes and ditches before continuing the advance against heavy German resistance. The 38th Division losses at Mametz Wood: Killed 46 Officers 556 other ranks Wounded 138 Officers 2,668 other ranks Missing 6 Officers 579 other ranks Total 190 Officers 3,803 other ranks Why did the soldiers of the 38 th Division carry on the attacks on Mametz Wood even thought the loss of life was immense?

Imagine what Bert would have said about the assault on Mametz Wood, what he would have felt and how he would have described his experiences. Because of censorship he would not have been able to write much about what had happened. But what if he did write a detailed letter home, or a diary entry, that he had no intention of posting. Many cards and letters were never posted, but handed over to family members and loved ones by friends who went home on leave. You are Bert. Write a letter or series of diary entries describing the preparation for the assault on Mametz Wood and the assault itself. * How did your battalion prepare for the battle? What did you expect? * How did you feel before the battle and when you saw the first troops advance? * What happened during the battle? Which events stood out from others? * How did you feel on the 12 th July when you knew the battle for the wood was over?