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James Kew
No / Rank: 18924 Private
Regiment: South Wales Borderes
Battalion: 1st Battalion
Born: Machen,Mon
Enlisted: Newport, Mon
Residence:
Date Died: 31.03.1916
How Died: Killed in Action
Theatre of War: France and Flanders
Brigade:3rd Division:1st (Regular Army)
Commemorated at the Arras Memorial.
Private James Kew had landed in France on 18th May 1915. By the last weeks of March 1916 the 1st Battalion South Wales Borderers had been billeted in the cellars of houses in the village of Maroc near Loos. The Battalion had supplied officers and men for general fatigue duties, trench digging, transport etc. The Battalion Diary records that as soon as the unit moved into the front line their H.Q. was subjected to heavy artillery fire.
On 31st March 1916 a ‘bright spring day’, the front line was subjected to an artillery attack from 9,00am for 3 hours. The regimental history describes the intensity of the artillery barrage as one that ‘stood out in the memories of those who endured it’. They were subjected to ‘intense and systematic bombardment by heavy Howitzers firing high explosives shells and fitted with delayed action fuses, so that they had a burrowing effect.’ These demolished large sections of the trenches and caused high numbers of casualties.
The Battalion Diary records that. ‘About 25 N.C.O.’s and men of D Company were buried in their dug outs and very considerable damage was done fire trenches, saps and communication trenches, about 150 yards of front line trench was blown in.’ Total casualties, 7 killed, 3 wounded and 5 missing.
Among those missing was Corporal James Kew, his was one of those bodies “un-recovered from the wrecked dug out when night came”.
James Kew lived in Wyndham Street, Machen although well known in the area as Rugby Footballer with Pill Harriers. His death was referred to by another Machen soldier, Sergeant Newton, who, when accepting his wristwatch from the presentation committee in May 1916, told the audience “amid sympathetic applause” that he and ‘Jim Kew’ were due to be travelling home on leave together. He went on to say that “Jim had died like a true British soldier”. Lovell Everson received his presentation wristwatch that same evening. James Kew died on Friday 31st March 1916 and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial to the missing. The memorial records 35,000 British and Commonwealth servicemen who have no known grave.
James Kew is commemorated at the Arras memorial.
