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.
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