Joseph Charles Edward Leach

Company Sergeant Major Joseph Charles Edward Leach – Welsh Regiment, 14^th Battalion

Early Life

Joseph Charles Edward Leach

Joseph Charles Edward Leach was born in 1886 in Battersea, London, the son of Alfred Leach and Catherine Wilson.

1891 Census

According to the 1891 Census, the Leach family were living at 2 Gladstone Street, Battersea, London. Alfred, aged 59, was employed as a Builder’s Labourer, and Catherine, aged 42, managed the household. Their children were Harry (15), Edith (12), Arthur (9), and Joseph (5). Also present at the address on the night of the census was Sarah A. Parker, aged 46, a Monthly Nurse who boarded with the family.

As a young man, Joseph moved to South Wales, where he was employed by the Great Western Railway and settled in Mumbles, Swansea.

Military Service

Before the outbreak of the First World War, Joseph Leach had already expressed an interest in military life. During the South African War (Boer War), he enlisted when he was only 16 years old, but owing to his youth, he was not permitted to serve overseas.

When war was declared in 1914, he enlisted in Swansea, joining the 14^th (Service) Battalion, Welsh Regiment, better known as the Swansea Pals. His maturity and previous experience helped him rise quickly to the rank of Company Sergeant Major, one of the most senior non-commissioned positions within the battalion.

The 14^th Welsh formed part of the 114^th Brigade, 38^th (Welsh) Division, and served on the Western Front from December 1915. The battalion fought in major engagements, including Mametz Wood during the Battle of the Somme (July 1916), where the division earned great distinction.

In the spring of 1917, the 14^th Welsh were stationed in the Ypres Salient, holding trenches around Boesinghe and Canal Bank. They carried out patrols, trench raids, and working duties as preparations were made for the upcoming Third Battle of Ypres. By mid-June 1917, the battalion had been withdrawn from the front line to the St Hilaire area for training and reorganisation, practising over replica trench systems for the assault that would later become known as Pilckem Ridge. It was during this period, while the battalion was engaged in preparation and refit, that Company Sergeant Major Leach was fatally wounded.

Death

Company Sergeant Major Joseph Charles Edward Leach was wounded in action and later died from his wounds on 20^th June 1917, aged 31.

Herald of Wales and Monmouthshire Recorder

The Herald of Wales and Monmouthshire Recorder, published on 14^th July 1917, honoured him in its “Scroll of Fame”, noting that Sergeant-Major Joseph Leach, before enlisting, had been a resident of Mumbles and an employee of the Great Western Railway in Swansea. His loss was deeply felt both in the railway community and in his adopted home of Mumbles.

Burial

Joseph Charles Edward Leach
West Norwood Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Company Sergeant Major Joseph Charles Edward Leach is commemorated at West Norwood Cemetery, London — not far from his birthplace in Battersea. His commemoration there reflects a symbolic return to his roots following his service and sacrifice on the battlefields of France and Belgium.

Legacy

Joseph Leach’s life reflects a spirit of dedication and service that spanned both peace and war. Having first enlisted as a teenager during the Boer War, he later fulfilled his duty in the First World War, serving with distinction in the 14^th (Service) Battalion, Welsh Regiment.

His connection to Mumbles, where he lived and worked before the war, ensures that he is remembered locally among those who gave their lives for their country. His name is commemorated on the memorial of the former Methodist Church, Mumbles, where he is honoured alongside other members of the congregation and local men who fell in the Great War.

His story stands as a tribute to loyalty, service, and sacrifice — a man who served with distinction and whose memory endures in both his birthplace and his adopted Welsh home.