John Charles Thomas – Welsh Regiment, 14th Battalion

Private John Charles Thomas – Welsh Regiment, 14^th Battalion

Birth and Family Background

John Charles Thomas was born in 1895 at Aberdare, the son of John Thomas and Francisca Hannah Hillman, who were married in 1889.

1901 Census

The 1901 Census records the family living at 6 Hall Street, Aberdare. John Thomas (29), born in the Rhondda, was employed as a coal hewer, while his wife Hannah (31), born in Breconshire, managed the household.

Their children were John (6), William (4), Winifred (2), and Lewis (1 month).

1911 Census

By the time of the 1911 Census, the family had moved to Mill Lane, Blackpill. Francisca Hannah Thomas (40) was by then widowed.

Children present in the household were John Charles (16) and Robert William (14), both employed as colliers (hewers); Winifred Amy (12); and Percy James (4), the younger two attending school.

Also present were a visitor, Martha Bainton (47), a domestic nurse, and a boarder, James Simpson (56), a market gardener.

Military Service

John Charles Thomas enlisted in the British Army and served as a Private with the Welsh Regiment, 14^th Battalion.

In July 1916, the battalion was engaged in the opening phase of the Battle of the Somme, one of the largest and most costly offensives of the First World War. As part of the 38^th (Welsh) Division, the 14th Battalion was preparing for its first major combat operations.

On 10^th July 1916, the battalion was holding forward positions near Mametz Wood, an area heavily defended by German forces with machine guns, artillery, and complex trench systems. Conditions were extremely difficult, with heavily shelled ground, poor communications, and constant enemy fire.

During this period, the battalion carried out front-line holding duties, patrols, and preparations for further attacks. German artillery bombardments were frequent, and casualties were sustained even in the absence of a full-scale assault. Many men were killed or wounded while occupying trenches or moving through exposed areas.

Death and Commemoration

Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects

According to the Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, John Charles Thomas was presumed dead on 10^th July 1916, reflecting the heavy losses suffered by the battalion during the early days of the Somme fighting.

He has no known grave, and his name is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France, which honours those who fell on the Somme and have no known burial place.