Joseph Charles Edward Leach – 14th Battalion, Welsh Regiment

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

Family Background

Joseph Charles Edward Leach

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

1891 Census

By the 1891 Census, the Leach family were living at 2 Gladstone Road, Battersea, London.
Alfred (59), born in Buckinghamshire, was employed as a Builder’s Labourer, and his wife Catherine (42), also from Buckinghamshire, kept the household. Their children present were Harry (15), Edith (12), Arthur (9), and Joseph (5). A lodger, Sarah A. Parker (46), a Monthly Nurse, also lived with the family.

Marriage

Joseph Charles Edward Leach and Edith Heath
marriage banns
St. Mary's Church

In March 1911, Joseph married Edith Heath at St Mary’s Church, her home parish being Holy Trinity, Clapham, London.

1911 Census

Later that year, Joseph appears on the 1911 Census living as a Boarder at 3 Rutland Place, Swansea, in the home of Ann Mock. He was recorded as 28 years old, employed as a Railway Goods Checker, and listed as “unmarried,” despite his recent marriage.

Military Service

At the outbreak of the First World War, Joseph was employed by the Great Western Railway in Swansea. When the 14^th Battalion, Welsh Regiment (the Swansea Pals) was formed, he enlisted at once. Demonstrating strong leadership and organisational ability, he played a key role in raising and training recruits, eventually being promoted to Company Serjeant Major.

Wounding and Death

Joseph was sent to France with the 14th Battalion and was severely wounded on 16^th July 1916 during the fighting at Mametz Wood on the Somme. He was evacuated to England for specialist treatment at the City of London Military Hospital in Clapham, one of London’s major wartime medical centres. The hospital, expanded to hold over a thousand beds, treated some of the most serious battlefield injuries, particularly compound fractures, crush wounds, and cases requiring amputation. Over ten months, surgeons attempted to save Joseph’s leg, but it was eventually amputated due to the severity of his injuries.

Although he initially rallied after the operation, Joseph subsequently developed pleurisy, a dangerous complication frequently seen in soldiers weakened by major surgery and infection. As his condition deteriorated, he was transferred to the City Road Chest Hospital, a specialist institution for respiratory illnesses. Despite treatment, Joseph died on 20^th June 1917 from complications arising from his wounds and pleurisy.

Cambrian Daily Leader

Joseph Charles Edward Leach
West Norwood Cemetery and Crematorium
credit - findagrave

Clapham Observer 

His funeral was reported in the Clapham Observer and took place at West Norwood Cemetery and Crematorium. His death was also noted in the Cambrian Daily Leader, reflecting his strong connection to Swansea and the Swansea Pals.