Leonard Vincent Williams – South Wales Borderers, 7th Battalion

 Captain Leonard Vincent Williams – South Wales Borderers, 7^th Battalion

Birth and Family Background

Leonard Vincent Williams was born in 1893 in the Cape Colony, South Africa, the son of Leonard Williams and Margaret Elizabeth Williams.

1901 Census

The 1901 Census records the family living at 7 Castleton Terrace, Oystermouth. Margaret Elizabeth Williams (28), born at Sketty, was recorded as living on independent means.

Her sons were Leonard L. D. (8) and Cyril (7), both attending school. Also living in the household was Margaret’s aunt, Rosa Roderick (38), who was likewise recorded as living on her own means.

1911 Census

By the time of the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 27 Sidney Road, Bedford. Margaret Elizabeth Williams (36) was recorded as the wife of Leonard Williams.

Her sons were Leonard Vincent (18), described as a student, and Cyril (17), who was still attending school.

Military Service

Leonard Vincent Williams was commissioned into the South Wales Borderers and served as a Captain with the 7^th Battalion.

In May 1917, the 7^th Battalion, South Wales Borderers was serving on the Salonika (Macedonian) Front in northern Greece as part of the 67^th Brigade, 22^nd Division. The campaign was characterised by prolonged trench warfare, patrols, and frequent local actions against Bulgarian forces, rather than large-scale offensives.

Conditions on the Salonika Front were exceptionally harsh. Troops faced rugged terrain, extreme heat and cold, and widespread disease, including malaria and dysentery, which caused significant casualties alongside enemy action. Front-line positions were often located in exposed mountainous or scrub-covered areas, leaving units vulnerable to artillery fire, snipers, and raiding parties.

On 26^th May 1917, the battalion was engaged in routine but dangerous front-line duties, including holding trenches, manning outposts, and conducting patrols in contested ground. Although no major set-piece battle was underway, casualties were regularly sustained through artillery fire and sniping.

It was during these operations that Captain Leonard Vincent Williams was killed in action on 26^th May 1917, reflecting the constant dangers faced by British forces on this lesser-known front.

Death and Burial

Leonard Vincent Williams
Karasouli Military Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Captain Leonard Vincent Williams is buried at Karasouli Military Cemetery, Greece, where many soldiers who fell during the Salonika campaign are laid to rest.

His death stands as a reminder of the sacrifices made far from the Western Front, in a theatre of war that demanded endurance as much as courage