Howel Cyril Watkins – Welsh Regiment, 24th (Pembroke and Glamorgan Yeomanry) Battalion, Territorial Force

Lieutenant Howel Cyril Watkins – Welsh Regiment, 24^th (Pembroke and Glamorgan Yeomanry) Battalion, Territorial Force

Birth and Family Background

Howel Cyril Watkins was born in 1898 in Swansea, the son of Walter Jones Watkins and Nellie Chadwick, who were married in 1896 at Croydon, Surrey.

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the Watkins family were residing at 91 Walter Road, Swansea. Walter J. Watkins (33) was employed as a wholesale stationer and printer, and his Yorkshire-born wife Nellie (31) managed the household. Their children were Howel Cyril (3) and John Ronald (2).
Also present were two servants, Ann Richards (19) and Florence Smalldon (20).

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family had moved to Holmesdale, Eaton Crescent, Swansea. Walter J. Watkins (43) was recorded as a master printer and paper maker, while Nellie (40) remained at home. Their children were Howel Cyril (13); John Ronald (11); Freda Mary (8); Owen Glyn (7), all attending school; and Ivor Llewellyn (3).
Also resident were Isabella Chadwick (67), Nellie’s mother, and a visitor, George H. B. Davies (37). Two servants, Ann Richards (29) and Margaret Ann Davies (22), were also employed in the household.

Military Service

Howel served as a Lieutenant with the Welsh Regiment, joining the 24^th (Pembroke and Glamorgan Yeomanry) Battalion, Territorial Force, a unit formed from former yeomanry troopers and Welsh volunteers converted to infantry service.

Welsh Regiment, 24^th Battalion — 23^rd October 1918

On 23^rd October 1918, the 24^th (Pembroke and Glamorgan Yeomanry) Battalion, Welsh Regiment, was engaged in the final phase of the Allied advance in northern France, following the successful breach of the Hindenburg Line. The battalion was operating in the Le Cateau sector, where German forces were conducting determined rearguard actions as they withdrew eastwards.

Fighting during this period involved open-country advances, village fighting, and the clearing of enemy strongpoints rather than static trench warfare. Despite the apparent German retreat, resistance remained fierce. Machine-gun nests, snipers, and artillery fire continued to inflict casualties, particularly during patrols and consolidation of newly captured ground.

As a former yeomanry unit converted to infantry, the battalion relied heavily on the leadership of its junior officers. Lieutenant Watkins would have been responsible for leading his platoon forward, directing attacks, and organising defensive positions immediately after capture, often under direct fire. It was during these hazardous operations on 23^rd October 1918 that Howel Cyril Watkins was killed in action.

Death and Burial

Howel Cyril Watkins
Le Cateau Military Cemetery, Nord, France
credit - findagrave

Howel Cyril Watkins is buried at Le Cateau Military Cemetery, Nord, France.

His death, only weeks before the Armistice, illustrates the continued danger faced by officers and men during the final advance that brought the First World War to its close