John Shute Reid – South Wales Borderers, 2nd Battalion, attached 8th Trench Mortar Battery
Second Lieutenant John Shute Reid – South Wales Borderers, 2nd Battalion, attached 8th Trench Mortar Battery
Early Life and Family
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| John Shute Reid |
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| 1901 Census |
John Shute Reid was born in 1898. At the time of the 1901 Census, the family were residing at 161 St. Helen’s Road, Swansea. Present at the address were his mother, Caroline Reid (36), and her children, Margaret Shute (4) and John Shute (3). Also recorded in the household were two servants, Hannah Maria Thomas (28) and Grizel Powell (19).
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| 1911 Census |
By the time of the 1911 Census, John, aged 13, was a boarder at The Belvedere School, Malvern Wells. He later furthered his education at Sedbergh School, Cumbria, where he joined the cadet corps — an experience that prepared him for military service.
Military Service
John was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the South
Wales Borderers, 2nd Battalion, and was attached to the 8th Trench
Mortar Battery. He arrived in France in late 1916 and had been on active
service for approximately nine months before his death.
Service with the 8th Trench Mortar Battery – Ypres, August 1917
By August 1917, the battalion was serving in the Ypres
Salient during the opening phase of the Third Battle of Ypres
(Passchendaele). The fighting in this sector was relentless, with heavy
artillery exchanges and repeated infantry engagements across shattered and
waterlogged ground.
The 8th Trench Mortar Battery provided
close-support fire to front-line infantry. Its responsibilities included
delivering short-range high-explosive bombardments, destroying enemy
wire, suppressing machine-gun positions, and supporting defensive operations.
Mortar teams operated from positions very close to the front trenches, making
them especially vulnerable to enemy retaliation once their location was revealed.
In mid-August 1917, although not marked by a major set-piece
assault on the exact date of his death, the fighting remained intense. German
artillery shelled British lines heavily, and mortar positions were frequent
targets. Ammunition had to be carried forward across exposed, shell-torn
ground, often under direct observation and fire.
As an officer attached to the trench mortar battery, John
would have been responsible for directing fire, positioning his teams, and
maintaining operational effectiveness under constant danger. The nature of
trench mortar warfare meant that officers were frequently exposed when
observing targets or supervising forward positions.
Death and Commemoration
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| John Shute Reid Dozinghem Military Cemetery, Belgium credit - findagrave |
Second Lieutenant John Shute Reid was killed in
action on 17th August 1917. Contemporary reports stated that
during his service he had taken part in “several great actions.”
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| The Cambrian Daily Leader 20th August 1917 |
He is buried at Dozinghem Military Cemetery, Belgium, a cemetery closely associated with the Ypres battles and nearby casualty clearing stations. John is also commemorated on his parents’ grave in Swansea. His death was reported in the Cambrian Daily Leader on 20th August 1917, marking the loss of a young officer who had served for only a short but intense period on the Western Front
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