William Henry Davies (MM & Bar) - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Drake Battalion, Royal Navy Division

Able Seaman William Henry Davies (MM & Bar) - Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Drake Battalion, Royal Navy Division

Family Background and Early Life

William Davies and Mary Carr
marriage certificate
St. Mary's Church, Swansea

William Henry Davies was born in 1897 in Swansea, the son of William Davies and Mary Carr, who were married in 1889 at St Mary’s Church, Swansea.

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the Davies family were living in Orchard Street, Swansea. William senior (33) was employed as a boilermaker, while his wife Mary (31) managed the household. Their children were Margarette Ann (12), Edith May (9), Thomas John (7), William Henry (4), and Anne Mary (1). Also residing with the family was a boarder, John Davies (38).

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 5 New Street, Swansea. William senior (44) remained employed as a boilermaker, and Mary was then 41. Their children at home were Thomas John (17) and William Henry (15), both working as general labourers, along with James (8), Hilda (3), and Susan (1).

Military Service

William Henry Davies served with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, joining the Drake Battalion of the Royal Navy Division. During his service, he was attached to the 189^th Light Trench Mortar Battery, Royal Navy Division, a role that placed him in some of the most dangerous front-line conditions on the Western Front.

Military Medal and Bar

During his service, William Henry Davies was awarded the Military Medal and Bar, recognising repeated acts of gallantry under fire. The Military Medal was awarded to non-commissioned officers and other ranks for bravery in the field, while the award of a Bar denoted a second award for further gallant conduct.

Although the precise circumstances of his awards are not recorded in surviving service papers, his attachment to a trench mortar battery strongly suggests that his bravery occurred during intense front-line fighting, where personnel were frequently exposed to heavy artillery fire, counter-battery bombardment, and the dangers inherent in handling explosive munitions close to enemy positions. The award of both the medal and bar reflects his exceptional courage, endurance, and devotion to duty.

189^th Light Trench Mortar Battery – July 1918

On 13^th July 1918, the 189^th Light Trench Mortar Battery, Royal Navy Division, was operating in the Somme sector of the Western Front during a critical phase of the war’s final year. Following the German Spring Offensives earlier in 1918, Allied forces were engaged in stabilising the front, resisting renewed German pressure, and preparing for the counter-offensives that would later become known as the Hundred Days.

Light Trench Mortar Batteries provided close-support fire against enemy trenches, strongpoints, and machine-gun positions. Their work was conducted close to the front line, often from exposed positions that drew heavy retaliatory artillery and mortar fire. Ammunition had to be carried forward by hand across shell-torn ground, frequently under observation and fire from the enemy.

During this period, units of the Royal Navy Division were heavily engaged in localised actions, counter-attacks, and defensive operations intended to blunt German advances and improve Allied positions. Casualties among trench mortar units were often severe, caused not only by enemy fire but also by the inherent dangers of handling explosive munitions in unstable battlefield conditions.

Death and Burial

William Henry Davies 
Auchonvillers Military Cemetery, Somme, France
credit - findagrave

William Henry Davies was killed in action on 13^th July 1918, while serving with the 189^th Light Trench Mortar Battery during these operations. He is buried at Auchonvillers Military Cemetery, Somme, France, where he is remembered among those who gave their lives during the final months of the First World War.