Trevor Richards – Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Howe Battalion, Royal Naval Division

Able Seaman Trevor Richards – Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Howe Battalion, Royal Naval Division

Early Life and Family Background

Trevor Richards was born in 1897 in Llandilo Talybont, Glamorgan, the son of Thomas Richards and Mary Howells, who married in 1894 in Swansea.

1901 Census

In the 1901 Census, the Richards family were living at Penyrheol Road, Llandilo Talybont. Thomas, aged 31, was employed as a Steel Worker, and Mary, aged 27, managed the home. Their children were Daniel J. (7), Evan (5), and Trevor (4)—all attending school—along with Bessie (1) and Eynon (1 month).

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family were still residing at Penyrheol, Gorseinon, Llandilo Talybont. Thomas, now 40, was working as a Steel Smelter, and Mary, aged 36, continued to care for the household. Their children were Daniel J. (17) and Evan (16), both employed as Engine Drivers (stationary); Trevor (14); Bessie (12) and Eynon (11), both attending school; and the younger children Frances A. (7), Andreas (5), and Philip (3).

Service in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve

Trevor enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, serving as an Able Seaman with the Howe Battalion of the Royal Naval Division, a formation of naval reservists trained to fight as infantry on the Western Front.

Howe Battalion on 13^th November 1916

On 13^th November 1916, the Howe Battalion took part in the Attack on Beaucourt, one of the final major assaults of the Battle of the Somme. In the days leading up to the attack, the battalion had been positioned in the Mailly‑Maillet and Hamel sectors, rotating between front‑line duty and rest periods at Englebelmer. Before dawn on the 13th, the battalion advanced through mud, darkness, and heavy enemy fire toward the strongly fortified German positions overlooking the Ancre Valley. The attack was fiercely resisted, and the Howe Battalion suffered heavy casualties as it pushed forward under machine‑gun and artillery fire. Many men were killed or went missing during the fighting, including Able Seaman Trevor Richards.

Death and Commemoration

Trevor Richards was killed in action on 13^th November 1916 during the attack on Beaucourt. With no known grave, he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France, which honours the missing of the British and Commonwealth forces who fell during the Battle of the Somme