Homepage   TextHomePage   Diary Index   Casualties Sources  Dedications  Links

Arthur John
related pages:
diary Jul17_P03
citation
April 1915
home guards

other July 1917
diary pages:
Jul17_DP01
Jul17_DP02
Jul17_DP03
Jul17_DP04
Jul17_DP05
Jul17_DP06
Jul17_DP07

Images of
July 1917 pages:
Honours_DP03

The medal roll record for his Military Medal in the PRO, Kew Gardens, indicates that uncle Arthur had the rank of Corporal. He was brother of the writer's paternal grandfather and is really the reason for this site.

He survived the war to live to the age of 80 years. He did not escape unscathed. On the night of 10th/11th July 1917, in the vicinity of Gonnelieu, which is now straddled by the motorway about half way between Cambrai and St Quentin, Arthur John, together with Sergeant 25071 Thomas Thomas and Private 18529 Walter Furlong were on patrol when their officer, who was almost certainly, Lieut T. Wallace was badly wounded. Uncle Arthur and the others received a Military Medal for their gallantry in bringing Lieut Wallace back to their own lines. It is also likely that it was on this occasion that Arthur lost an eye and part of his skull. He wore an eye patch for the rest of his life.

The writer has made efforts to determine if the event at Gonnelieu was indeed the occasion when Uncle Arthur Dafen lost his eye. The writer's father, Arthur Llewellyn Davies, in awe of his uncle Arthur, occasionally mentioned this as being the case. (Dafen, a few miles from Llanelli, was where Arthur lived and it is the typical Welsh custom of identifying a person, when simply using the name could cause confusion hence - Uncle Arthur Dafen).

Unfortunately, despite searches at the PRO in London, the writer has not been able to verify this beyond doubt. It appears that Arthur John's records were among those destroyed by enemy action in 1940.

After the war Arthur worked with the Llanelly Guardian probably in his capacity as compositor and later became the village postman at Dafen near Llanelli. He also gave unstintingly of his time to sport in the village, particularly to the cricket club and trained the writer's father, Arthur Llewellyn Davies as a sprinter.

Arthur John's son, Canon Arthur Leonard Millet Davies, also served with distinction during the second world war, as Chaplain in the Cheshire Regiment. He was the subject of a media report when serving at Anzio and was mentioned in despatches.   After the war, Leonard was Vicar and Rector in a number of Anglican churches in the Manchester area. His last calling was to the Parish Church at Warburton. He died c 1979 at the age of about 69 years.

The writer is grateful to his cousin, Arthur John's grandson, John Andrews for the photographs of Arthur John Davies MM.

Mr Andrews also provided the writer with a photograph of Arthur John's eye and face wound which is awaiting a decision to publish on this site.