Lot 65
A unique Memorial Plaque to the “Swansea Pals”
At Sea, On Land & In The Air | M24003
Auction: 24 September 2024 at 18:30 BST
Description
The Great War Memorial Plaque awarded to Private Ernest Bellew, 14th (Service) Battalion (Swansea Pals) Welsh Regiment who had fought at Mametz Wood in July 1916 and who was Killed in Action on the 31st July 1917 in the Battalion attack at St Julien on the first day of the Battle of Passchendaele, he was originally commemorated on the Menin Gate but his body was found in 1920 an interred in Poelcappelle British Cemetery comprising Memorial Plaque housed in a wooden circular frame (Ernest Bellew), very fine (1)
Ernest is Bellew is the only E. Bellew recorded on the Commonwealth War Graves Website. In fact only 12 Bellew’s at all in WW1.
He's 14th Welsh, the Swansea Pals. No papers to say for sure he was throughout but he embarks early December 1915 which is when the Battalion as a whole land, so we can say he's probably 14th throughout which puts him attacking Mametz Wood on 10th July 1916.
He is posted missing at Third Ypres 31st July 1917 - war diary pages included. Ernest was originally recorded as Missing been recorded on the Menin Gate but then is found in 1920 - they find him and ID from a disc, from which they get a slightly wrong number and a slightly wrong surname. Eventually they realise and he's buried with the right details on his headstone at Poelcappelle and is presumably then removed from Menin Gate.
Ernest now lies in Plot 46, Row A Grave 9 of the Poelcappelle British Cemetery.
Sold with copy Medal Index Card, copy War Diary copy medal rolls.
All proceeds will be donated to the Ty Olwen Hospice
