Papers, 1914-[c. 2008], of John Parry of Derwen, Denbighshire, relating mostly to his service as a Driver in the Royal Field Artillery in France and Belgium during the First World War. The papers include his diaries for 1917 and 1918, various documents relating to his enlistment and training, 1915-1916, and demobilization, 1919, and research papers of his family, [c. 2008].
Parry, John, 1888-1965.
Notebook relating to the Welsh Guards
A notebook, [?1920s], containing transcripts of material relating to the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards's actions at Ypres, Cambrai, and elsewhere on the Western Front, January-November 1917 (NLW MS 23977iC). The identity of the compiler is unknown, but he may have been a Guardsman in the regiment and could have been wounded in action in late November 1917 (see ff. 66, 72).
The notebook consists mainly of extracts from C. H. Dudley Ward, History of the Welsh Guards (London, 1920), pp. 141-177 (ff. 2-15, 17-66, rectos only). On the facing pages (ff. 1 verso-5 verso, 7 verso, 24 verso-25 verso, versos only) are extracts from the apparently unpublished journal of a Guardsman, possibly the compiler of the present manuscript, relating to the same period. A list of the battalion's movements during the period (see History of the Welsh Guards, pp. 381-382) is on ff. 68-72, and a series of sketch maps and drawings relating to various engagements are on ff. 73-83. Also included is a booklet (NLW MS 23977iiC) containing research into the manuscript by T. H. Reinallt-James, 1981 (ff. 1-4), which however fails to identify the provenance of the Dudley Ward material; and transcripts concerning Sergeant Robert Bye, VC (f. 5).