大象传媒

When a sixth form student from Monmouth Comprehensive heard the true WW1 story of the Bosley Brothers from the Monmouthshire Regiment, his response was to create a ballad of Remembrance for both the Bosley Brothers and to all the extraordinary young soldiers who shared and still share today, the final moments of life with each other.

In September 1914 the Bosley brothers answered the call and joined the Monmouthshire Regiment. In 1915, after a short stay in Ypres itself, the battalion are back in the front line on April 17th. Here they were to stay, without relief, for the next 17 days. On the afternoon of May 2nd, 1915, a shell landed among the machine gun section. Corporal Thomas John Bosley (Tom), of Tredegar had to write to his parents at home in Wales where they lived at No. 9 Park Hill, Tredegar, informing them of the death of his beloved older brother and their son, Frederick William Bosley (Fred):

"I do not know how to write this letter, which is to convey such bad news and to give you all such a blow. Poor Fred was killed by a shrapnel bullet at about 4 p.m. on Sunday May 2nd. He died instantly. He and Lieut. Martin were killed by the same shell. We buried them in an open space by a wood and I followed his last remains to the grave where the Colonel read the burial service. I cannot write anymore. He came to me about 12 O'Clock. I wish I could have kept him with me." Tom.

鈥淚magine seeing your own brother killed and then having to bury him. And then imagine having to write a letter home to your parents telling them of his death鈥� said 18-year-old Felix Hales who is studying Music and History A Level at Monmouth Comprehensive. 鈥淚 have an older brother and it must have taken extraordinary courage. When I read the letter Tom had to write home to his parents informing them that Fred had died, I really wanted to do justice to the letter. Also to the love Tom had left behind, whose perspective the song is also written from", sung by Isabel Bridgman from Christ College in Brecon.

The Monmouthshire Regiment had been formed in 1908 as the Territorial Army unit for the county and was made up of three Battalions drawn from different areas of the county. Abergavenny was the headquarters of the 3rd Battalion (鈥�3rd Mons鈥�) which included two companies from Abertillery, one each from Blaina, Sirhowy, Tredegar, Ebbw Vale and Cwm and one company from Abergavenny.

Tredegar War Memorial, where Frederick Bosley is remembered, is situated in the lower end of the grounds of Bedwellty House and Park, Tredegar. The house and park were constructed in 1818 as the home of Samuel Homfray, the Ironmaster at Tredegar Iron Works. The land on which it is situated was owned by Lord Tredegar and was later given to the people of Tredegar (all apart from a small section). The war memorial was unveiled on the 14th December 1924, by the then Lord Tredegar.

Many of the men whose details appear in the various pages of the Tredegar Memorial section were members of the Monmouthshire Regiments and have no known graves. Most are commemorated on the wall panels of the Menin Gate at Ypres.

Lyrics:

1914 The Great War
Me and the boys of Monmouth leave for the cause
We wear smiles of love,smiles of hope
My brothers strong heart pulling my rope
We marched through the darkness
Sailed through to the dawn
For each other and the land we called home

Remember the stones we used as grenades
The branches we snapped and the rifles we made
The cries of laughter carry through the trees
As we race through hills to fight in the fields
You wounded in battle I fought on alone
Until dusk settled and mum called us home
The sweet voice of our mother calling us home

I鈥檒l stand beside you, I鈥檒l carry your name
I鈥檒l wait beyond forever, I鈥檒l carry the flame
I鈥檒l write letters to heaven, pin wishes to stars
Follow the rainbow till I鈥檓 back in your arms
I鈥檒l count every blessing, turn every stone
I鈥檒l light every candle, until you come home

Staring at a cross of granite and pearl
Your name in flowers, your flag neatly furled
In the half-light of the evening I鈥檓 asking My Lord
Why the shadow of a cross looks like a sword?
No songs, no hymns, just the memories we own
And the voice of our mother calling us home

Remember the stones we used as grenades
The branches we snapped and the rifles we made
The cries of laughter carry through the trees
As we race through hills to fight in the fields
You wounded in battle I fought on alone
Until dusk settled and mum called us home
The sweet voice of our mother calling us home

Lyrics by John Birch and Felix Hales. Music composed by Felix Hales, performed by Felix Hales and Isabel Bridgeman.
Location: Tredegar War Memorial, Bedwellty House and Park, Morgan Street, Tredegar, NP22 3XN
Image: Soldiers of the 3rd Battalion the Monmouthshire Regiment in World War I

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