John Roberts - Dolwyddelan War Memorial

[Dolwyddelan]

Hi, this is my first post, so please bear with me if I do something wrong.

I am researching all the soldiers I can find, that went away to fight from our small North Wales village and surprisingly (for me) the soldiers that survived (around 40) have been a lot easier to trace than the 13 on our War Memorial. It doesn't help having two John Roberts on the stone, it's not exactly a rare name in Wales !

As written on the Memorial - Pte : John Roberts R.A.S.C. France 1918 - I have found this chap.

But - Pte : John Roberts R.W.F. France 1915 - I can find NOTHING !

I have searched Ancestry, Findmypast, Forces War Records and IWM online. Do anyone have any more suggestions where I can look.

Diolch yn fawr.

[Lesley Robertson]

Welcome to the British Genealogy Forum!
"Soldiers Who Died in the Great War" lists 9603 Pte John Roberts of Dollwyddelen, 1 Btn RWF, died 30 Jan 1915. Died of wounds, France and Flanders.

Assuming that this is him, I've had a look round.
His medal index card shows him as 2/RWF. He had the Victory & British medals and the 14 Star. He arrived at the Front on 13 Aug 1914.
It looks as though his service record is around the >60% destroyed during WW2.
The Commonwealth War Graves site (cwgc.org) says that he is on the Ploegsteert Memorial (near Ypres in Belgium), panel 5. CWGC says, about the memorial:
"Most of those commemorated by the memorial did not die in major offensives, such as those which took place around Ypres to the north, or Loos to the south. Most were killed in the course of the day-to-day trench warfare which characterised this part of the line, or in small scale set engagements, usually carried out in support of the major attacks taking place elsewhere. "

[Jomot1]

The Soldiers Effects record show that his effects went to his sister, Mrs Jane Williams, for his nephew (unnamed)

Finding a Jane Roberts who married a Williams is no easy task either, but if you order his will it should (hopefully) give you her address and the name of his nephew, which might help narrow things down.

https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/#soldiers

[Dolwyddelan]

Thank you both, this has given me new leads.