his pre-war job as a miner at Dyllas Colliery, South Wales. However, he had never fully recovered from his wounds, and sadly he died in 1932 at the age of 38.
I’m sorry that I never got to meet him, but his memory lives on in our family.
Bill Edwards. A brave man.

travelled to visit him at Leeds it was the first time that their family had ever been outside of Wales.
It was a long time before Bill was well enough to leave hospital, by which time the war had ended. Due to the economic situation he had no choice but to return to...

6 years old at the time, but remembered waking that morning in 1917 and realising that his mum hadn’t woken him up for school. He went downstairs and found his mum in tears in the front room, surrounded by her friends and holding the telegram notifying her that Bill had been wounded. When they later

evacuated back to England, to a hospital in Leeds. His commanding officer recommended him for decoration for his bravery, and he was awarded the Military Medal. It’s said that his commanding officer actually recommended him for the VC, but I don’t know if that’s true. My grandfather was...

...nearby was killed outright and the rest of Bill’s comrades either killed or wounded. It looked as if the position would be overwhelmed. Despite his severe wounds, Bill took up the Lewis, and for the next few hours drove off the enemy and helped save the situation.
After the engagement he was...

night of 27/28 May 1917 he and his comrades were on the Western Front under sustained attack from the Germans, who rushed the position where Bill’s section were defending. Several grenades were thrown in to his trench, causing carnage, and wounding Bill significantly in the chest. The Lewis gunner..