Corporal Rees Lloyd Roberts 432404 killed in action 2 May 1916, aged 30, served with 49th Canadian Infantry Battalion and is buried in Sanctuary Wood Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
Early Life
Rees Lloyd Roberts was born in Wales, on the 10 January 1885. He joined the 49th Battalion (Alberta Regiment), C.E.F. The photo below the last one ever taken of Rees. He was promoted to Corporal on the 3 April 1916 in the field, and killed 29 days later from artillery fire in Sanctuary Wood, Belgium.
Son of Richard and Ellen Roberts. Rees Lloyd Roberts of Bryn Rhedyn, Llanfairfechan a small coastal village in North Wales.
One of seven children (2 girls & 5 boys) to Richard (1856-1901) and Ellen (1856-1932).
Rees attended the National school in the village, after leaving, he like his family before him went to work in the local quarries. Rees Married Catherine Parry (1884-1911) of Tregarth a small village near Bangor North Wales, on February 22 1907. They lived at 2 Bryn Tirion Llanfairfechan, and married for four years when Catherine suffering from Tuberculosis passed away on July 16 1911, Rees at her bedside. They never had children.
Emigration to Canada
Rees decided with a friend from the village (Robert Roberts 436561) to emigrate to Canada, which they did in 1913, they found work as miners. On 6 January 1915 just four days to his 30th birthday Rees, along with his friend enlisted into the 49th Bn Canadian Infantry (Alberta Reg) in Edmonton. At this time, Rees stood 5′ 8″ tall, 135 pounds, with dark complexion, blue eyes and dark hair. Private Roberts set sail from Montreal on SS Metagama to England in on 4 June 1915. While in England he was promoted to Lance-Corporal.
Belgium
On 9 October 1915 he set sail for France and was once again promoted to L/Cpl in the field on 3 April 1916. Before his unit relieved in the line by the PPCLI on 7 May 1916, reported to base that Rees killed in action in the trenches at Sanctuary Wood on 2 May 1916.
Sanctuary Wood Cemetery
Sanctuary Wood Cemetery located 5 Km east of Ieper town centre, on the Canadalaan, a road leading from the Meenseweg (N8), connecting Ieper to Menen. Firstly, from Ieper town centre the Meenseweg is located via Torhoutstraat and right onto Basculestraat. Then, Basculestraat ends at a main cross roads, directly over which begins the Meenseweg, and 3 Km along the Meenseweg lies the right hand turning onto Canadalaan. Finally, the cemetery itself is located 1.5 Km along Canadalaan on the right hand side of the road, and 100 metres beyond the cemetery at the end of the Canadalaan is the Hill 62 Memorial.
Sanctuary Wood one of the larger woods in the commune of Zillebeke. Named in November 1914, when used to screen troops behind the front line., the scene of fighting in September 1915 and the centre of the Battle of Mount Sorrel (2-13 June 1916) involving the 1st and 3rd Canadian Divisions. Three Commonwealth cemeteries at Sanctuary Wood before June 1916, all made in May-August 1915. The first two on the western end of the wood, the third in a clearing further east. All practically obliterated in the Battle of Mount Sorrel, but traces of the second found and it became the nucleus of the present Sanctuary Wood Cemetery, at the Armistice, the cemetery contained 137 graves. From 1927 to 1932, Plots II-V added and the cemetery extended as far as ‘Maple Avenue’, when graves brought in from the surrounding battlefields.
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