All that is left of them
The 'All that was Left of Them' project takes its name from a photograph, shown below, of a group of soldiers from H Company, the 4th Battalion, the Royal Welch Fusiliers who started the First World War and were still serving at the end of hostilities having survived the war on the Western Front. The Museum Trustees are extremely grateful to the Federation of Welsh Museums who funded this database. This project follows on from the original Faces of the Fallen project that was initiated at the start of the Centenary of the First World War as a means of honouring those Royal Welchmen who made the ultimate sacrifice during this brutal conflict. The 'All that was Left of Them' project is very much in its infancy but aims to collect as many named photographs of those who served and survived the First World War. This is a mammoth task as there were 40 Royal Welch Fusilier Battalions in the First World War each comprised of 1,000 men. A total of between 90,000 and 100,000 men passed through the ranks of the Royal Welch Fusiliers during the conflict.
This survivors database will build over time into another unique and fitting legacy of the First World War Centenary in Wales. We believe that both projects are bringing these Royal Welchmen back to the spiritual home of the Royal Welch Fusiliers.
The Trustees of the Museum are hugely indebted to a small group of dedicated volunteers who are making this fitting tribute possible. In particular to Shirley Williams whose initial idea it was to start both projects and to Dr John Krijnen who has built the database and continues researching service details and then inputting the data which make this database unique to the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum. Finally, thank you to all the families, history and heritage groups, county archives and WW1 centenary projects that have contributed to our project.
This database will continue to grow as more photos come to light. If you have photographs of family members or from other sources that are not already shown and would like to donate the images, then please send them, with as much information as possible, to image@rwfmuseum.wales . If the photograph is of a survivor please entitle the email 'All that was Left of Them'
Thank you for your support of this incredibly important project.