Ellis Williams: Y Claf Cyntaf

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-Over 37 million people were killed

-or wounded during the 1914-1918 War

-Ellis Williams, a young soldier from

-Trawsfynydd, was one of the wounded

-He recorded his experiences

-in a diary...

-..which, until today,

-remained unseen.

-This is his story in his own words.

-This is the most pleasant

-and warmest spot in the area.

-It offers shelter

-from the cold westerly wind...

-..and you know nothing

-of rough weather and storms...

-..other than the sound of the wind

-in Glasfryn woods.

-This was the most terrifying place

-ever to be seen.

-I don't believe you could

-even imagine such a place.

-Thousands died there.

-Some hanging from branches.

-Others kneeling.

-I heard other boys groaning...

-..but there was very little hope

-of help arriving.

-This was an unforgettable day

-for many.

-16 July 1916.

-I don't remember him talking about

-the War or about his experiences.

-I don't think

-he talked much about it to anyone.

-I think he read a lot.

-His house was full of Welsh books.

-Among those, there was a copybook.

-Some sort of diary.

-I opened it and started to read.

-I thought it was an ordinary diary.

-On the first pages, he wrote about

-his time as a young boy in Traws...

-..and about his time

-working as a farmhand.

-I left it unread for several years.

-Years later,

-I then realized what was in it.

-Once I started reading it,

-I couldn't put it down.

-When I'd finished reading it,

-I realized I didn't know this man.

-I was really close to him,

-but I didn't know him at all.

-I sometimes had the feeling

-he relived things...

-..but he never talked about it.

-We never heard him complaining.

-We grew up with him...

-..so we didn't think

-he was different from anyone else.

-He was Unc to us.

-It seems he found it easier

-to take a pencil and some paper...

-..and write about his experiences.

-He struggled to talk about it

-with another person.

-That's a shame.

-But it's wonderful

-that he did write it all down...

-..or we'd know nothing...

-..about what happened to him.

-I enlisted in the army

-in June 1915.

-This was the beginning

-of my military life.

-I was in Blaenau Ffestiniog

-initially.

-A lot of boys from Blaenau,

-Penrhyndeudraeth, Porthmadog...

-..Dolwyddelan and the

-surrounding area were there too.

-Many married men also enlisted.

-The government paid a good wage.

-They had wives and children...

-..but they received more money than

-they would have done in the quarry.

-Many were too old to be soldiers...

-..but the government was keen

-to boost the army's numbers...

-..and any kind of soldier would do.

-Many regretted their decision.

-The day arrived

-to move to Winchester.

-I'd been a soldier

-for five months...

-..and this was

-my first glimpse of England.

-I was about to embark

-on my real soldier's life.

-Government propaganda persuaded men

-that this was a good thing to do.

-They thought they'd be heroes

-and protectors of our country.

-That naivety and innocence...

-..is clear to see,

-I would have thought.

-It also gave young lads a chance

-to go away, dressed in uniform...

-..learn to handle a gun

-and come home as heroes.

-These boys thought

-they were going to live forever.

-The thought of being killed

-or wounded didn't enter their heads.

-In my opinion, that was

-the most unfortunate thing of all.

-They had no idea what they

-were letting themselves in for.

-I had shooting lessons every day.

-I enjoyed this new life,

-far from home.

-I then made one

-of the biggest mistakes of my life.

-I was given a job

-as the colonel's batman.

-I liked the work.

-I had to clean his quarters,

-make his bed, clean his shoes...

-..and take care of him

-when he was drunk.

-Then I started to feel trapped

-and uncomfortable.

-I missed the boys' company.

-I told the colonel

-about my unhappiness.

-He asked me many times to reconsider

-and to stay as his batman.

-"We're going over to France

-in a few weeks, as you know."

-But I'd made my decision.

-There was no turning back.

-I joined the other boys.

-I regretted it many times.

-I would never have laid eyes on the

-trenches of France and Belgium...

-..had I remained

-as the colonel's batman.

-This is the day to say farewell

-to the old country.

-Everyone packed their kit...

-..ready to board the train

-to Southampton.

-We were all on the boat by

-eight o'clock that Saturday night.

-It was the final Saturday night

-for thousands of men...

-..and for more than three quarters

-of the division.

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-Around 280,000 Welshmen

-enlisted in the British Army

-Over 35,000 of those perished

-You cannot compare it

-with the modern age.

-This is a world

-where everyone has plenty...

-..and nobody

-is truly in need of anything.

-The world has changed so completely.

-It has lost the sympathy

-and kindness it once had.

-People no longer experience

-the feeling of sharing a burden.

-There's no time for such things.

-I have a child's recollection

-of him.

-When we were children...

-..we did recognize that there was

-something unusual about him...

-..because of his facial injuries.

-I would gaze at him from a distance,

-wondering what had happened to him.

-I didn't know if he'd been born like

-that or if he'd been in an accident.

-My earliest memories of Ellis

-come from when I was five or six.

-I remember sitting on his knee

-and touching his face.

-I knew Uncle Ellis's face

-wasn't like everyone else's face.

-I remember touching his nose.

-That's my earliest memory of him.

-He just sat there meekly...

-..not making any attempt

-to brush my hand away.

-I was very young, so I had no idea

-why his face was like that.

-I couldn't ask him either,

-at that age.

-We reached France, at last.

-There was no time to dawdle

-and take a look at the country.

-We started to march through

-an extremely dirty old town.

-The local people

-looked rough, unkempt and poor.

-It gave me the impression

-that the French have dirty ways.

-We travelled for 20 miles a day

-until we reached Belgium.

-On the fourth day of our journey...

-..we passed two large farms

-with soldiers staying on them.

-Then, suddenly,

-a boy shouted my name.

-It was a boy from Trawsfynydd -

-Robin Alec from Tyddyn Bach.

-It was strange to see him

-looking as he did.

-He shook my hand

-and he wept for no reason at all.

-He walked with us.

-We talked and he asked questions

-for a mile or so.

-He was delighted to see a Welshman.

-We understood that we were

-close to reaching the front.

-Having reached the place

-where we were to stay...

-..the sound of the artillery

-could be heard clearly.

-The people we saw there

-seemed agitated and frightened.

-They welcomed us.

-"British good. Germans no good."

-They also asked us for food

-but we didn't have enough to share.

-And then, the day dawned...

-..when we went to the trenches

-for the first time.

-The Saturday before Christmas 1915.

-I never imagined

-I would see such a place.

-The shells fell all around me,

-rifles were fired here and there...

-..and I could hear

-the pinging of bullets.

-If you raised your head...

-..a sniper would get you.

-It was a completely different world.

-He went from looking after sheep

-and milking a few cows in Wales...

-..to a place of mud, water,

-shooting, firing...

-..and, most frightening of all,

-the shelling.

-The artillery.

-It wasn't just the fact...

-..that they smashed things

-and were destructive.

-It was also

-about the psychological effects...

-..of shells

-flying through the air...

-..not knowing where they'd land.

-The last one hit next to your pal...

-..blowing his head off

-while his body kept running.

-Truly horrendous experiences.

-There was a place

-which we called Whiz-Bang Corner.

-We had to crawl to get past it.

-Many suffered

-serious injuries there.

-You would often hear no sound...

-..other than an explosion.

-Many of us were wounded

-and I took a blow to my head.

-I felt a longing

-for the old country.

-I thought if I rubbed dirt into the

-wound and made it look inflamed...

-..maybe it would give them an excuse

-to send me home.

-In sections of the diary,

-you sense that he'd had enough.

-He'd even tried to injure himself

-to get sent back to Blighty.

-He wanted to be sent home.

-His plan didn't work and he had

-to return to the trenches.

-He would later be wounded there.

-There are so many stories

-from World War I...

-..about soldiers having a tot of rum

-before going over the top.

-That was their life.

-People died all around them

-and they were lucky...

-..if they weren't killed

-by a piece of shrapnel or a bullet.

-They were generally described

-as cannon fodder.

-He thought he was doing

-what was expected of him.

-What the country expected of him.

-What the country told him he would

-be richly rewarded for doing.

-He was there to protect our liberty

-and our freedom of speech.

-Of course, he didn't understand...

-..and the men

-didn't know any better.

-The wound healed, in time...

-..and I had to return to the front.

-This time, I had to go deeper

-into the centre of France.

-This was a really strange place.

-Strange and dangerous, with trenches

-which twisted more than a snake.

-One night, the Germans

-blew up a mine beneath us.

-Eight of us were buried there

-and we couldn't move.

-I can honestly say

-I had a very narrow escape.

-We had to go to no-man's-land

-to lob hand grenades at the Germans.

-They did the same to us.

-This is what we called

-nerve testing.

-And then, I lost my partner.

-William Arthur Jones

-from Ffestiniog.

-He was shot by a stray bullet.

-He was my friend.

-Better than a brother.

-I missed him terribly.

-He saw some horrific things.

-Terrible things.

-He told us about a friend of his

-from Traws who was blown up.

-He said Bobby Morris's brain had

-landed in his hands in the trench.

-He talked a lot about that.

-But he didn't bear any grudges

-or blame anyone.

-He was amazing.

-He was meek and mild-mannered.

-Looking back now, having read

-about his life history...

-..it's hard to believe a man who had

-suffered so much was so gentle.

-I remember him

-as a man who enjoyed carpentry.

-He had a small black shed

-at the bottom of his garden...

-..and that was the place

-where he got some peace.

-Without getting too deep...

-..I would say spending hours

-carving wood was therapeutic.

-That probably helped him cope

-with everything he'd been through.

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-The Battle of the Somme

-started on 1 July 1916

-Central to the battle was

-Mametz Wood in north west France

-Of the 8,000

-killed or wounded there...

-..4,000 came from

-the 38th Welsh Division

-Ypres, north west France...

-..April 1916.

-By this time, spring had started

-to adorn the countryside.

-It looked very fertile

-and the land was green and lush.

-The thing which really attracted

-my attention was the horses.

-Grey and white ones.

-Heavy horses with good frames.

-It reminded me of a time

-when I worked on a farm in Bala...

-..and I saw the smartest horses

-I've ever seen.

-They would lie down...

-..then they would jump up,

-flinging their hooves around.

-It was wonderful to watch them enjoy

-themselves in the morning mist.

-I can certainly say

-that there was a lot of fighting...

-..but there were quiet periods.

-We had chances to peer

-out of the trenches...

-..and see the Germans

-doing the same thing...

-..and looking back at us.

-We thought they were Bavarians.

-It's understandable

-that they didn't want to fight.

-Some of them

-shouted across to us in English.

-"We don't want to fight.

-"Don't you fire. We won't fire."

-And that's how it was

-while we were there.

-And then the day that would

-change my life forever dawned.

-We were called suddenly one night...

-..to fight the Huns

-in a huge forest.

-A place known as Mametz Wood.

-It was a terrible battle, in which

-the Welsh fought all day and night.

-The Germans used machine guns,

-or daisy cutters as they were known.

-Daisy cutters

-describes exactly what they did.

-They shot at the enemy's legs

-and the men would fall over.

-They would then be finished off,

-as the gun was still at a low level.

-That's the kind of thing

-they were up against at Mametz.

-It was a strategically important

-location for the Germans.

-They wanted to use it as a base...

-..from which they could advance

-deeper into France.

-We were told that we were to

-take the woods sometime before dawn.

-The bombardment began

-at around seven o'clock.

-Around 200 heavy artillery guns

-shelled the woods...

-..as we waited in the trenches

-to go over the top.

-A little while later,

-they started to shoot liquid fire.

-The trees ignited

-and the whole place was aflame.

-The heat was so intense,

-it was unbearable.

-Then came more shelling...

-..and more liquid fire was shot

-into the heart of the woods.

-At sunrise the following morning...

-..we were called

-to advance into the woods.

-This was the most terrifying place

-ever to be seen.

-I don't believe you could

-even imagine such a place.

-Thousands died there.

-Some hanging from branches.

-Others kneeling.

-You only had to touch them

-and they would fall.

-I heard other boys groaning...

-..but there was very little hope

-of help arriving.

-This was an unforgettable day

-for many.

-16 July 1916.

-Some allegedly intelligent men

-directed the soldiers.

-We know what General Haig said after

-one of the Passchendaele battles...

-..where 30,000 men were killed

-in a single day.

-He wrote in his diary

-that it was "A good day's work".

-What sort of man would write that?

-It's beyond comprehension.

-It's impossible to understand

-the thought processes of generals...

-..and other high-ranking officers.

-What on earth did the

-ordinary soldier make of it all?

-There was clearly a huge amount

-of naivety attached to them.

-I saw blood pouring from my face.

-Having gathered myself

-reasonably well...

-..I thought it best

-that I attempted to move.

-I felt myself grow weaker

-because of the blood loss.

-And then came the full stop.

-It was getting dark

-when two stretcher-bearers found me.

-They proceeded to carry me,

-though I don't know how far.

-When we reached

-the first dressing station...

-..my face felt swollen

-and I could only see out of one eye.

-And then, I was placed on the ground

-next to some other casualties.

-Some complained loudly

-and others groaned.

-A doctor came by.

-"Take him to the ambulance.

-And him. And him."

-He then reached me.

-"We'll leave him.

-He might not come through."

-But I had another opportunity...

-..and I was taken away

-from the din of the battle.

-He said he was conscious for a while

-after his face was blown up.

-Some Welshmen had come past

-and told them to let him die.

-But one of the Germans

-looked at him and said...

-.."He's still breathing.

-We'll save him."

-Ever since then,

-he admired the Germans.

-He saluted Germans,

-no matter what happened...

-..even if it was

-something on television.

-He had great respect

-for the Germans.

-I remember that very clearly.

-It was a huge stroke of luck.

-He'd been lying in the mud for days.

-People walked past him

-and he heard voices say...

-.."Leave him! He's dead.

-He'll never make it."

-He doesn't challenge it.

-He didn't come home from the War

-having become a pacifist.

-He accepted his lot.

-He was a soldier

-and injuries happened.

-Having said that, he never

-talked about these atrocities.

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-Two million British troops

-were wounded during the War

-The majority of those

-were sent back into battle

-The journey to Boulogne

-was a long one.

-Ships sailed from there to Blighty

-but I was not allowed to leave.

-I was put in the hospital.

-A doctor there

-specialized in facial wounds.

-I was one of his first patients.

-He had no previous experience

-of working on humans.

-He would catch wild animals

-and practise on them.

-When war broke out...

-..he thought he should come over

-to help the boys.

-Half his face had gone.

-His nose had disappeared.

-The doctors used processes

-which were very new at the time.

-They used what's now known

-as plastic surgery...

-..to rebuild his face.

-They used one of his ribs

-to create a new nose.

-That was a totally new technique...

-..and a very new science

-in the medical world.

-I'll never forget the story...

-..of the time when he was lying

-in bed, waiting to go into surgery.

-He described the way

-they removed part of his rib...

-..and used it to create a new nose.

-They then removed skin from

-his forehead to place over the nose.

-I think that's what struck me

-the most.

-He underwent surgery in 1916

-in a very primitive hospital.

-This remarkable man who did this

-great job of repairing his face...

-..which allowed him to live a fairly

-normal life following that...

-..is incredible.

-The photographs show very clearly...

-..what major facial surgery

-he underwent and survived.

-They took a photograph as a record

-of your condition on arrival.

-The first task

-was to construct a new upper lip.

-A month later, I had one...

-..and I could speak again.

-He then proceeded

-to create a new nose for me.

-He took a piece of skin

-from my left arm....

-..and stitched it to my face.

-I was like that for six weeks.

-I couldn't move a muscle.

-When they removed the bandages...

-..they found

-that it had been unsuccessful.

-They had a second attempt,

-using a section of a rib...

-..inserted into my forehead.

-After two months, it had taken.

-Then they cut around the rib...

-..leaving plenty of skin

-so the doctor could create a nose.

-I had 18 operations in all

-before it was a success.

-One day, the sister

-came onto the ward...

-..and asked me

-if I could help the nurses tidy up.

-They were expecting special visitors

-after lunch.

-Rumours flew around that it was

-to be the King and Queen.

-They'd heard

-about the doctor's work.

-Everyone who was physically capable

-of doing so stood by their bed.

-The Queen touched my nose...

-..and asked me if it was stuck.

-When they'd left, we had a tea party

-and a concert on the ward.

-Many of us had suffered terribly...

-..but we were fortunate

-compared to some others...

-..and we were quite happy

-with our lot.

-Another Christmas came...

-..and I was told

-that I would head for Blighty.

-The day soon arrived

-and I left to board the ship.

-I arrived at Royal St George's

-Hospital, London, on a fine day.

-On the third day, the matron asked

-if we'd like to go into town.

-The buses were free of charge

-and everyone was terribly kind.

-Some took us to buy food

-and some took us to the cinema.

-Some people came to the hospital to

-ask if we wanted to go for a walk.

-We had an interesting and fun time,

-all things considered.

-January 1918.

-Orders came through

-to move us to Wrexham...

-..where I expected to be discharged.

-But there wasn't a mention

-of being released from the army.

-We were then given orders

-to fall in on parade...

-..and each one of us

-was told to fetch a rifle.

-Nobody moved.

-The officer told us

-we had to obey orders...

-..or face a court martial.

-We told him

-we were expecting a discharge...

-..because we'd done our bit.

-Then, suddenly,

-the great flu arrived...

-..and many boys died.

-We had to bury them

-and give them a military funeral.

-That meant we had to

-shoot our rifles over the grave.

-We buried two, three

-or four every day.

-Hundreds died.

-Summer 1918.

-One sunny afternoon, I went

-for a walk through the camp...

-..and out a little

-into the countryside.

-A group of around two dozen soldiers

-came to meet me.

-Among that group

-was John, my brother.

-I hadn't seen him since 1915.

-News had reached me

-that he'd suffered a foot injury...

-..but that he'd returned to France.

-I'd heard nothing more...

-..until I saw him that afternoon.

-Rumour had it

-that we were to be discharged.

-It couldn't come soon enough for me.

-At long last, it came.

-I hadn't been home

-for over three years.

-The excitement was great.

-I was also nervous

-because of my facial injuries.

-Words cannot describe

-my experience that day.

-Everyone wanted

-to take a look at me.

-And then, my father appeared.

-But he didn't recognize me.

-What went through his mind?

-What did they see

-when they looked at him?

-He looked totally different...

-..and he must have borne

-psychological scars.

-Visually, he clearly wasn't the same

-man as the one who left Trawsfynydd.

-It must have been

-going through his mind.

-On the other hand,

-like any other person...

-..he was glad to be home

-with family and friends...

-..and leave

-that horrific war behind him.

-Despite all those injuries...

-..somehow or other,

-he settled back into village life.

-He even went back to work

-two or three years later.

-He worked on the railway

-until he was an old man.

-He went back to playing football too

-as photographs show.

-He played football

-despite his facial injuries.

-He was an extremely brave man.

-I remember going to Llandudno

-with him in his Austin 7.

-We were about to set off for home

-but we went to the toilet first.

-Just as he went to the toilet...

-..a mother and her young son

-passed us.

-He said, "Mummy, look at that man!

-He's got a face like a monkey."

-We struggled

-to get him to come home.

-He was broken-hearted.

-That's the only time

-I saw him really upset.

-That incident has stuck in my mind.

-He felt really hurt that day.

-I was a child

-of the 1950s and the 1960s.

-We saw nothing

-and we had no experience...

-..of what World War I

-or World War II were really about.

-We had no idea about the things

-which these simple, ordinary men...

-..went through

-when they were so very young.

-Many of them never came home.

-It's vital that we remember them

-and remember what they endured.

-We must never forget.

-The diary is a record

-of the life of an ordinary man.

-Uncle Ellis wasn't famous,

-nor would he want to be famous.

-I'm not even sure he'd be happy now

-that his story is being told!

-But it's extremely important.

-He represents

-thousands of young men.

-Everyone knows Hedd Wyn's story.

-But thousands

-died in the trenches...

-..and thousands of others

-were wounded and returned home.

-Thousands of young men had no

-opportunity to tell their story...

-..but now, after Unc has passed away

-his story is very much alive.

-This is the most pleasant

-and warmest spot in the area.

-It offers shelter

-from the cold westerly wind...

-..and you know nothing

-of rough weather and storms...

-..other than the sound of the wind

-in Glasfryn woods.

-Ellis Williams died in February 1967

-in Trawsfynydd aged 71