Howe Battalion casualty BWM. Richards RNVR. Killed during the Attack on Beaucourt, Somme 1916. Gorseinon, Swansea.

Correctly named BZ171 T Richards AB RNVR

Able Seaman Trevor Richards – Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Howe Battalion, Royal Naval Division

Trevor Richards was born in 1897 in Llandeilo Talybont, Glamorgan, the son of Thomas Richards and Mary Howells, who married in 1894 in Swansea.

The 1901 Census records the Shea family at 12 Llangyfelach Street, Swansea. Michael’s father, Jeremiah, aged 46, worked as a General Labourer, while his mother Norah, aged 41, cared for the home. Their children living with them were Mary (17), employed as a General Servant; Julia (15); John (13); Jeremiah (8); and Michael, aged 3. This snapshot shows a typical large Swansea household of the era, with elder siblings already contributing to the family’s income.

Trevor served with the MEF in Gallipoli.

Service in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve

Trevor enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, serving as an Able Seaman with the Howe Battalion of the Royal Naval Division, a formation of naval reservists trained to fight as infantry on the Western Front.

Howe Battalion on 13th November 1916

On 13th November 1916, the Howe Battalion took part in the Attack on Beaucourt, one of the final major assaults of the Battle of the Somme. In the days leading up to the attack, the battalion had been positioned in the Mailly‑Maillet and Hamel sectors, rotating between front‑line duty and rest periods at Englebelmer. Before dawn on the 13th, the battalion advanced through mud, darkness, and heavy enemy fire toward the strongly fortified German positions overlooking the Ancre Valley. The attack was fiercely resisted, and the Howe Battalion suffered heavy casualties as it pushed forward under machine‑gun and artillery fire. Many men were killed or went missing during the fighting, including Able Seaman Trevor Richards.

Death and Commemoration

Trevor Richards was killed in action on 13th November 1916 during the attack on Beaucourt. With no known grave, he is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France, which honours the missing of the British and Commonwealth forces who fell during the Battle of the Somme.

The medal is court mounted for display on modern replacement ribbon.

Trevor would have been entitled to a 1915 Star Trio.