The Havard Brothers of Argoed

The Havard family of Gwrhay-fawr Cottage, Argoed, saw two of their sons answer the call in November 1914. Both Thomas and Earnest stepped away from the local collieries to join the 2nd Battalion Monmouth Regiment, binding their fates to the brutal realities of the Western Front.
Thomas Havard Portrait Placeholder
Thomas B. Havard
Age: 23
Rank: Private
Regtl. No.: 2586
Regiment: 2nd Bn Monmouth
2nd Battle of Ypres
Thomas Benjamin, an athlete and colliery electrician, was the first to deploy to France in late 1914. By the spring of 1915, his unit was stationed in the treacherous Ypres Salient in Flanders. During the Battle of Frezenberg Ridge—a grueling phase of the Second Battle of Ypres—Thomas's brigade was subjected to a devastating bombardment near Shell Trap Farm. On May 8, 1915, as his unit successfully repulsed waves of fierce German infantry assaults, Thomas was killed in action at the age of 23.
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Earnest Havard Portrait Placeholder
Earnest Havard
Age: 23
Rank: Lance Corporal
Regtl. No.: 265827
Regiment: 2nd Bn Monmouth
Battle of Cambrai
Earnest, a coalminer, arrived in France in February 1915 and endured nearly three years of relentless trench warfare, rising to the rank of Lance Corporal. In late November 1917, his battalion was thrust into the Battle of Cambrai. Caught in a dangerous salient near Masnières as the initial British offensive met with overwhelming German counter-attacks, Earnest was killed in action on December 2, 1917. Like his brother before him, he fell at the age of 23. ► View Earnest's full profile...
Tragically, neither brother has a known grave. Thomas is commemorated on the Menin Gate in Ypres, whilst Earnest is remembered on the Cambrai Memorial in Louverval. Today, their names endure together on the Battalion Memorial at St Cadoc's Church in Trevethin, a solemn testament to the unimaginable sacrifice borne by John and Sarah Havard.