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The Men Who Died

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training before embarking from Southampton for Le Havre in February 1917.

He is wounded in action in late October and subsequently reported as missing and later accepted as dead.

The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment as part of the 55th (west Lancashire) Division were involved in much fighting, not least as part of the Third Battle of Ypres including Pilken Ridge (July/August) and Menin Road Ridge (September) and suffered heavy casualties.

On 26th October 1917, the 2/5th battalion were involved in the fighting at Poelcappelle. Before 6.00 a.m. that morning three companies began to attack the enemy. The ground was almost impassable and the Battalion struggled to use their rifles or Lewis guns and had to rely on the bayonet. In this manner the Battalion accounted for some 500 of the enemy and captured eight German machine guns. Casualties had been heavy and probably included Private Thomas Morris.

Private Francis Alfred Ismay Musk

Coldstream Guards 2nd Battalion, service no. 19747

Killed in action in France on August 27th, 1918, aged 20

Buried at the Croiselles British Cemetery in France

The family lived in 6, Bowen Terrace in Brecon in 1901 and 1911, with Francis being an only child, although his parents had moved to The Cottage, Llanfaes, Brecon by the time of Francis' death in 1918.

Francis was educated at the County School, Brecon and Christ College and worked as a bank clerk in Bath before going into the army.

He joined the Coldstream Guards on attaining the age of 18 and went through a good deal of fighting on the Western Front. The 2nd Coldstream had recently taken part in fierce fighting round Bapaume and were now to take part in the Battle of the Scarpe. Attacking through the wood the Coldstream were held up by heavy machine

Francis was born in Brecon in 1898, the only son of Richard William and Agnes Mary Musk

(nee Summers), who had married in Kent in 1897. His father was a music teacher who worked at both the Brecon County School

and Christ College. In 1901 he was listed as a professor of music, whilst his entry for 1911 records him as a teacher of music and organist. He was also organist at St Mary’s church in Brecon.