Road making Brig. H.Q.
A large part of Mostyn William’s work was to build roads. Roads were needed to support the war effort in many ways. It was vital that the troops at the front had plenty of ammunition, guns, and material for building and maintaining trenches. What was also needed, of course, was food and other provisions as well as hospital supplies, communication equipment, and tools and material for building roads and other infrastructure. In addition to using the roads for transporting material to the front, they were also important for taking the woudnded and sick away from the front to somewhere where they could receive treatment, rest, and rehabilitation as needed.
This picture from the Imperial War Museum shows grenadier guards building a road near Albert in September 1916. Although Mostyn would not have been among them, the work he did elsewhere would be similar; hard physical labour in all kinds of weather.