Welsh Dragon in France

To complete my trio of animal posts today, here's a puzzle. What is this magnificent statue of a Welsh Dragon doing in Mametz, northern France? It's a monument to the thousands of men of the 38th (Welsh) Division who died on the Somme in 1916. In particular it marks the battle of Mametz Wood, which alone resulted in 4,000 Welsh casualties. Next year is the centenary of the start of WW1 (CLICK).