Tag Archives: Wales

Commonwealth War Graves, Glamorganshire, Gloucestershire Regiment, Great War, history, illness, Kent, London, photography, Private, story, Wales, war

Private Frederick Johnson

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Private Frederick Johnson

Frederick Leonard Johnson was born in the spring of 1898, in Wandsworth, South London. His parents are recorded as Frederick and Catherine Johnson, although no other information about his early life remains.

On 16th February 1918, Frederick married Winifred Peters. She was a dock labourer’s daughter from Aberavon in Glamorganshire, and the couple wed at the parish church in the town. The marriage certificate confirms that Frederick was living in Port Talbot and working as a carpenter. It also notes that his father had died by this point.

It seems likely that the young couple married because Winifred was pregnant. The couple had a son, who they called Frederick, on 1st August 1918.

Frederick had enlisted in the army by this point. While his service records no longer exist, he joined up at some point towards the end of the war – no earlier than May 1918 – and was assigned to the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment. This was a territorial force, and Private Johnson would have been based in Kent as part of the Thames and Medway Garrison.

Little else is known about Frederick’s service. The only other thing that can be confirmed is that he was admitted to the Preston Hall Military Hospital in Aylesford, Kent, in the autumn of 1918, suffering from a combination of influenza and pneumonia. Sadly, the lung conditions were to get the better of him and he passed away on 27th November 1918, at the age of just 20 years old.

Frederick Leonard Johnson was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Aylesford, not far from the hospital in which he had passed. It is unclear whether he ever met his son.

Commonwealth War Graves, Denbighshire, Great War, history, illness, London, Monmouthshire, photography, Royal Army Service Corps, Saddler, story, Wales, war

Saddler Henry Evans

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Saddler Henry Evans

Henry Evans was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, in the summer of 1883. Little concrete information remains about his early life, but it is clear that he was boarding with a dock labourer and his family in the town by the time of the 1901 census.

Henry married Margaret Jane Garner in Pontypridd on 14th March 1909. Within a couple of years, the young couple had moved to Llangollen in Denbighshire, and had had two children, Horace and Emlyn. Henry was now working as a saddler.

War was coming to Europe and, in November 1915, Henry enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps. His previous trade saw him well, as he was assigned to the regiment’s 1st Company with the rank of Saddler. His service records show that he was 5ft 8.5ins (1.74m) tall, had no distinctive marks, and that his was Wesleyan in his beliefs.

After a few weeks on home soil, Saddler Evans was sent to the Western Front, arriving there just before Christmas 1915. For the next year, he worked in France, returning to Britain 366 days after he left for the continent. By this point, however, his health seems to have been suffering, and it was to prove to be the beginning of the end for him.

Saddler Evans was suffering from transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord. Symptoms can be wide-ranging, but in Henry they were severe enough to be viewed as a permanent ailment. At the end of May 1917, while admitted to the Queen Alexandra Hospital on Millbank, London, he was recommended for immediate military discharge.

Unfortunately, as is often the way with bureaucracy, the discharge papers went missing. In July 1917, Henry was moved to the Croesnewydd Hospital in Wrexham, and is was here, a month later, that his documents caught up with him. Saddler Evans was finally discharged from military service on 4th August 1917.

Sadly, his army status was not to have any kind of effect on his health: at 9:30am on 17th August Henry passed away while still admitted to the Wrexham hospital. He was just 34 years of age.

Brought back to Llangollen for burial, Henry Evans was laid to rest in a plot in the town’s Fron Cemetery. He was to be reunited with his family in time: Horace died in 1940, Margaret in 1956 and Emlyn in 1963, and all were laid to rest in the same grave.

Commonwealth War Graves, Denbighshire, Great War, history, injury, photography, Private, Shropshire, story, Wales, war

Private Richard Morris

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Private Richard Morris

Richard Levi Morris was born in the village of Carno, mid-Wales, in the autumn of 1895. He was the oldest of five children to John and Hannah Morris. John was a tailor who, when Richard was still a babe in arms, moved the family north to the Denbighshire town of Llangollen.

When he left school, Richard found work as baker’s apprentice. He was employed by the Model Bakery on Church Street, Llangollen, a business that would go on to win, according to its subsequent advertising, a bronze medal for both its white and brown bread in both 1912 and 1913 [North Wales Journal: Friday 7th August 1914].

War was coming to Europe, and Richard stepped up to play his part. Full details of his service are sadly lost to time, but he had enlisted in the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry by the summer of 1918. Initially assigned to the 9th (Service) Battalion, Private Morris subsequently transferred to the 2nd/4th Battalion and was attached to one of the regiment’s depots.

What little documentation around Richard’s actual service confirms that he was sent to the Western Front. At some point towards the end of the conflict – possibly during the final advance in Picardy – he was wounded. Medically evacuated to Britain, he was admitted to a cottage hospital in Oswestry, Shropshire.

Sadly, it was here that Private Morris was to breath his last: he succumbed to his injuries on 18th January 1919, at the tender age of just 24 years old.

The body of Richard Levi Morris was brought back to Wales for burial. He was laid to rest in the quiet Fron Cemetery in Llangollen.

Canada, Canadian Forestry Corps, Commonwealth War Graves, Denbighshire, Great War, history, illness, Kent, photography, Private, story, Wales, war

Private Norman Roberts

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Private Norman Roberts

Norman David Roberts was born on 3rd November 1886 in the North Wales town of Llangollen. He was the youngest of three children to weaver John Roberts and his wife, Emma.

When he left school, Norman found work as a clerk on the railways and, by the time of the 1911 census, he had moved over the English border to Chester, and was boarding with an Emma Matheson.

The move to England may have spurred Norman on to other things. At some point after the census, he made the decision to seek a better life overseas. He emigrated to North America and settled in the town of Everett, to the north of Seattle. He continued his trade, however, and recorded himself as doing clerical work in transportation.

War was coming to Europe by this point and, in December 1917, Norman stood up to play his part. He made the crossing to Victoria, in the Canadian state of British Colombia, and enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

Private Roberts’ service records show that he was 5ft 11ins (1.80m) tall, had blue eyes, brown hair and a fair complexion. He had no distinguishing marks, but was recorded as having 20/20 vision. His religion was also recorded as Baptist/Congregationalist.

Norman was assigned to the 53rd Company of the Canadian Forestry Corps, and arrived back in Britain on 26th January 1918. Based in Shorncliffe, Kent, he was involved in felling and trimming trees and wood for the war effort.

Private Roberts was given a couple of periods of leave – five days in July 1918, and nine days in December that year. The latter leave was granted so that he could marry Claudia Griffiths back home in Wales.

While the Armistice had been declared, by January, Norman was back in Kent helping the post-war effort. Things were to take a turn, however, as he caught a severe cold, and a nagging cough. Unable to shake it, he grew progressively weaker and, over the next six months, lost 20lbs (9kg) in weight.

Admitted to the camp hospital in June 1919, Private Roberts was diagnosed with bronchitis. He was moved to another hospital in Orpington, Kent, where his diagnosis was upgraded to tuberculosis. Invalided back to Canada that August, within a matter of weeks he was medically discharged from service. His discharge papers noted that was weighed just 122lbs (55.3kg) and has a long flat chest with prominent clavicles. Norman’s once fair complexion was now dark (a combination of his work outside and his health).

Now out of the army, Norman made the journey back to North Wales, and settled in Llangollen with Claudia. The couple went on to have a daughter in 1920, but Norman’s health was deteriorating. He passed away at home on 23rd February 1921, at the age of 34 years old.

Norman David Roberts was laid to rest in Fron Cemetery in his home town of Llangollen. His was a family plot, and he was reunited with Claudia when she passed away.

Commonwealth War Graves, Denbighshire, Great War, history, injury, Lance Corporal, Middlesex, photography, Private, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, story, war

Lance Corporal Thomas Roberts

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Lance Corporal Thomas Roberts

Thomas Roberts was born in Llangollen, Denbighshire, in 1895. One of seven children, his parents were William and Ellen Roberts. William was a butter merchant, and his wife helped in the business.

When Thomas left school, he found work as a greengrocer’s assistant, but when war was declared he saw an opportunity for glory. While full details of his military service are no longer available, it’s clear that he enlisted in the Royal Welch Fusiliers.

Private Roberts was assigned to the 13th (Service) Battalion (1st North Wales) and on 1st December 1915, found himself in France. For the next eighteen months, he was firmly ensconced on the Western Front, and rose to the rank of Lance Corporal for his service.

In April 1917, Thomas was injured in fighting and was medically evacuated to Britain for treatment to his bullet wounds. Admitted to the Edmonton Military Hospital in North London, his injuries were to prove too severe. Lance Corporal Roberts passed away on 22nd April 1917. He was just 21 years of age.

Brought back to Wales for burial, Thomas Roberts was laid to rest in the family plot in Llangollen’s Fron Cemetery.

Thomas was buried along with his brother David, who had passed away in 1912. They were joined by their father William, who died in 1919, and their sister Elizabeth, who passed away in 1945. The family were finally reunited with Ellen, when she died in 1947, at the age of 86.

Commonwealth War Graves, Denbighshire, Driver, Great War, history, photography, Royal Field Artillery, story, unknown, Wales, war, Yorkshire

Driver James Roberts

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Driver James Roberts

James Roberts was born in 1885 in Llangollen, Denbighshire. The youngest of three children, he was the son of Elias and Winifred Roberts. Elias was a builder’s labourer and, while James initially went into this line of work when he left school, by the time of the 1911 census, he was listed as being employed as a gamekeeper.

War broke out across Europe, and James was there to play his part for King and Country. Full details of his military service are not available, but he enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery, and was assigned to C Battery of the 161st Brigade. This was a Howitzer unit, and, as a Driver, James would have been involved in leading the horses pulling the cannons to where they needed to be.

There is no actual confirmation that James served overseas. He was, however, awarded the Victory and British Medals for his service. Driver Roberts survived the war, but again, details of what actually happened to him are lost to time.

What can be confirmed is that, by 1919, James had been admitted to the Wharncliffe War Hospital in Sheffield, and this is where, on 27th November that year, he passed away. He was just 34 years of age.

James Roberts was brought back to Llangollen for burial. He was laid to rest in the town’s Fron Cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves, Denbighshire, Great War, history, illness, photography, Private, South Lancashire Regiment, story, Wales, war

Rifleman Harold Dean

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Rifleman Harold Dean

Harold Dean was born in the spring of 1888 in Llangollen, Denbighshire. One of four children to John and Sarah Dean, his father was a waiter at the Hand Hotel in the town until his death in 1905. When Harold left school, he was taken on by the hotel, and, by the time of the 1911 census, was recorded as working as a billiard marker.

War was coming to Europe by this point and, on 24th October 1916, Harold enlisted. He joined the South Lancashire Regiment (also known as The Prince of Wales’s Volunteers) and was assigned to the 2nd/5th Battalion.

After an initial few months’ training, Private Dean was sent to France, and was soon ensconced on the Western Front. Caught up in the fighting, he received a gun shot wound to his left wrist on 7th June 1917 and, after some initial treatment in a camp hospital, he was evacuated to Britain for full recuperation.

Harold remained on home soil for the remainder of the year, He contracted tuberculosis that winter and was medically discharged from the army because of it on 5th December 1917.

At this point, Harold’s trail goes cold. He returned to Llangollen, and remained there after his mother passed away in 1919. It appears that his lung condition continued to dog him, however, and this was probably the cause of his untimely passing. He died on 16th March 1921, at the age of 33 years old.

Harold Dean was laid to rest in Fron Cemetery, in his home town of Llangollen.

accident, Canada, Commonwealth War Graves, Flight Lieutenant, Great War, history, Pembrokeshire, photography, Royal Air Force, Somerset, story, Wales, war

Flight Lieutenant Richard Bush

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Flight Lieutenant Richard Bush

Richard Eldon Bush was born on 16th June 1891 in Keynsham, Somerset. The second of four children (all of whom were boys), his parents were Philip and Maria Bush. Philip was a solicitor, and with that status came opportunity for his children.

The 1911 census recorded the Bush family living in Keynsham with two servants – cook Clara Jones and parlour maid Laura Day. The two older boys – Richard and his older brother, Whittington, were both listed as Cambridge undergraduates, while his two young brothers were boarding at a private school in Repton, Yorkshire.

Richard had aspirations for a good life. In March 1914, he set sail for a life in Canada, looking to take up architecture in the colony. His time overseas wasn’t to be long, though, and, when war broke out in Europe, he returned home.

Full details of Richard’s military service are not available, but he joined the Royal Naval Air Service and, on 20th August 1915, he gained his wings. Richard rose to the rank of Flight Lieutenant, but tragedy was ahead.

On 24th April 1917, he was piloting a scout seaplane around the harbour in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire.

[He] failed to clear some overhead wires, and the seaplane swerved against the cliff with considerable violence, smashing the machine, which the petrol set alight, and crashed to the earth. When liberated from the blazing machine Lieutenant Bush rolled and extinguished his burning clothes.

Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer: Friday 27th April 1917

Sadly, Flight Lieutenant Bush’s injuries proved too severe. He passed away a couple of days later, on 24th April 1917, at the age of 25 years old.

Brought back to Somerset for burial, Richard Eldon Bush was laid to rest in the cemetery of his home town, Keynsham.

Flight Lieutenant Richard Bush
(from astreetnearyou.org)

The same newspaper report noted that Richard’s brother Graham was an officer in the Royal Flying Corps. He had also been badly injured in a flying accident, but was, according to the report, “flying again now.“

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Gwynedd, history, injury, photography, Private, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, story, Wales, war

Private Owen Owen

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Private Owen Owen

Owen Jonah Owen was born in 1880, the oldest of eleven children to Jonah and Elizabeth Owen. Jonah was a quarryman at one of the slate mines around Llanberis, Gwynedd, and this is where the family were raised.

Owen followed his father into the slate quarries and, on 26th September 1903, he married Ann Jones, the daughter of another quarry worker. The couple went on to have four children: Richard, Jonah, Delia and Gwyneth.

He was well known and respected in the village, had a passion for singing and “had conducted singing festivals held by the Congregationalists of the district.” [Caernarvon & Denbigh Herald: Friday 24th November 1916]

War was closing in on Europe, and Owen was keen to play his part. Sadly his service records have been lost over time, but it is clear that he had enlisted in the army by May 1916. Private Owen joined the Royal Welch Fusiliers, and was assigned to the 14th Battalion.

Part of the 38th Division, the battalion was to be caught up in some of the fiercest and most desperate fighting of the First World War. In July 1916, Owen would have been entrenched at The Somme and, after the first few horrific days, his battalion was one of those involved in the fighting at Mametz Wood.

Private Owen was badly wounded during the battle and medically evacuated to Britain for treatment. Admitted to a military hospital in Birmingham, he was to remain there for a number of months until, on 12th November 1916, his body finally succumbed to his injuries. He was 36 years of age.

Owen Jonah Owen was brought back to his home village for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Peris Church in Llanberis.

Australia, Australian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Gwynedd, history, illness, Lancashire, photography, Private, story, Wales, war

Private Hugh Jones

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Private Hugh Jones

Hugh Henry Jones was born in around 1876 in the Welsh village of Llanberis, Gwynedd. He was one of seven children to quarryman John Jones and his wife Mary.

Slate was the big industry in Snowdonia, and Hugh and his brothers all followed his father into the quarries. Labour was plentiful and wages would not have been high, so when the opportunity arose for employment overseas, he seems to have taken it.

Exact details are sketchy, but Hugh emigrated to Australia at some point in the early 1900s. He settled in the city of Goulburn, New South Wales and the experience he had built up back home stood him good stead, as he continued working as a quarryman.

When war broke out in Europe, those in the British colonies were called upon to play their part, and Hugh was among those to serve King and Country. He enlisted on 29th December 1915, joining the 55th Battalion of the Australian Infantry.

Private Jones’ service records show that he was 40 years and six months old, stood 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall and weighed 130lbs (59kg). He had a dark complexion, blue eyes and black hair. He also appears to have had a denture in his lower jaw.

After initial training, Private Jones set off for Europe at the end of September 1916, arriving in Plymouth six weeks later. Within a matter of weeks he was on the move again, sailing for France, and arriving at Etaples at the start of 1917.

Private Jones was ensconced on the Western Front for the next few months but, as spring came, he was starting to have some health issues. In April he was admitted to a field hospital suffering from dyspepsia (indigestion), which was subsequently diagnosed as gastritis.

Medically evacuated to Britain for treatment, Hugh spent the next few months being treated in hospitals in Kent, and Dorset, before being admitted to the Royal Infirmary in Liverpool. Sadly, by this point, his condition had been identified as stomach cancer and, while in Liverpool, he passed away. Private Jones breathed his last on 13th November 1917, at the age of 41 years old.

Hugh Henry Jones was brought back to Wales for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of St Peris Church in his home village of Llanberis.

Private Hugh Jones
(from findagrave.com)