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Williams, Edwin

Edwin Williams was born in Flint in 1879 and baptised on 28th March, 1879 in St Mary’s Parish Church. He was eldest of eight children of Thomas John Williams and Mary Ann Jones.

Thomas and Mary were married at St James’s Parish Church Holywell on 25th December, 1878 and Thomas was employed as a labourer at the chemical works. Sadly Mary died in October, 1906 aged 48 and was buried in St James’s Churchyard, Holywell. In the 1911 census Thomas was living in Mumforth Street, but it is not known what became of him after that.

The 1911 census found Edwin boarding at 41, Church Street at the home of widow Sarah Davies. His occupation was given as a collier but he was later employed as an ironworker at the Hawarden Bridge Ironworks, Shotton.

In early 1914 Edwin married Susannah Griffiths. He enlisted in the Army at Flint on the day the war began on the 4th August, 1914 and subsequently landed at Gallipoli on the 8th August, 1915 but died in a Hospital at Alexandria, Egypt on the 16th August from a wound received in the back of the neck.

BAGILLT MAN DIED OF WOUNDS

(County Herald 1st October 1915)

On Wednesday last week, Mrs Williams, residing at the Bryn Cottages, Bagillt, received the official information from the Records’ Office, Shrewsbury, that her husband Private Edwin Williams, of the 1/5th Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, had died from wounds received at the Dardanelles. Mrs Davies, who resided on the Holywell Road, and who is a sister of the deceased, states that a letter she received some time showed that her other brother, Private Joseph Williams, was with Edward when he was wounded in the back of the neck. He was removed to a hospital in Alexandria, where he died on the 16th August.

“JUST SHIFTED,” AND HIS BROTHER WOUNDED

(County Herald 8th October 1915)

In our last issue there was recorded the death of Private Edwin Williams, of the 1/5th Battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, whose wife resided at the Bryn Cottages, Bagillt. The deceased soldier was a brother of Mrs Sarah Davies, of No. 1 Court, Holywell Road, Flint, and to whom Private Joseph Williams, another brother, wrote informing her of Edwin having been wounded. They were together in the Dardanelles, and Edwin died in hospital from the effects of the wound received. Private Joseph Williams, in a letter sent to Mrs Davies, said that his brother had given him a hand-out of the trenches, and he (Joseph) had only just shifted when Edwin got bowled over by a bullet, which entered the back of his neck. He had a lot of history to relate, but he would leave it all until he arrived home. The deceased before joining the 1/5th was an ironworker and resided with Mr Ernest Williams, at Maesgwyn Bach, Flint.

He has no known grave but is remembered on the Helles Memorial, Turkey (Panels 77 to 80); St Mary’s Parish Church, Flint; Bagillt Village and St Mary’s Parish Church, Bagillt. He was awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

It is not known what happened to Susannah after Edwin died or if they had children.


Learn more about the other soldiers on the Flint Memorial

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