Glyn Edwards was born, I believe, in the Pontypridd registration district in the December quarter 1919 (Pontypridd Vol. 11a Page 1438), the son of William Richard & Blodwen Edwards (Rogers) who married, I believe, in the September quarter of 1916, again, in the Registration District of Pontypridd (Pontypridd Vol. 11a Page 920). Any help would be appreciated.
Glyn Edwards father, Richard William Edwards, on different documents, changes his Christian names around, as you will see.
Richard William Edwards is seen on the 1911 census living at 10, Hawarden Road, Hope, Flintshire, living with his family. Head of the household was his father William,63 and a Farm Labourer, his wife Margaret, 54 tells us that they had been married for 34 years and 11 children had been born to them, but sadly 2 had died. Felicia, 25 was single, Richard William, 18, was single and a Colliery Waggoner, Robert, 15 was a Cowboy on a Farm, John, 12 was at School and Philip, age 7. All had been born in Hope, Flintshire. There was a Boarder, William Evans, 67, was single and a Cattle Dealer on his own account, born in Bala, Merionethshire.
In 1911 Blodwen Rogers was living with her parents, and siblings at 30 Vivian Street, Tylorstown, Glamorganshire. Head of the household was William Rogers, 43 and a Colliery Examiner (Underground) born Aberdare, Glamorgan (All of the family were Bilingual). Louisa, 41, also born Aberdare, tells us that 10 children had been born to them, but again, sadly 3 had died. William J., 18 and single was a Miner (Hewer), Blodwen, 15 was a Shop Assistant to a Draper, Trevor, 14 was a Collier’s Boy, Oswald, 9 was at School and Emlyn2, completed the family, all had been born in Tylorstown, Glamorganshire.
I believe that Richard William Edwards had been born in Hope, but had probably travelled to South Wales for work, as many miners did, and that was how he met Blodwen, but any help in clarifying that would be gratefully received.
If I am correct on the family history to this point, it seems that they lived for a few years in the Pontypridd area as Glyn was born in 1919 in Pontypridd as stated before but may have been registered as Glyndwr Edwards. In any case I have no information on Glyn’s early and teenage years, so again, would appreciate any help.
I do find the young couple living at his mother, Margaret Edwards’s, house on the 1921 census, which was taken on the 19th of June 1921. They were still living at 10, Hawarden Road, Hope, Flintshire. Head of the household was Mrs. Wm. Edwards (Margaret), now 66 years and 1 month old, a widow, born in Hope Mountain, Flintshire, she was doing ‘Housework.’ Her sons, Robert Edwards was 26 years and 2 months old, a widower and a Collier (Hewer) at Llay Main Colliery. Son Phillip Edwards was 18 years and 2 months old, Single a Collier (Waggoner) at Llay Main Colliery. Her eldest son Rd. Wm. Edwards was 29 years and 1 month old, married and a Collier (Hewer), they had all been born in Hope Mountain. Mrs. Richard Wm. Edwards (Blodwen) was 25 years and 5 months old, born in Tylorstown, Glamorganshire, she was also doing ‘Housework.’ James Lloyd, a Lodger was 32 years and 8 months old, single, and born in Liverpool, Lancashire was a Farm Labourer at Ty Picca Farm. Carmarthan. Richard William & Blodwen Edwards’s son Glyndwr Edwards was 1 year and 8 months old, born in Tylorstown, GGlanorganshire.
We meet William Richard and Blodwen again on the 1939 National Register, which was taken on the 29th of September 1939, living at 10, Hawarden Road, Hope, Flintshire. This source gives us the dates of birth for each person on the register. William R. Edward’s birth date was the 26th of June 1892 and was a Coal Line Repairer (Below) and a Heavy Worker. Blodwen’s birth date is shown as the 2nd of January 1896 and described as a Housewife. Glyn’s birth date was shown as the 14th of October 1919 and he was a Plasterer, his brother Philip E. Edwards had been born on the 20th of May 1911 and was a Surface Haulage Hand, both were Heavy Workers, and single. Gwilym A. Edwards had been born on the 9th of September 1933 and Edna Edwards had been born on the 29th of January 1931 and both were at School. There were 2 redacted or closed records, but I don’t know for certain who they were. For individual people, records remain closed for a century after their birth (the 100-year rule), unless it can be proven that they passed away before this milestone.
I believe that Glyn either enlisted or was conscripted into the Royal Welsh Fusiliers on the 15th of February 1940 and was transferred to the Royal Fusiliers on the 11th of December 1943, his documents were sent to Ashford on the 9th of February 1944, and sadly Glyn was killed in action on the 24th of February 1944, 25 days later.
Glyn had met Lilian Tipler in the early years of the war and he married her at St. Luke’s Church, Halliwell, Bolton in the September quarter of 1941 (Bolton 30/5/58).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Fusiliers
Royal Fusiliers Second World War
Infantrymen of the 1st Battalion, Royal Fusiliers reconstruct a street-fighting scene in a street in Caldari, Italy, 17 December 1943.
For most of the Second World War, the 1st Battalion was part of the 17th Indian Infantry Brigade, 8th Indian Infantry Division. It served with them in the Italian Campaign.[63]
The 2nd Battalion was attached to the 12th Infantry Brigade, 4th Infantry Division and was sent to France in 1939 after the outbreak of war to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). In May 1940, it fought in the Battle of France and was forced to retreat to Dunkirk, where it was then evacuated from France. With the brigade and division, the battalion spent the next two years in the United Kingdom, before being sent overseas to fight in the Tunisia Campaign, part of the final stages of the North African Campaign. Alongside the 1st, 8th and 9th battalions, the 2nd Battalion also saw active service in the Italian Campaign from March 1944, in particular during the Battle of Monte Cassino, fighting later on the Gothic Line before being airlifted to fight in the Greek Civil War.[64]
The 8th and 9th Battalions, the two Territorial Army (TA) units, were part of the 1st London Infantry Brigade, attached to 1st London Infantry Division. These later became the 167th (London) Infantry Brigade and 56th (London) Infantry Division. Both battalions saw service in the final stages of the Tunisia Campaign, where each suffered over 100 casualties in their first battle. In September 1943, both battalions were heavily involved in the landings at Salerno, as part of the Allied invasion of Italy, later crossing the Volturno Line, before, in December, being held up at the Winter Line.[65] Both battalions then fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino and were sent to the Anzio beachhead in February 1944.[66]
Two other TA battalions, the 11th and 12th, were both raised in 1939 when the Territorial Army was ordered to be doubled in size. Both were assigned to 4th London Infantry Brigade, part of 2nd London Infantry Division, later 140th (London) Infantry Brigade and 47th (London) Infantry Division respectively.[67] Both battalions remained in the United Kingdom on home defence duties. In 1943, the 12th Battalion was transferred to the 80th Infantry (Reserve) Division and later to the 47th Infantry (Reserve) Division.[68]
The regiment raised many other battalions during the war, although none of them saw active service overseas in their original roles, instead some were converted. The 21st Battalion, for example, formed soon after the Dunkirk evacuation, was sent to India in the summer of 1942 and later became part of the 52nd Infantry Brigade, acting in a training capacity to train British troops in jungle warfare for service in the Burma Campaign. The 23rd Battalion, also created in June/July 1940, was later converted into 46th Battalion, Reconnaissance Corps, assigned to the 46th Infantry Division, serving with it for the rest of the war.[69]
https://www.fusiliermuseumlondon.org/home#collection
The Fusilier Museum, London.
I wanted to know more about what Glyn went through and on the WW2Talk Forum, I found someone asking the questions for me, about another Fusilier from the 8th Bn., here is the answer from the Forum, thanks to Steve
http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/royal-fusiliers-city-of-london-regiment-8th-bn.33113/
Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment), 8th bn (WW2Talk Forum) (Extract from the above)
The 8th Battalion of the Fusiliers was in the 167th Brigade along with the 9th battalion and the 7th Ox & Bucks of the 56th (London) Division and as such were engaged prior to the battle for Croce and Gemmano as we approached the Coriano Ridge – you can “google” for this battle and get an idea of the horror of those days.
After breaking through the so called strongly defended “Gothic Line” on the Foglia River we made good time up until the 3rd September when we were all hit on the reinforced Coriano Ridge by the 1st Paras – 26th Panzers and the 29th Panzer Grenadiers – this took the next two weeks to overcome with many casualties.
Cheers Tom Canning.
As Glyn’s body was never found his name was added to the Cassino Memorial, or perhaps he was resting in one of the “Known only to God” graves.
HISTORY INFORMATION from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website:-
https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/2005600/CASSINO%20MEMORIAL/
On 3 September 1943 the Allies invaded the Italian mainland, the invasion coinciding with an armistice made with the Italians who then re-entered the war on the Allied side.
Progress through southern Italy was rapid despite stiff resistance, but by the end of October, the Allies were facing the German winter defensive position known as the Gustav Line, which stretched from the river Garigliano in the west to the Sangro in the east. Initial attempts to breach the western end of the line were unsuccessful. Operations in January 1944 landed troops behind the German lines at Anzio, but defences were well organised, and a breakthrough was not actually achieved until 18 May, when Cassino was finally taken.
The site for CASSINO WAR CEMETERY was originally selected in January 1944, but the development of the battle during the first five months of that year made it impossible to use it until after the Germans had withdrawn from Cassino. During these early months of 1944, Cassino saw some of the fiercest fighting of the Italian campaign, the town itself and the dominating Monastery Hill proving the most stubborn obstacles encountered in the advance towards Rome. The majority of those buried in the war cemetery died in the battles during these months.
There are now 4,266 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated at Cassino War Cemetery. 284 of the burials are unidentified.
Within the cemetery stands the CASSINO MEMORIAL which commemorates over 3,100 Commonwealth servicemen who took part in the Italian campaign and whose graves are not known. In addition, over 900 Indian soldiers are commemorated on this memorial whose remains were cremated. The Memorial was designed by Louis de Soissons and unveiled by Field Marshal The Rt. Hon. The Earl Alexander of Tunis on 30 September 1956.
Please see https://ww2db.com/battle_spec.php?battle_id=312
Battle of Monte Cassino – 17 Jan 1944 – 18 May 1944
I believe that Glyn’s father was alive to grieve the loss of his 2nd eldest son and died age 59 years in the June quarter of 1952 (Hawarden Vol. 8a Page 458).
Glyn was much loved and remembered by his large family and they made sure his name was added to the Hope WW2 War Memorial for him to be remembered for perpetuity.
