Francis Lloyd was born, according to the 1939 National Register, on the 225th of June 1917, the son of George H. & Ann Lloyd (nee Brown) who, I believe, had married in a Civil Ceremony in Holywell, in 1910 (Flintshire (Mold) HOL/36/60*). I also believe that this was the 2nd marriage of George Henry Lloyd, as sadly his first wife Mary Lloyd (nee Parry) had died in 1909 and she was the mother of Francis’s half-brother William H. Lloyd, (Flintshire (Mold)HAW/44/39) *, who was born in 1898, after their marriage in 1896 in St. Deniol’s Church, Hawarden: –
Page 211 No. 421 6th April 1896 George Henry LLOYD, 23, Bachelor, Labourer, Pentre, Saltney, Henry LLOYD, Labourer & Mary PARRY, 26, Spinster, Pentre, Saltney, William PARRY, Labourer. After Banns. Witnesses: – Alfred JONES & Barbara WILLIAMS.
*All these certificates would have to be purchased to confirm/deny these relationships.
The 1901 census shows George Henry’s first family living at Williams Terrace, Saltney, Hawarden Flintshire. George Henry, 28, was a Furnaceman and had been born in Caerwys, Flintshire, with Mary, 33, born in Pentre, Hawarden, as was Baby William, age 3 on this census. There were Boarders living with the family, a married couple, Robert Jones Dowell, 35, a General Labourer and his wife Mary Elizabeth, 34, both born Prestatyn. Along with George Henry, this couple were bilingual.
I found this burial in the Hawarden Parish Register – Burials
Page 322 No 2571 Mary LLOYD, Shotton, 23rd January 1909 age 40 years.
There is a possible marriage of George Henry Lloyd & Ann Brown in 1910, but it was a Civil Marriage at Holywell, so the Certificate would have to be purchased to confirm/deny. (Flintshire (Mold) HOL/36/60).
So, by the 1911 census, George Henry Lloyd and William’s lives had changed and the new family were living at 77, Alexander Street, Shotton, Flintshire (4 rooms). George Henry, 37, was still head of the household and still an Ironworker, his new wife Ann Lloyd (nee Brown) tells us that she had been born in Blackburn, Lancashire and the couple tell us that they had been married under 1 year and no children had been born to them, young William was now 13 years old.
I have found a possible birth Certificate for the birth of Francis in 1917, (Flintshire (Mold) HAW/22A/48), again this would have to be purchased to confirm/deny.
The 1921 census, which was taken on the 19th June 1921, sees the family living at 77, Alexander Street, Shotton. Head of the household was George Henry Lloyd, now 47 years and 11 months old, born in Caerwys and a Coal Carter for the Co-operative Society, Queensferry. Ann Lloyd was now 44 years and 6 months ola and had been born in Blackburn, England and was doing “Household Duties.” Their children were Mary Winfred Lloyd, 9 years, and 11 months old, Agnes Lloyd, 7 years and 3 months old, and Francis Lloyd, 3 years 11 months old. All the children were born in Shotton, Flintshire.
So, we now get back to the 1939 Register which was taken on the 29th of September 1939, the war having started on the 3rd of that month. Francis was still at home.
The National Register shows George H. Lloyd was born on the 29th of July 1873 and was a Warehouse Assistant, his wife Ann Lloyd had been born on the5th of December 1876 and Francis Lloyd had been born on the 25th of June 1917 and was a Tobacconist Salesman – Van, he was Single. They were all living at 77, Alexander Street, Shotton.
I have the Casualty Form 1740 page 21, and this tells us that Francis was accidently killed on the 10th of April 1945 and that he was in the Royal Signals (8 Spec. Command Unit).
Because I wanted to know more about how Francis had been accidently killed in the middle of this war where being killed by the enemy was a daily happening and how sad to being killed accidently, I contacted WW2, Forum, where I was helped so much to eventually being able to add a little to Francis’s story.
I thought that he was in a Special Unit and asked that question, on http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/accidental-death-10th-april-1945.73429/ here are excerpts of their replies, for which I am very grateful:-
On the CWGC Concentration Report Form of the burials it appears that they were all brought from the American Cemetery at Champigneul-Champagne. He is listed as SHAEF – Supreme Headquarters Allied Forces Europe so was probably alongside US staff. Francis died on the 11th of April 1945 and was probably buried around that date but was reburied on the 11th of May 1945.
Clichy was used postwar to accept Royal Air Force remains brought in from other burial sites…….. some well remote from Clichy. One feature of this was that many RAF aircrews in death were split from other crew members especially when remains were found much later than the date of death.
It’s possible that army remains were similarly transferred and Francis Lloyd met his accidental death remote from the area and was reburied at Clichy. I am happy to be corrected on this as it is really outside my sphere of knowledge. I see what it says in the attachment to Post 10 but I think SCU stands for Special Communications Unit, which would have been responsible for Ultra messages etc.
2. Necessity for separate SLU/SCU detachment at each command:
Early efforts to have air and ground HQs at the army-TAC level serviced by the same SLU/SCU detachment presented serious difficulties in a fast-moving situation in the field, where the two HQs were often many miles apart. Some representative lost much time in daily trips to the detachment in order to pick up and return the material, and of necessity deliveries were limited to one per day. These delays lessened the value of Ultra information and, in some cases, may have prevented its being put into operational use. The presence of a separate SLU/SCU detachment at each command which has a representative is highly desirable. Even in cases where commands are certain to remain physically adjacent to each other, separate detachments may simplify routing problems and avoid jurisdictional difficulties. (Extracted from http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/ultra/army-1.html).
Tim wrote: –
All the above would tend to tie him in with being a Driver and associated with The Royal Corps of Signals. Is it therefore likely that he was involved in a ‘motoring type’ accident [car/lorry/motorbike] perhaps taken to a hospital or at least the nearest CCS then presumably died, sometime after the actual accident. Buried at the nearest American cemetery as he may have been treated at an American medical facility and then moved by CWGC in June 1945 to his final resting place.
Tim
I sent an email as Tim said to enquiries@royalsignals.org 29th May 2018 asking if they could help, and this is Rob Gray’s reply: –
Dear Mrs Williams,
Thank you for your enquiry concerning Francis Lloyd. We have very little information regarding individual soldiers who served in the Royal signals, except for those whose families have deposited information with the archive. My initial search drew a blank, however I did find the Casualty Card recording his death.
He was a driver in 8 Special Command Unit, 21 Army Group, who were active in NW France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany during World War II. Francis Lloyd was killed in a traffic accident at Champaubert, France, which is east of Paris and south of Rheims, April 1945.
The War Graves Commission lists his grave in Clichy Northern Cemetery, Plot 16, Row 11, Grave 7.
I am afraid this is all the information that I have been able to find.
I have attached a photo of the Casualty Card with all the available information in 1945. Sadly, of note are the words “on duty” and “Not to blame” in the third column of the card, which I imagine would have been scant consolation for his family.
There may be more information held at the Army Personnel Centre, Historic Disclosures, Mail point 555, Kentigern House, 65 Brown Street, Glasgow, G2 4EX, (Tel 0141 2242023) They hold the Army Personnel records since 1920. However, this organisation tends to charge a research fee and only supply information to enquiries from direct family members.
I wish you luck with your ongoing research.
Yours sincerely
Rob Gray BA (Hons)
Head of Research
Royal Signals Museum
Tel: 01258 482683 (Civ)
Email: headofresearch@royalsignalsmuseum.co.uk
It is as Rob Gray states in his reply, the post script really is a possible comfort for Francis’s family, or maybe not, adding to their distress, but it seems that Francis was on duty and involved in a Traffic accident at Champaubert, France that was not his fault, but exactly what was the cause would have to garnered by the family at the address that Rob gives above. It seems his work was of great importance and was part of the history of the War which may be a comfort to them.
The American 612th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company -Unit History – 612th Quartermaster Graves Registration Company | WW2 US Medical Research Centre (med-dept.com)
This gives an idea what it was like in that area, as it shows the importance of Champigneul. – Thanks to TD from the WW2talk website.
http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/accidental-death-10th-april-1945.73429/
He was well loved as his name was put forward to be remembered on the War Memorial in perpetuity.
