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Griffiths, John Llewelyn

There is an index card for John Llewelyn Griffiths in the Flintshire Roll of Honour at the County Record Office in Hawarden which detailed his regiment and number. The card gave the address Rock Cottage, Gwernymynydd. It also told us that he died in hospital in Birmingham on the 25th November 1918.

The 1911 census return for Rock Cottage Gwernymynydd tells us there was a household entirely of females. Ellen Griffiths who had been born in Gwernymynydd  was a widow aged 47. She had two daughters Annie13 and Rachael 11 who had been born in Liverpool. Living with them was Ellen’s mother Anne Pritchard 77 who had been born in Mold.  The form tells us that Ellen had given birth to 4 children but one had died. There is one other child therefore missing from the census – probably John Llewelyn. We have so far been unable to trace him on the 1911 census.

The previous census of 1901 records the family living in  24 Park Lane Toxteth Park Liverpool. Head of the household was William L Griffiths who was a 39 year old Joiner/Builder who had been born in Birmingham, Warwickshire. His wife Ellen was 37 and had been born in Gwernymynydd Flintshire. Their listed children were John L 5, Anne 3 and Rachael 1.  They had all been born in Liverpool.

It has proved impossible to find any other military details about John Llewelyn apart from an entry in the Register of Soldier’s Effects in which the army calculated monies owed to deceased soldiers, (accessible on www.ancestry.co.uk). This tells us that he was discharged from the army on the 27th September 1917 and that he ‘Died after discharge’.

The  Record of Burials for the Parish of Erdington  for 1918 includes an entry for John Llewelyn Griffiths who was 23 years old. His address was 60 York Road Erdington. He was buried on the 5th December 1918 and the funeral was officiated by Sydney P Needham – Assistant Priest.

There is no Military grave, no record of him in the Commonwealth War Graves Data base.  There are no details of any medals. The ‘T’ at the front of his number tells us he was in a Training Reserve. There is no suggestion that he was killed in action or died of wounds. He just ‘died’ more than a year after his discharge. This suggests a long illness but we don’t know any details.

Can anyone tell us any more?

John Llewelyn Griffiths is also named on the Gwernymynydd Memorial.


Learn more about the other soldiers on the Mold Urban Memorial

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