William was born in 1889 in Mold. The 1901 census finds him living with his family at 9 Conway Street Mold. The family at that time consisted of Father,Joseph Davies 50 yrs, a shoemaker who hailed originally from Kinnerton in Flintshire. His wife was Harriet 47 born in Chester. The children at home were Joseph 16 a coal mine labourer, Henry 14, an errand boy, Alfred 13 a saddler’s apprentice. William A 11 and Harriet H 8 were at school.

Ten years on and the census of 1911 places the family at 13 Harreby Road Mold. The father, Joseph now 60 is described as a bootmaker. His wife Harriet was 57 and we can see from the form that they had been married for 38 years. There are three children still living at home. Henry 24, Alfred E 23 and William Arthur 21 were all single men and all worked underground in the colliery. This census tells us that Harriet had given birth to a total of 11 children and 9 of them were still alive. We see too, that the house they lived in had 5 rooms.

UK Soldiers who Died in The Great War 1914 -19, accessible on www.ancestry.co.uk tells us that William enlisted in Mold and that he was originally in the Cheshire Regiment (3067).

William Arthur Davies’s brother Harry was also killed and is named on the Mold memorial –  his name was written on the memorial as Herory which seems to be a combination of Henry his official name and Harry his usual name. Herory has his own page on this website.

Sleep on my son And take thy rest We loved thee well But God knew best