The First Veteran to Return Home — Q.M.S. John W. Cole
The First Veteran to Return Home — Q.M.S. John W. Cole South Wales Evening Post The first of the veterans to return home from the Second World War was named in the South Wales Evening Post , which reported the homecoming of Quartermaster‑Sergeant John W. Cole, R.E. , the earliest Mumbles man to arrive back under the new demobilisation scheme and the first Swansea serviceman of the war to receive a military decoration. Although born on Tyneside, Cole had long been part of Swansea’s military and civic life, having settled in the town in 1927 as a Regular Company Sergeant‑Major and later serving at the Drill Hall as P.S.I. His wife, the daughter of Daniel Claypitt , one of the lifeboatmen lost in the Mumbles disaster of 1903 , belonged to one of Southend’s oldest and most respected families, and news of Cole’s return brought a deep sense of pride to the community. A seasoned soldier with years of experience, Cole volunteered again in May 1937 , joining the Royal Engineers . He s...
