Alfred George Webb

Welsh Regiment, 17^th (Home Defence) Battalion

Four months after the outbreak of the Second World War, Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapelyard received its first burial linked to that conflict.  His grave marked the beginning of Bethel’s Second World War chapter of remembrance.

Family Background

1901 Census

Alfred George Webb was born in 1899 at Honeyborough, Pembrokeshire, the son of Alfred Augustus Webb and Elizabeth Webb (née —).

The 1901 Census records the family living at Honeyborough Green, Neyland, where Alfred Augustus, then 37, worked as a Chargeman in the Locomotive Department of the Great Western Railway. Elizabeth, aged 30, kept house and raised their children: William J. (7), Charles A. (4), Alfred G. (2), and Gladys J. (1).

Tragedy struck in 1909 when Elizabeth died, leaving Alfred Augustus a widower.

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 159 Aberdyberthi Street, Hafod, Swansea. Alfred Augustus, 47, was employed as a Night Foreman in the Locomotive Department. Charles Augustus, 14, was already working as a labourer, while Alfred George, then 12, and Gladys Isabella, 11, were still in school.

1921 Census

The 1921 Census shows the family still living at 159 Aberdyberthi Street. Alfred Augustus, now 57, was a Foreman with the Great Western Railway. Charles Augustus, 24, worked as a locomotive boiler washer. Alfred George, 22, was unemployed, having previously worked as an assistant rollerman at Morfa Copper Works. Gladys Isabella, 21, was at home, while Thomas, 18, was an apprentice fitter.

Military Service

Alfred George enlisted with the Welsh Regiment, 17^th (Home Defence) Battalion, part of Britain’s early-war preparations for coastal defence and home protection.

Death and Burial

Herald of Wales

Alfred George Webb
Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapelyard
credit - findagrave

On 13^th January 1940, Alfred George Webb died following an accident on Neath Road at the age of 42. His death was reported in the Herald of Wales, and he was laid to rest at Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapelyard, becoming the first serviceman of the Second World War to be buried there.

A Brother at Sea

H.M.S. Afrikander

Alfred’s elder brother, William John Webb, served as a Chief Engine Room Artificer in the Royal Navy. He was posted to H.M.S. Afrikander, a shore establishment at Simon’s Town, South Africa.

Although H.M.S. Afrikander had been decommissioned in 1937 and later scuttled by H.M.S. Daffodil, William remained in service and later became a naval pensioner.

William John Webb
Dido Valley Cemetery
Simon’s Town, South Africa
credit - finagrave

William died on 12^th September 1945, aged 52, at the Royal Navy Hospital, Simon’s Town. He was buried at Dido Valley Cemetery, Simon’s Town, South Africa, far from his Swansea home.

Legacy

The story of Alfred George Webb reminds us that not all wartime deaths were the result of battle. His life, shaped by the industrial heritage of Pembrokeshire and Swansea, ended in a tragic accident, yet his service is remembered alongside those who fell in combat.

The contrast between Alfred’s burial at Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapelyard and William’s grave thousands of miles away in South Africa reflects how the Second World War scattered families across the world. Together, their stories highlight both the local and international reach of war and the enduring bonds of family amid sacrifice.