Alistair Ewen Patrick Cameron

Second Lieutenant Alistair Ewen Patrick Cameron — The First Burial at St. Hilary, Killay

Alistair Ewen Patrick Cameron
St. Hilary Church, Killay
credit - findagrave

This series of reflections will remember those laid to rest in the churchyard of St. Hilary, Killay, whose service and sacrifice shaped the lives of those around them. We begin with the story of Second Lieutenant Alistair Ewen Patrick Cameron, of the Welsh Regiment, 2/5th Battalion, who died on 27^th June 1940, aged only 30. He was the first military burial at St. Hilary.

Early Life

Marriage Banns

Alistair was born in 1910, the son of Dr. Alexander William Cameron and Annie Miller Forrester, both originally from Scotland. His parents had married at St. Mary’s Church, Swansea, in 1899 and established themselves in the city where Alexander built his career as a respected physician and surgeon.

1901 Census

The Camerons made their home at Northampton House, Northampton Lane, Swansea, where census records trace their lives across the early decades of the 20^th century. In the 1901 Census, Alexander and Annie lived there with visitors, boarders, and a household staff that reflected their position in the community. 

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, their young son Alistair, just a year old, appears on the record alongside his grandmother, Eliza Annie Miller Forrester, and a nurse, cook, and housemaid employed to support the household.

1921 Census

By the 1921 Census, a daughter, Adeline Forrester Cameron, had joined the family. Alistair, then around 11 years old, was absent from the return, possibly away at school, a common path for children of professional families. The household included a governess from Belgium, alongside long-serving staff who had been with the Camerons for years.

1939 Register

On the eve of the Second World War, in 1939, Alexander and Annie had moved to Bryn Rhos, Walter Road, Swansea, where they lived with their daughter Annie and two servants, when the 1939 Register was completed. By then, Alistair had already begun to make his own way in life.

Military Service

Alistair pursued both a professional and military career. Before the war, he trained in law with Messrs T. P. Rose Richards and Co., Swansea. Alongside his legal training, he was remembered as a keen golfer who organised the Quaigh Competition, and as a proud member of the Swansea Caledonian Society, where he celebrated his family’s Scottish heritage.

With the outbreak of war, Alistair received a commission in the Welsh Regiment, 2/5th Battalion, rising to the rank of Second Lieutenant.

Death and Burial

In June 1940, Alistair entered a nursing home for an operation, but tragically, he did not recover. He was just 30 years old.

South Wales Daily Post 

Herald of Wales

On 28^th June 1940, the South Wales Daily Post carried the announcement of his death, noting his commission in the Welsh Regiment, his legal training, and his place in the local community. A week later, on 6^th July 1940, the Herald of Wales reported on his funeral, when Alistair was laid to rest in the quiet churchyard of St. Hilary, Killay. His grave became the first military burial at St. Hilary, marking the beginning of a place of remembrance for others who would follow.

Legacy

Second Lieutenant Alistair Ewen Patrick Cameron rests at St. Hilary, Killay, a life of promise ended far too soon. His story, told through family records and community memory, reminds us that those who gave their lives in war were not only soldiers but sons, brothers, professionals, and friends.

Alexander William Cameron
credit - Glamorgan Cricket Archives

His legacy is also bound up with that of his father, Dr. Alexander William Cameron, who lived a remarkable life that combined medicine with sporting achievement. Alexander remains the only man to have represented his country at rugby and his county at cricket—rugby for Scotland, cricket for Glamorgan.

As a student at Edinburgh University, Alexander excelled at both games, earning three Scottish rugby caps beginning with a match against Wales in 1887. Moving to Swansea in 1896, he became a colleague of Dr. Teddy Morgan and a player for Swansea Rugby Club, where he was captain in 1900 and 1901. His medical work limited his appearances, but he continued to play occasional matches until 1913, when he made his final cricketing appearance for Glamorgan against Wiltshire.

In remembering Alistair, we also honour his family, whose story was woven into Swansea, Scotland, and beyond. Both father and son left their mark—one through service to his country in sport and medicine, the other through duty in war. Their names stand together among those whose contributions and sacrifices continue to be remembered with solemn gratitude.