Milton Price Lewis

Royal Artillery, 52^nd Field Regiment

Milton Price Lewis
Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapelyard
credit - findagrave

The year 1941 brought only one military burial to Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapelyard. That single loss was Lance Sergeant Milton Price Lewis.

Family Background

Milton was the younger son of Reuben and Elizabeth Lewis (née Jordan), who had married in 1914.

1911 Census

In the 1911 Census, Reuben, then aged 19, was living at 7 Western Street, Swansea, in the household of his uncle, Thomas Price, a chimney sweep. Reuben was employed in the same trade, while his sister Violet, 15, also lived there. 

1911 Census

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Jordan was recorded at 76b Penvillia Road, Brynhyfryd, with her widowed mother Ann, aged 50, who worked as a washerwoman. Elizabeth, then 20, was employed as a domestic servant.

1921 Census

By the 1921 Census, Reuben and Elizabeth were married and living at 107 Western Street, Swansea. Reuben, 29, remained employed as a chimney sweep under his uncle, while Elizabeth, 30, was at home.

Military Service

Milton enlisted in 1939, following the outbreak of the Second World War, joining the Royal Artillery, 52^nd Field Regiment. Few records of his service survive, and what is known comes largely from family notices in the press.

Death and Burial

South Wales Daily Post

On 14^th March 1941, Milton died aged 23, while serving at Colchester. His body was brought home to Swansea, where he was buried in Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapelyard.

His grave is marked by a modest Commonwealth War Graves Commission plaque at its foot, a lasting tribute to his sacrifice.

Legacy

Milton’s grave stands as the sole military burial at Bethel for the year 1941, a quiet but poignant reminder that even when the war moved far beyond Swansea, its impact still returned home in personal loss. His plaque marks not only the end of a young life but also the resilience of a family and community that carried the burden of grief in the midst of a world still at war.