Samuel George Evans

Sergeant Samuel George Evans

Welsh Regiment (6^th Battalion)

Samuel George Evans

The second military burial to take place at Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapel, Sketty, was that of Sergeant Samuel George Evans, who died in October 1915 following wounds sustained on the Western Front.

Early Life

Thomas Evans and Alice Hall 
marriage certificate
Parish Church
St. Twynnells, Pembrokeshire

Samuel was born in 1891, the son of Thomas Evans, a stone mason, and Alice (née Hall). His parents had married in 1880 at the Parish Church of St Twynnells, Pembrokeshire. 

1881 Census

In the 1881 Census, Thomas and Alice, newlyweds of 22 and 21, were still living with Alice’s parents, William and Ann Hall, at Carew Farm, St Twynnells.

1891 Census

By 1891, the Evans family had settled at 96 Llangyfelach Street, Swansea. Thomas, then aged 30, was employed as a copperman labourer, while Alice cared for their growing family. Four children were listed in the household: John H. (9), Margaret A. (7), Mary A. (5), and baby Samuel G. (1 month).

1901 Census

A decade later, the 1901 Census records the family at 11 Llangyfelach Street. Thomas, now 40, worked as a mason labourer, with five children at home: John (19), Mary Ann (14), Samuel (10), Alexander (7), and William (4).

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, Samuel, aged 20, was employed as a general labourer. The family had moved to 95 Oak Terrace, Llangyfelach Street. Thomas, 50, was still working as a labourer; Alice was recorded as 53. Also in the household were their children, John (29), employed as a fuel worker; Margaret Ann (27), married; Mary Ann (24), married; Alexander (17), a labourer; William (14); and a granddaughter, Esther A. Jenkins (5).

Marriage and Family

In 1913, Samuel married Florence E. Andrew. The following year, they welcomed a daughter, Florence E., who sadly died in infancy in 1915. Later that same year, a second child, Samuel G., was born.

Military Service

Samuel had enlisted earlier, in 1912, joining the 6^th (Glamorgan) Battalion, Welsh Regiment. With the outbreak of war, he was mobilised and sent to France with his battalion, seeing action on the Western Front.

In February 1915, Samuel was wounded in action, suffering a severe spinal injury. Despite medical care, his condition worsened, and he was transferred back to Britain for treatment. In October 1915, he died at Cambridge Hospital from the effects of his wounds.

Funeral and Burial

The Cambria Daily Leader
28th October 1915

News of his death was carried in The Cambrian Daily Leader on 28^th October 1915, which also reported on his funeral. His body was brought back to Swansea, and with military honours, he was buried in Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapel, Sketty, becoming the chapel’s second recorded war casualty.

Legacy

Samuel George Evans
Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapel
credit - findagrave

Sergeant Samuel George Evans was only 24 years old at the time of his death. A husband, father, and son of Swansea, his grave at Bethel stands as part of the shared memorial of a community touched deeply by the losses of the Great War.