Thomas Gee

Lieutenant Thomas Gee

Royal Field Artillery

Thomas Gee

The last military burial of 1917 at Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapel, Sketty, was that of Lieutenant Thomas Gee, who died of wounds on 13^th November 1917.

A Distinguished Family Heritage

Thomas Gee

To understand Thomas’s story, one must first look to his grandfather, also Thomas Gee (1815–1898) of Denbigh. Born in the year of the Battle of Waterloo, he entered his father’s printing business at the age of 14. Though he worked by day, he was permitted to attend grammar school in the afternoons.

In 1837, he travelled to London to broaden his printing knowledge before returning to Wales, where he devoted himself to literary, educational, and religious causes. Among his works were Y Traethydd (“The Essayist”), Y Gwyddoniadur Cymreig (“Encyclopedia Cambrensis”), and, in 1868, Dr Silvan Evans’s English Welsh Dictionary. His greatest legacy, however, was the founding of Baner Cymru (“The Banner of Wales”) in 1857, later amalgamated with Yr Amserau to become Baner ac Amserau Cymru. The newspaper was central in promoting Welsh nationalism, home rule, education reform, and church disestablishment.

Thomas Gee and Susanna Hughes
Marriage Certificate
Parish church, Llanychan, Denbighshire

In 1842, Thomas married Susanna Hughes at Llanychan Parish Church, Denbighshire. Ordained as a Calvinistic Methodist minister in 1847, he gave his time freely to Sunday Schools and the temperance movement. 

1861 Census

By the 1861 Census, the couple were living at Vale Street, Denbigh, with their children, including Robert Foulkes Gee, born in 1856.

Later in life, Thomas founded the Welsh Land League (1886) and took part in the Welsh National League Council (1898). He died in September 1898 and was buried at Ystrad Road Cemetery, Denbigh.

The Next Generation

1871 Census

Robert Foulkes Gee, Thomas’s son, trained as a solicitor. By the 1871 Census, he was a pupil at Holt, Wrexham. 

1881 Census

In the 1881 Census, aged 25, he was working as a solicitor in Ashton Upon Mersey. 

Robert Foulkes Gee married Kate Fletcher
Marriage Certificate
Parish church, Ardwick, St. Matthew, Lancashire

In 1886, he married Kate Fletcher at Ardwick, St Matthew’s Church, Lancashire.

1891 Census

By the 1891 Census, Robert and Kate were visiting Robert’s parents in Denbigh with their two children: Olwen (2) and Thomas (8 months), born in Manchester. 

1901 Census

Ten years later, the family had moved to Swansea, settling at 4 Windsor Terrace.

Early Life of Thomas Gee

1911 Census

Young Thomas was educated at Swansea Grammar School, where he was well known as a keen footballer. By the 1911 Census, the family was living at Hiraethog, Sketty, and Thomas, then aged 20, was employed as a solicitor’s articled clerk.

Military Service

When war broke out in 1914, Thomas enlisted as a private in the Glamorgan Yeomanry. His ability and leadership soon led to promotion, and he was later commissioned in the Royal Field Artillery, eventually serving as acting captain in the field. He became second-in-command to Major Bryn Lewis, a Welsh rugby international, who was killed in action on 2^nd April 1917.

Death and Burial

Denbighshire Free Press

North Wales Chronicle and Advertiser for the Principality

Cambrian Daily Leader

Later that year, Thomas was himself wounded and brought back to Britain. He died at Cardiff Military Hospital on 13^th November 1917, aged 27. His death was reported in numerous newspapers, including the Cambrian Daily Leader, the Denbighshire Free Press, and the North Wales Chronicle and Advertiser for the Principality.

Thomas Gee
Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapel

Thomas was buried at Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapel. Unlike fellow servicemen Ivor Colquhoun and Samuel Evans, his grave is marked not by a military headstone but by a family memorial. Should his name ever become illegible, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission will provide a replacement, ensuring that his sacrifice is not forgotten.