David George Gunston
Gunner David George Gunston – Royal Field Artillery, “C” Battery, 149th Brigade
Early Life
David George Gunston was born in 1893 in Swansea,
the youngest son of Jacob Gunston and Anne Jenkins, who had
married in 1882.
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| 1901 Census |
In the 1901 Census, the Gunston family was recorded living on Townhill Road. Jacob, aged 47 and originally from Wiltshire, was working as a quarry stone labourer. His wife Anne, aged 47, was born in Gower. Their children were Mary (17), Henry (15), already employed as a labourer, Bessie (12), and David (8).
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| 1911 Census |
By the time of the 1911 Census, the family’s surname was mistakenly recorded as “Gunstone.” They were then living at 12 Frogmor Avenue, Sketty. Jacob, aged 53, was working as a coal merchant, while Anne was 58. At home with them were Mary (28) and David (18), employed as a cartman. Also, present was their nephew Thomas (14), also working as a cartman.
Military Service
David enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery, serving
as a Gunner with “C” Battery, 149th Brigade. The
brigade formed part of the artillery support to infantry divisions on the
Western Front, providing crucial firepower during some of the war’s heaviest
campaigns.
Death
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| Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects |
Gunner David George Gunston was killed in action on 27th October 1917, during the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). He was 24 years old.
The Role of Artillery at Passchendaele
The Battle of Passchendaele (July–November 1917) was
dominated by artillery. British and Commonwealth guns fired millions of shells
in an effort to destroy German strongpoints and cut barbed wire before infantry
advances. German artillery responded with equal ferocity, targeting gun
batteries, supply routes, and the men working in the open mud.
Artillerymen like David endured relentless strain. Guns had
to be manhandled into position across waterlogged ground, ammunition was stored
and fired in appalling conditions, and gun crews were constantly exposed to
counter-battery fire and aerial observation. For many, death came suddenly in
the form of shellfire while serving their pieces.
149th Brigade in Late October 1917
David served with “C” Battery, 149th Brigade,
Royal Field Artillery, a brigade aligned with the 30th Division
earlier in the war. By late October 1917, as the Second Battle of
Passchendaele opened, brigades like the 149th were straining to support
step-by-step infantry attacks with creeping barrages, counter-battery
fire against German guns, and standing barrages to repel
counterattacks.
The appalling mud made gun movement and ammunition supply a
battle in itself; engineers laid miles of plank roads and tramways just to get
field guns forward, yet many still sank or became inoperable under relentless
shelling. In this environment of constant fire missions, exposed gun positions,
and frequent enemy retaliation, David’s “C” Battery would have been in
near-continuous action on or just behind the ridge lines north-east of
Ypres—precisely the period in which he was killed on 27th October
1917.
Burial
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| David George Gunston Lindenhoek Chalet Military Cemetery credit - findagrave |
Today, the cemetery contains over 1,100 burials from
the First World War, most of them from 1917–18. Its quiet rows stand as a
testimony to the cost of the Ypres battles and the men, like David, who gave
their lives in the service of their comrades and country.
Legacy
Although a clerical error caused his name to be misspelled
as “Gunstone” on the St Paul’s Church memorial, the official
military and burial records confirm his true name as David George Gunston.
His service with the Royal Field Artillery, “C” Battery, 149th Brigade
is remembered both at Lindenhoek and in his home community of Sketty, where his
name—though imperfectly inscribed—stands among those who gave their lives in
the Great War.
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