David John Taylor

Sapper David John Taylor – Royal Engineers

Fovant Camp and Military Hospital, Fovant, Wiltshire

Fovant Military Camp

Fovant is a village in southwest Wiltshire, about nine miles west of Salisbury. During the First World War, it became the site of one of the largest military camps in southern England. Built as a temporary complex of prefabricated wooden huts clad with corrugated iron, the camp housed as many as 20,000 men. Each hut held around thirty soldiers, heated only by a single wood-burning stove in the centre.

The camp stretched from East Farm up toward Fovant Woods, covering a mile in length and half a mile in width. It was divided into five groups of accommodation huts and included essential facilities such as a cinema, YMCA, Post Office, officers’ quarters, headquarters, a large parade ground, and training areas.

A Military Hospital was also established at Fovant, with 449 beds to treat sick and wounded soldiers. It was here, on 13^th April 1919, that Sapper David John Taylor, of the Royal Engineers, died while on demobilisation leave.

Early Life

David was born in 1892, the eldest child of William Henry Taylor and Mary Rees.

1901 Census

By the time of the 1901 Census, the Taylor family was living at 69 Burrows Road. William, aged 30, was employed as a billposter, while Mary, aged 31, managed the home. Their children were David J. (9), Tudor W. (7), Ethel M. (6), Mabel M. (4), and Olive (1).

1911 Census

A decade later, at the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 46 Vincent Street. William, now 40, worked as a coal yard foreman, and Mary was 42. Their eldest son, David, then aged 19, was employed as a driver, while Tudor, 17, worked as a general labourer. Ethel, 16, was an ironer, and Mabel, 14, assisted at home. Olive, 12, was still at school. Two younger sons had joined the family: William Henry (3) and Oswald Lawrence (9 months).

Also in the household were Mr. and Mrs. Barris, both aged 30, with their infant daughter.

In 1914, David married Eleanor Davies.

Military Service and Death

Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects

David enlisted in the Royal Engineers, serving as a Sapper. By the time of his death in April 1919, the war had been over for nearly five months, but like many soldiers, David remained attached to the army during the slow demobilisation process.

While on demob leave, he fell ill and died at Fovant Military Hospital, a reminder of how the consequences of war often lingered beyond the Armistice.

Burial at Danygraig Cemetery

David John Taylor
Danygraaig Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Following his death, David’s body was brought home to Swansea. He was buried at Danygraig Cemetery, his grave among many others that testify to the war’s lasting impact on the community. His funeral would have followed the sombre rituals of military burials of the time, with family and comrades honouring his service despite the war having officially ended.

Legacy: A Hidden Casualty of Demobilisation

David John Taylor’s death highlights the plight of the “hidden casualties” of demobilisation. He was not killed in battle but died in the transitional months after the war, when disease, poor health, and delayed discharges continued to claim lives.

His story mirrors that of other Swansea servicemen buried at Danygraig in 1919—men such as Richard Llewellyn Bailey, the first of that year’s burials—whose sacrifices fell just outside the conventional narrative of combat but were no less significant.

Together, their graves at Danygraig stand as reminders that the human cost of the First World War extended far beyond 11^th November 1918, shaping Swansea’s grief well into the following years.