David John

Sapper David John – Royal Marines, Royal Marine Division Engineers, Royal Naval Division

Early Life

There is some uncertainty over the spelling of the family name — the St. Paul’s memorial commemorates David Johns, while military records list him as David John.

David John was born in 1897 in the Parish of Cockett, the son of David John and Margaret A. John.

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the family was living at 12 Roseland Terrace. David (senior), aged 28, was employed as a Blacksmith, while Margaret was 29. Their children were David (4), Violet A. (3), and Evan W. (1).

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the road name had changed, and the family was recorded at 6 Kimberley Road. David (senior), then aged 39, was employed as a Blacksmith Striker, while Margaret was also 39. Their children were David (14), working as an Apprentice to a General Blacksmith; Violet A. (13); Evan W. (11); and John H. (8), all still at school.

Military Service

David enlisted during the First World War and served as a Sapper with the Royal Marines, attached to the Royal Marine Division Engineers, Royal Naval Division. His duties would have included construction, fortifications, and engineering tasks essential to the division’s operations both in the trenches and behind the lines.

Brief History of the Royal Naval Division

The Royal Naval Division (RND) was an unusual formation in the British armed forces. It was created in 1914, made up of surplus Royal Navy reservists and marines who were not needed at sea. Rather than serving aboard ships, these men were trained and deployed as infantry.

The division included battalions named after famous admirals (e.g., Drake, Hawke, Howe, Anson) alongside Royal Marine battalions and an engineering contingent. The RND first fought at Antwerp (1914) and later at Gallipoli (1915) before being transferred to the Western Front in 1916, where it took part in the Battle of the Somme and later battles in Flanders and on the Hindenburg Line.

Sappers like David John were essential to the division’s work, building strongpoints, maintaining trenches, and supporting infantry attacks under fire.

Death

Naval Casualties 

Sapper David John died on 20^th October 1916, during the Battle of the Somme. He was only 19 years old.

At this time, the area around Englebelmer was being used for medical and ambulance stations, treating men wounded in the recent operations in the Ancre–Le Transloy sectors. If David had been wounded earlier in the fighting, he may have been moved through field hospitals before arriving at Englebelmer, where he died of his wounds.

Burial

David is buried at Englebelmer Communal Cemetery Extension, France. The cemetery was used by field ambulances and units stationed in the Somme sector, and it contains the graves of many who fell in the fighting of 1916. His grave lies among comrades of the Royal Naval Division and other units who died during the same operations.

Legacy

Sapper David John is commemorated on the St. Paul’s memorial, Swansea, though recorded there as David Johns. His story reflects both the service of the Royal Naval Division, a unique formation of sailors and marines who fought as infantry in France, and the sacrifice of many Swansea families during the Somme campaign.

Though his life was short, his name lives on in both his home parish and in the carefully tended cemetery in France, a lasting reminder of his service and sacrifice.