Ernest William Winter

Stoker 2^nd Class Ernest William Winter – Royal Navy, H.M.S. Cabot

Early Life

Ernest William Winter was born in 1918, the son of George and Charlotte (Lottie) Winter. The 1921 Census records the family living at 15 Pant Street, Swansea. George, originally from Yorkshire, was employed as a Screen Room Man at Phoenix Fuel Manufacturers, while Lottie, also from Yorkshire, kept house.

At that time, the couple had three sons, all born in Swansea: Ernest William (3 years old), George Herbert (2), and Albert Harry (1).

1939 Register 

By the time of the 1939 Register, the Winter family was living at 25 Llanerch Road. George worked at the docks, while Lottie managed the household. Ernest was then employed as a steel furnaceman, George Herbert as a public works contractor, and Wilfred E. (another son) as a press stamp operator.

In 1942, Ernest married Winifred Marjorie Tayton.

Military Service

Ernest enlisted in the Royal Navy, serving as Stoker, 2^nd Class at H.M.S. Cabot.

H.M.S. Cabot 

H.M.S. Cabot was a Royal Naval Training Establishment at Ashley Down, Bristol, formed on 2^nd May 1940 in Muller’s Orphanage as an overflow facility for H.M.S. Drake at Devonport. On 13^th July 1940, it was formally commissioned as H.M.S. Cabot. Training continued there until 15^th September 1942, when the site was handed to the War Office and instruction transferred to Risley and Thorpe Arch, near Wetherby.

Death

On 1^st October 1942, Ernest William Winter died while serving at H.M.S. Cabot. He was just 24 years old.

Unlike many sailors buried at Danygraig who perished at sea, Ernest died while serving on land. There are no known newspaper reports relating to his death.

Burial

Ernest William Winter
Danygraig Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Ernest was buried at Danygraig Cemetery, where his grave remains among those of other wartime casualties.

Legacy

Though his life and service were short, Ernest Winter’s story reflects the wide scope of sacrifice during the war. Not all losses occurred in battle or at sea — many servicemen and women died in training or while serving at bases across Britain. His grave at Danygraig stands as a reminder of those quieter tragedies of the Second World War.