George Argent & Andrew Gordon

Pioneer George Argent – Royal Engineers, 3^rd Labour Battalion

Driver Andrew Gordon – Royal Engineers

Swansea Soldiers Buried Together

On 28^th April 1916, the South Wales Daily Post published a photograph under the headline “Swansea Soldiers Buried Together.” The report told of the joint funeral of Pioneer George Argent and Driver Andrew Gordon, both laid to rest at St. Peter’s Church, Cockett.

Early Life of George Argent

George Argent was born in Swansea in 1870, the son of Mark Argent and Elizabeth Jane Day.

1871 Census

The 1871 Census records the family living at 14 Little Madoc Street, Swansea. Mark, 34, originally from Coventry, was employed as a labourer, while Elizabeth, 28, was born in Devon. Their children at the time were Thomas, 12; William, 10; Henry, 8; Elizabeth A., 5; Sarah J., 3; and George, just 3 months old. Mark’s brother Abraham, 28, a plumber, was also living in the household.

1881 Census

By the 1881 Census, the family had moved to 2 Wyndham Street, Swansea. Mark (recorded as William), 44, was still working as a general labourer, while Elizabeth was 43. The children then at home included Thomas, 21, a labourer; William, 19, a mason; Henry, 17, also a labourer; Elizabeth, 15; Sarah J., 13; George, 10; Frederick J., 8; Mark, 6; and Ernest, 2.

Military Service Before the Great War

1891 Census

By the 1891 Census, George, aged 19, was serving as a Private at Raglan Barracks.

According to an article in the Herald of Wales (April 1916), George later served in the South African War, during which he was awarded two campaign medals. This explains his absence from the 1901 Census.

1911 Census

By 1911, George had returned to civilian life. Then aged 41, he was working as a platelayer for the tramway and living at his widowed mother’s home at 155 Oxford Street, Swansea. Elizabeth, 75, was head of the household, along with her daughter Elizabeth, 45, a chapel caretaker, and granddaughter Mildred May Argent, 15.

Service and Death in the First World War

Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects

During the First World War, George enlisted in the Royal Engineers, 3^rd Labour Battalion, where he served as a Pioneer.

The Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects record that George died on 23^rd April 1916 at St. Luke’s War Hospital, Halifax. His body was brought back to Swansea, where he was buried at St. Peter’s, Cockett.

St. Luke’s War Hospital, Halifax

St. Luke’s Hospital in Halifax, Yorkshire, was originally established as a workhouse infirmary in the 19th century. At the outbreak of the First World War, like many large civic hospitals, it was requisitioned by the War Office and converted into a military hospital.

During the war, St. Luke’s became one of the key centres for treating soldiers suffering from wounds and disease. Its wards were adapted to deal with large numbers of casualties, and many servicemen from across the United Kingdom passed through its care. For soldiers like George, who fell ill or were wounded away from the front, St. Luke’s provided medical treatment but was also, tragically, the final resting place for many.

George Argent’s death there connects Swansea not only to the battlefields of the Great War but also to the network of home-front hospitals that bore the burden of caring for the war’s sick and wounded.

Driver Andrew Gordon

Much less is known about Driver Andrew Gordon. Records show that he served with the Royal Engineers and died at Swansea Hospital in April 1916. Unlike George, his name does not appear on the rolls of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The Double Funeral

South Wales Daily Post

Herald of Wales

George Argent
St. Peter's Church, Cockett
credit - findagrave

Both the South Wales Daily Post and the Herald of Wales reported the solemn occasion of their double funeral. The two Swansea soldiers, though from different backgrounds, were united in service and laid to rest side by side in the churchyard of St. Peter’s, Cockett.

Legacy

The joint burial of Pioneer George Argent and Driver Andrew Gordon represents not only the personal grief of two Swansea families but also the wider story of the Great War’s impact on local communities.

George’s service is formally recognised by his military record and his campaign medals from the South African War, while Andrew, though absent from official CWGC commemoration, is remembered through local press reports and his grave at St. Peter’s.

Together, their resting place stands as a reminder that every soldier—whether or not officially recorded—played a part in the war effort and deserves remembrance. Their story is one of comradeship in death, preserved in the churchyard of Cockett for future generations.