Jeremiah Driscoll

Father and Son Buried at Danygraig – The Driscolls

Father and son
 Jeremiah Driscoll
Danygraig Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Father and son, both named Jeremiah Driscoll, are buried on the upper slopes of Danygraig Cemetery.

South Wales Daily Post

The South Wales Daily Post later published an In Memoriam notice in March 1919, placed by Mary E. Driscoll, the widow of Jeremiah, in remembrance of her husband.

Early Life

Jeremiah, who was born in 1885, was the son of Jeremiah Driscoll and Ellen Sheehan, who had married in 1876.

1891 Census

At the time of the 1891 Census, the Driscoll family were living at 11 Baptist Well Street. Irish-born Jeremiah, 35, was employed at the Steel Works as a pitman, while Mary E. was 32 years old. Their children were Dennis, 14, employed at the Tin Works as a labourer; Augustine J., 12; Catherine, 11; Jane, 8; Jeremiah, 6; and Patrick, 4, all attending school. The younger children were Mary E., 2, and 2-month-old Joseph. Also present was a boarder, William Tebey, 17, employed at the Brick Works as a labourer.

Irish-born Jeremiah Driscoll (the father) died in 1900.

1901 Census

By the 1901 Census, Mary was widowed and living at 23 Caepistyll Street, employed as a general servant domestic. Her children were Austin, 22, employed at the docks as a labourer; Jeremiah, 16; Patrick, 14, an errand boy; Mary E., 12; Joseph, 10; Bridget, 8; and Elizabeth, 6, all still at school. The youngest son was Timothy, aged 3. Living with them was Edward Cashman, 50, a widowed cousin.

1911 Census

By the time of the 1911 Census, 53-year-old Mary had moved again and was living at 76 Llangyfelach Street, where she worked as a housekeeper. Four of her children were present: Jeremiah, 26, employed as a chargeman at the steelworks; Joseph, 20, a steelworks labourer; Elizabeth Ann, 15, a fuse factory worker; and Timothy Christopher, 13, still at school.

Marriage and Service

attestation papers

In 1912, Jeremiah married Mary E. Condry. The couple’s first child, a son also named Jeremiah, was born in 1914.

Days after the outbreak of the First World War, in August 1914, Jeremiah enlisted with the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, 8th Battalion. His attestation papers survive, providing insight into his service.

Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects

On 11^th March 1918, Jeremiah died at a military hospital. The Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects record his death.

Burial

Jeremiah Driscoll was buried at Danygraig Cemetery with full military honours. The South Wales Daily Post reported extensively on the funeral, which drew both family and comrades to the graveside. A firing party was provided, and the coffin, draped with the Union Jack, was carried by fellow servicemen of the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. Representatives of local military associations were present, alongside Jeremiah’s grieving widow, Mary, and his young son.

The newspaper described how floral tributes were laid in abundance, many from neighbours and relatives, but also from fellow workers at the steelworks where Jeremiah had been employed before enlisting. The press highlighted the poignancy of the occasion: a young family bereft, and a community gathered to honour one of their own.

What made the burial more moving still was the setting. Jeremiah was laid to rest in the same cemetery as his late father, also Jeremiah Driscoll, whose death in 1900 had left the family without its patriarch. Their adjoining graves on the upper slopes of Danygraig became a double memorial to the sacrifices borne by the family.

Family After the War

1921 Census

By the time of the 1921 Census, Jeremiah’s widow Mary had remarried his younger brother Patrick. They were still living at 76 Llangyfelach Street. Patrick, 34, was a lock labourer but unemployed, while Mary was 27. Her eldest son, Jeremiah, then 7, was attending school. She also had a daughter, Mary Ellen, aged 7 months, by Patrick. Living with them were Patrick’s sister, Mary, 22, who undertook home duties, and nephew Timothy Christopher, aged 1.

South Wales Daily Post

The younger Jeremiah (born 1914) later married Mary Woodward. He served with the Royal Army Service Corps and died on 3^rd August 1946. His funeral announcements were also published in the South Wales Daily Post.

Legacy

The story of the Driscolls at Danygraig is a rare and poignant one: a father buried in 1900, and his son laid beside him after giving his life in the First World War. Their adjoining graves remind us of how grief passed through generations of Swansea families. The South Wales Daily Post coverage of Jeremiah’s funeral shows the importance placed on public mourning, while the continuing line of the family into the interwar and post-war years illustrates both survival and sacrifice.