Matthew Ernest Hare

Private Matthew Ernest Hare – Army Service Corps

Matthew Ernest Hare
Danygraig Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Not all the men who served during the First World War and are buried at Danygraig Cemetery were commemorated with a military headstone. One such case is Matthew Ernest Hare, whose grave remains unmarked by the standard stone of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Early Life

Matthew was born in 1886, the son of Arthur John Hare and Rachel Williams.

1891 Census 

The 1891 Census records the Hare family living at 10 Kilvey Terrace, Swansea. Arthur, aged 41, worked as a ship’s carpenter, while his wife Rachel was 40. Their children at home were Arthur John, 19, an apprentice plumber; Thomas Henry, 18, a letter carrier messenger; William Charles, 16, also an apprentice plumber; Albert David, 11; Sarah Ethel, 9; Fanny Louisa, 7; Matthew Ernest, 5; Sidney Francis, 3; and Edwin Stephenson, just 3 months old.

1901 Census

By the time of the 1901 Census, the family had moved to 4 Kilvey Terrace. Arthur, now 51, was employed as a shipwright, while Rachel was also 51. Their children included Arthur John, 28, working as a plumber coppersmith; Thomas Henry, 27, a postman; Albert David, 21, a clerk; Sarah E., 19; Fanny L., 17; Matthew, 15, employed as a messenger for the Great Western Railway; Sidney, 13, working as a commercial office boy; Edwin, 10; and Ivor James, 8.

1911 Census

The 1911 Census again places the family at 4 Kilvey Terrace. Arthur John, now 60 and still a shipwright, had been widowed following Rachel’s death in 1908. Of the children, Fanny Louisa, 27, remained at home, as did Matthew Ernest, 25, who had trained as a plumber. Edwin, 20, worked as a shop assistant, while Ivor James, 18, was an apprentice fitter.

In August 1911, Matthew married Nellie Rebecca Ayres at St. Mary’s Church, Swansea.

Military Service and Death

During the First World War, Matthew enlisted with the Army Service Corps, the branch responsible for transport and supply – the lifeline of the British Army. He was stationed at Bulford Camp, Salisbury, one of the main training and mobilisation centres for the British forces.

South Wales Daily Post 

On 22^nd January 1918, Matthew died while serving at Bulford. The South Wales Daily Post published his death notice, recording the loss of another Swansea man in wartime service.

Burial

Following his death, Matthew’s body was brought back to Swansea for burial. He was laid to rest at Danygraig Cemetery, and his interment marked the first military burial of 1918 at the cemetery. Although he was buried with due ceremony, unlike many of his contemporaries, his grave was never marked with a Commonwealth War Graves headstone. The absence of a standard stone makes his resting place less visible today, but the records preserve his service and sacrifice.

Legacy

The story of Matthew Ernest Hare illustrates how not every serviceman’s memory was formally honoured in stone, even though their lives were given in service to the country. His death, as the first burial of 1918 at Danygraig, links him to the long roll of Swansea men whose war ended far from the battlefield, yet whose service was no less vital. His legacy also lives on through the Hare family’s long roots in Kilvey, and through the surviving census records that capture his life before the war.