Samuel Hancock

Private Samuel Hancock – Welsh Regiment, Depot Battalion

On 17^th March 1919, two Swansea servicemen died and were later buried at Danygraig Cemetery. One of them was Private Samuel Hancock, who had served with the Welsh Regiment, Depot Battalion.

Early Life

Samuel was born in 1888 in Llansamlet, the son of John Hancock and Eliza Kiff, who had married in 1879. Both John and Eliza were originally from Devon, but by the time of their marriage they had settled in Swansea.

1891 Census

The 1891 Census records the Hancock family living at 68 Foxhole Road. John, then 33, worked as a copper furnaceman, while Eliza, 32, managed the household. Their children were Beatrice A. (10), Thomas J. (7), William J. (5), Samuel (3), Alfred (2), and Eveline M. (1 month).

1901 Census

A decade later, at the time of the 1901 Census, the family had moved to 57 Foxhole Road. John, now 43, was still employed at the copper works, and Eliza was 42. The household had grown, with children Beatrice (20), Thomas L. (17, a labourer at the copper works), William J. (15), Samuel (14), Alfred (13), Eveline M. (10), Grace (7), and Richard (3).

1911 Census

By 1909, Samuel had married Emma Elizabeth Brooks, and they began their own family. The 1911 Census records them living at 58 Foxhole Road, next door to Samuel’s parents. Samuel, then 23, worked as a furnaceman, and Emma, 21, kept the home. They had a one-year-old daughter, Elizabeth Elvire.

Military Service

Service Records

In November 1914, Samuel enlisted with the Swansea Battalion of the Welsh Regiment, one of many local men who volunteered in the opening months of the war. His service papers record his commitment, though like many soldiers, his wartime experience remains only partly documented.

Illness and Death

Army Registers of Soldiers' Effects 

After years of service, Samuel’s health declined. He contracted pneumonia, a common and often fatal condition among soldiers weakened by years of hardship. He was treated at Balinare Can Hospital, Llandudno, but his condition worsened, and he died on 17^th March 1919, just months after the war’s official end.

Burial at Danygraig Cemetery

Samuel Hancock
Danygraig Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Samuel’s body was brought back to Swansea for burial at Danygraig Cemetery. His funeral, reported in the South Wales Daily Post, was described as a solemn occasion, attended by family, friends, and fellow servicemen. The cortege passed quietly through the streets of Foxhole, where neighbours and workmates lined the way to pay their respects.

At the cemetery, a detachment of the Welsh Regiment provided a military presence, with comrades standing in silent tribute. The service included prayers for peace and comfort for his widow Emma and their young daughter. A simple wooden cross first marked the grave before the official headstone of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission was later erected, ensuring Samuel’s name would not be forgotten.

Legacy

Samuel Hancock’s story reflects the lingering toll of the First World War, when men who had survived the battlefield were later claimed by illness. He was one of two Swansea men who died on 17^th March 1919, their graves reminders that the cost of war extended well beyond the Armistice.

For his widow and daughter, Samuel’s death was both a personal tragedy and part of a wider community loss that touched nearly every street in Swansea. His resting place at Danygraig Cemetery forms part of the city’s collective memory of service and sacrifice, ensuring that men like Samuel are remembered not just as statistics, but as sons, husbands, and fathers.