Stanley Williams

Private Stanley Williams – Royal Fusiliers, 43^rd Battalion

On 11^th March 1919, Stanley Williams, who had served with the Royal Fusiliers, 43^rd Battalion, died at the age of just 23. He was laid to rest with dignity at Danygraig Cemetery, Swansea.

Early Life

Stanley was born in 1896, the youngest son of John Williams and Caroline Johns, who had married in 1876.

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the family lived at 3 Short Street, Swansea. John, then 53, worked as a Stonemason, while his wife Caroline, 52, kept the household. Their children at home were Margaret, 30; Thomas, 22; George, 20 (both following their father’s trade as stonemasons); Gladys, 11; Mabel, 8; and young Stanley, 6.

The family suffered the loss of their father in 1909, when John died aged 61.

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, Caroline, now widowed and aged 62, had moved with her younger children to 3 Lee Street. Gladys, then 20, was employed as a Dressmaker, while Mabel, 17, and Stanley, 14, were still at home. A visitor, Millicent Borlace Roberts, aged 72, was also staying with the family.

Military Service

Stanley later enlisted in the Royal Fusiliers, a regiment that recruited heavily across Britain and played a vital role in the First World War. His battalion, the 43^rd, was one of the units tasked with essential labour, logistical, and support duties on the Western Front. These men undertook dangerous and exhausting work—constructing defences, maintaining supply lines, and ensuring that front-line battalions could continue to fight.

Though not always recognised to the same degree as front-line soldiers, men like Stanley provided the backbone of the British war effort.

Burial

South Wales Daily Post

Following his death in March 1919, Stanley’s funeral was formally announced in the South Wales Daily Post, with the unusual note that only gentlemen were to attend. This detail suggests a solemn and highly formal service, likely reflecting the customs of the time and the respect accorded to a young man who had served his country.

Stanley Williams
Danygraig Cemetery
credit - findagrave

At Danygraig Cemetery, the funeral would have followed the dignified traditions associated with military burials. It is likely that Stanley’s coffin was draped in the Union Jack, a small guard of fellow servicemen or veterans in attendance, and family members gathered in grief as the chaplain read the committal. His burial came at a time when Swansea was still reeling from wartime losses and the continuing toll of disease, making his grave part of the wider story of a community scarred by war.

Stanley’s resting place remains among the rows of those who served, his youth a reminder of the many men who did not live to see the future they had fought for.

Legacy

As one of the post-war burials of 1919, Stanley Williams represents the men who survived the fighting only to succumb soon after, their lives shortened by war’s lingering effects. His grave at Danygraig stands alongside those of comrades from across Swansea, together forming a permanent reminder of the city’s sacrifice.

Though his name may not appear in battle honours, Stanley’s service with the Royal Fusiliers played a crucial role in Britain’s war effort. His story, preserved in records and his headstone, ensures that his place in Swansea’s wartime history endures.