William Armine Edwards
Second Lieutenant William Armine Edwards – Welsh Regiment, 24th Battalion
Early Life
William Armine Edwards was born in 1892, the
son of William Henry Edwards, a tinplate manufacturer, and Margaret
Davies.William Armine Edwards
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| 1901 Census |
In the 1901 Census, the family was recorded at The Poplars, Church Street, Llangefelach. William Henry, aged 41, was employed as a Tinplate Manufacturer, while Margaret, aged 32, managed the household. Also, present were two servants, Annie Wilson (21) and Matilda John (36).
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| 1901 Census |
William and his elder brother, John Bryn (12), were pupils at Portmore School, Weymouth, listed as boarders.
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| 1911 Census |
In 1904, William’s mother, Margaret, died. By the 1911 Census, William Henry was living at The Hill, Sketty, then aged 51 and working as a Steel Tinplate Manufacturer. Living with him were two servants: Margaret Jane Edwards (50) and Gertrude Anne Hughes (19). William himself does not appear in the 1911 return.
Education and Cricket Career
William was educated at Eton College, where he
developed a strong talent for cricket under the coaching of Billy Bancroft
and his father at St Helens. Although he did not secure a place in the
Harrow XI, he later played for a Swansea side before attending Trinity
Hall, Cambridge. At university, he represented his college in both cricket
and rugby, but he did not make it into the first teams and left without
completing a degree.
His cricketing ability, however, was recognised at county
level. In May 1913, he appeared for Neath, impressing as a
wicketkeeper. Shortly after, Glamorgan selectors called him up to play against Surrey
2nd XI. The same summer, he was chosen as wicketkeeper for the Gentlemen
of Glamorgan against the Players of Neath, and he also represented Welsh
County at Cardiff Arms Park in a return match with Surrey 2nd XI.
In July 1914, William again played for the Gentlemen
of Glamorgan against Carmarthenshire at Swansea, and in August 1914
he appeared in the return fixture at Stradey Park, Llanelli, this time
selected as a batsman and occasional bowler. This would prove to be his final
match before the outbreak of the First World War.
Marriage
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| William Armine Edwards and Aerona Sails marriage certificate St. Peter's Church |
In November 1914, William married Aerona Sails at St Peter’s Church, Newton, shortly before beginning his wartime service.
Military Service
At the outbreak of war, William was commissioned as a Second
Lieutenant in the Glamorgan Yeomanry. After training as a rifleman, he was
posted to Gallipoli, landing at Suvla Bay in August 1915.
Following the evacuation from the Dardanelles, his regiment
served in France with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force,
before being redeployed to the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in October
1916. From then, William served in the Middle East, taking part in
the long campaign to drive Ottoman forces out of Palestine.
Death
On 31st October 1917, William led a
platoon of the 24th Battalion, Welsh Regiment during the Battle
of Beersheba, a key engagement in General Edmund Allenby’s offensive in
southern Palestine.
The battle was significant: British and Dominion forces
launched a coordinated assault to seize the town, combining infantry advances
with the famous mounted charge of the Australian Light Horse, which
swept into Beersheba and secured victory.
As William’s platoon approached the outskirts of the town,
they came under sustained Ottoman artillery fire. He was struck by shrapnel
from a well-aimed shell and fatally wounded. Despite medical attention, he died
the following day, 1st November 1917, aged just 25.
The capture of Beersheba opened the way for the Allied
advance into Palestine and eventually Jerusalem, but for William it marked the
tragic end of a promising life.
Burial
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| William Armine Edwards Beersheba War Cemetery credit - findagrave |
Legacy
Second Lieutenant William Armine Edwards is
remembered for his service and sacrifice, as well as for his contributions to
Welsh sport. His brief but bright cricket career with Glamorgan, Neath, and
Swansea sides was cut short by war, but his name endures in both sporting and
military history.
His elder brother, John Bryn Edwards, carried forward
the family’s prominence in Swansea. Born in 1889, John was educated at Winchester
College and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, before taking charge of the
family’s Duffryn Steel and Tinplate Works. His leadership and
philanthropy earned him a baronetcy in the 1921 Birthday Honours,
becoming Sir John Bryn Edwards, 1st Baronet of Treforis. He
purchased Hendrefoilan House in 1920, which later became part of Swansea
University and the home of the South Wales Miners’ Library.
John married Kathleen Ermyntrude Corfield in 1911,
and the couple had two children. His promising career was cut short when he
died in 1922, aged only 33.
Together, the Edwards brothers symbolise both the cost and
the legacy of the Great War: William, the soldier and sportsman who gave his
life on the battlefield, and John, the industrialist and philanthropist whose
civic work shaped Swansea in the post-war years.
Today, William’s name is inscribed on the war memorial at
St Paul’s Church, Sketty, ensuring that his sacrifice is remembered within
the community he and his family called home.
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