Benjamin Ernest Payne

Corporal Benjamin Ernest Payne – Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 24^th (Denbighshire Yeomanry) Battalion

Benjamin Ernest Payne
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Benjamin Ernest Payne, born in 1890 at Battersea, London, was the youngest son of Thomas Spencer Payne and Mary Ann Hidden, who were married in 1874 at Canterbury, Kent.

Early Life and Family Background

1891 Census

The 1891 Census records the Payne family living at 63 Battersea Park Road, Battersea. Thomas S., aged 35, originally from Cambridgeshire, was employed as an Engineer’s Manager, while Mary, aged 34, was born in Kent. Their children were Thomas S. (14), working as an Errand Boy at the Docks; Caroline E. E. (9); William E. G. (8); James S. (6); and Benjamin E. (1). Also present were Caroline Hidden (79), a widowed mother-in-law, and Morris Hidden (25), an Engineer’s Labourer.

1901 Census

By the 1901 Census, the family had moved to 35 Rhondda Street, Swansea. Thomas, aged 45, was employed as a Mechanical Engineer, and Mary, aged 47, managed the household. Their children were Thomas S. (24), a Machinist Sawyer; Caroline (19); William (18), a Grinder in a Flour Mill; James (16), a Shoemaker’s Apprentice; Benjamin (11); and Antliff (6). Also in the household were Caroline Hidden (82) and a granddaughter, Bessie Louise Morgan (5).

1911 Census

By 1911, the Payne family had settled at 6 Rockville Terrace, Norton, West Cross. Thomas, aged 55, was still working as an Engineer, and Mary Ann, aged 57, was at home. Their children were Caroline Elizabeth Edith (29); William Ewart Gladstone (28), a Gas Engine Attendant; Benjamin Ernest (21), a Clerk; and Antliff (16), a Warehouseman. Granddaughters Bessie Louise (16), a Dressmaker, and Violet Irene (7) were also part of the household.

Military Service – Royal Welsh Fusiliers

Benjamin Ernest Payne enlisted with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, serving in the 24^th (Denbighshire Yeomanry) Battalion. He rose to the rank of Corporal, reflecting his commitment and reliability as a soldier.

The 24th Battalion was formed in 1917 from the merger of the Denbighshire Yeomanry and the Royal Welsh Fusiliers and served in Egypt and Palestine before being transferred to the Western Front in 1918. Its men saw action during the closing months of the war as part of the Allied advance toward victory.

In June 1918, the 24th (Denbighshire Yeomanry) Battalion, RWF, newly arrived from the Middle East, saw its first major engagement on the Western Front during the Action at La Becque, near the Forest of Nieppe in Flanders. On 28^th June 1918, the battalion took part in a carefully coordinated assault by the 31^st Division aimed at pushing the British front line forward and removing the German threat from the edge of the forest. Advancing under a creeping artillery barrage, the men of the 24th moved across open farmland and hedgerows to seize a line of fortified farms and trench positions. Despite facing heavy machine-gun and gas-shell fire, they successfully gained their objectives and consolidated the new line about a mile beyond their former positions. The operation was regarded as a model of artillery and infantry cooperation. It marked the battalion’s baptism of fire on the Western Front, demonstrating the effectiveness of the newly converted yeomanry infantry in modern trench warfare.

Death and Burial

Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects

Corporal Benjamin Ernest Payne died on 20^th July 1918, aged 28, at the Norwich War Hospital, Norfolk. The Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects confirm both his rank and his place of death.

Payne family grave
Oystermouth Cemetery
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Following his death, Benjamin’s body was brought home to Swansea, where he was buried at Oystermouth Cemetery. His grave is marked by a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone, which also commemorates members of his family:

• Mary Ann Payne, who died in 1928,
• Caroline Elizabeth Edith Payne, who died in 1929, and
• Thomas Spencer Payne, who died in 1941.

Legacy

Benjamin’s father, Thomas Spencer Payne, was later appointed a Justice of the Peace (JP) in 1922, reflecting his standing in the local community. The family’s headstone at Oystermouth Cemetery serves as both a personal memorial and a public reminder of the Payne family’s service and contribution to Swansea’s civic life.

Corporal Benjamin Ernest Payne’s story, from a Battersea childhood to a Swansea home and eventual wartime service, represents the shared experience of many families whose sons left for the front and never returned. His name endures among the ranks of Swansea men who gave their lives for their country during the Great War.