Ronald William Narracott
Lieutenant (Captain) Ronald William Narracott – Royal Engineers
Introduction
Among the names inscribed on the Blackpill War Memorial,
there are several servicemen who’s personal or family connection to Swansea is
difficult to trace. One such name is that of Ronald William Narracott,
whose life and service extended across England and continental Europe, yet
whose sacrifice is also commemorated in Swansea.
Early Life and Family
Ronald William Narracott was born in 1883 at
Shepherd’s Bush, London, the eldest son of Samuel John Narracott and
Katherine Mary Bowen, who were married in 1881 at St Swithin’s
Church, Walcot, Somerset.
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| 1891 Census |
The 1891 Census records the Narracott family residing at 1 Pynmont Villas, Pynmont Road, Ealing, Middlesex. Samuel, aged 33 and born in Devon, was employed as a Chemist, while Katherine, aged 35 and born in Somerset, kept the family home. Their children were Ronald W. (7), Hugh (5), and Maurice V. (4), all born in Shepherd’s Bush, London.
Also present in the household were Emily Bowen,
Katherine’s widowed mother, aged 66, and Sarah A. Edkins, a 23-year-old
domestic servant.
Marriage and Career
In 1907, Ronald married Agnes Constance Fay in
Brussels, Belgium. The marriage record gives his address as Bruxelles,
Place Saint Jean Jacobs 7, indicating that by this time, he was living and
working on the continent.
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| 1911 Census |
By 1911, he appears as a Boarder at 26 Coram Street, St Pancras, London, aged 28, and employed as a Mining Engineer. His wife is not recorded at that address, and his place of birth was listed as “Visitor,” likely a clerical error arising from his time abroad.
Military Service
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| Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects |
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) records
his rank as Lieutenant at the time of his death; however, the Army
Registers of Soldiers’ Effects list him as Captain, perhaps
reflecting a field promotion or posthumous recognition.
He was reported missing in action, and his death was
later officially accepted as having occurred on 10th August 1915.
The Royal Engineers in Flanders, 1915
At the time of Lieutenant Narracott’s death, the Royal
Engineers were heavily engaged in operations throughout the Ypres
Salient, an area that had become synonymous with intense and continuous
fighting. Their work included constructing and repairing front-line trenches,
laying communication cables, erecting bridges, and maintaining essential supply
routes under near-constant shellfire.
In the summer of 1915, the Engineers were also deeply
involved in mine warfare, preparing and detonating explosive charges
beneath German lines in support of infantry attacks around Hooge and Sanctuary
Wood. These operations were perilous; enemy shelling, sniper fire, and
underground explosions claimed many lives among the engineering units. It was
during this period of hazardous duty that Lieutenant Narracott was
reported missing, his death later presumed to have occurred amid the heavy
fighting of August 1915.
Death and Commemoration
Lieutenant (Captain) Ronald William Narracott has no
known grave. His name is inscribed with honour on the Ypres (Menin Gate)
Memorial, which commemorates more than 54,000 officers and men of the
British Commonwealth who died in the Ypres Salient and have no known resting
place.Ronald William Narracott
Menin Gate Memorial
credit - findagrave
Alongside his commemoration on the Menin Gate Memorial,
Ronald Narracott’s name is also inscribed on the Swansea Cenotaph and
the Blackpill War Memorial at Clyne Chapel, linking his memory with the
Swansea district. Although the exact nature of his connection to the area
remains uncertain, his inclusion testifies to the breadth of remembrance and
the shared sacrifice of those who served from across Britain and beyond.
Family and Legacy
Ronald and Agnes Narracott had one daughter, Hilda
Chedomille Narracott, born in 1910, who went on to become a noted British-American
artist. She graduated from the Sorbonne Art School in Paris, and
following her father’s death, her mother remarried an Italian.
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| Hilda Chedomille Narracott and Viggo Madsen marriage certificate St. James the Less church, Westminster, London |
Hilda later moved to Italy, and during a visit to the Vatican she met her future husband, Viggo Madsen, a Danish ship communications officer. They married and emigrated to the United States in 1935, where she continued her artistic work. In addition to her painting, Hilda was also known as a dog breeder, maintaining the creative and independent spirit that had defined her cosmopolitan upbringing.
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