Philip Llewellyn Searle

Driver Philip Llewellyn Searle – Royal Engineers, “A” Depot Company, Royal Anglesey Reserve Battalion

Final Days of the War

With just a week remaining before the Armistice of 1918, Driver Philip Llewellyn Searle became the fifth serviceman to be laid to rest at Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapel, Sketty. He died on 3rd November 1918, aged 25, only days before the guns fell silent across Europe.

Family Background

Edwin Searle and Mary Jane Wilmot
Marriage Certificate 
St. James Church

Philip Llewellyn Searle was born in 1893 in Swansea, the son of Edwin Searle and Mary Jane Wilmot, who were married at St. James’ Church, Swansea, in February 1888.

1881 Census

Edwin Searle was born in 1867 in Truro, Cornwall. According to the 1881 Census, a 14-year-old Edwin was employed as a working boy in a shop, living at 27 Cwm Road, Swansea, with his parents Matthew and Catherine Searle (both 56), and siblings Clara, Richard, and Frederick.

1891 Census

By the 1891 Census, Edwin (24) and Mary Jane (25) were married and living at 18 Mysydd Terrace, St. John’s, Swansea, where Edwin worked as a Weigher.

1901 Census

The 1901 Census records the family at 17 Carnglas, where Edwin (36) was a Market Gardener, and Mary Jane (35) managed the home. Their two children were Philip (8) and Hilda May (5). A servant, Richard Bebell, also lived with them and assisted with the market garden.

1911  Census

By the 1911 Census, the Searle family had moved to 27 Tycoch Road, Swansea. Edwin (44) had become an Insurance Agent, while Mary Jane (45) continued to manage the household. Philip (18) was working as an Undertaker, and Hilda May (15) was employed as a Draper’s Assistant. Two younger daughters, Phyllis Irene (6) and Gertrude Mary, had since joined the family.

Military Service

Philip was an old Territorial, having served before the war. During the First World War, he saw action in the Dardanelles Campaign, one of the harshest and most tragic theatres of the conflict. Later, he was attached to the Royal Engineers, “A” Depot Company, Royal Anglesey Reserve Battalion — a specialist unit responsible for engineering and logistical support, vital to maintaining operations across the British Army’s network of depots and supply bases.

Death and Burial

Cambrian Daily Leader

According to reports in the Cambrian Daily Leader, Driver Philip Llewellyn Searle died suddenly at Beaumaris Hospital, Bangor, on 3^rd November 1918, just eight days before the Armistice. His death, coming so close to peace, brought deep sorrow to his family and to the Sketty community.

Philip Llewellyn Searle
Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapel
credit - findagrave

Philip was buried at Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapel, Sketty, becoming the fifth serviceman from the war to be interred there. Although his grave does not bear an official military headstone, his resting place is recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).

Legacy

Driver Philip Llewellyn Searle’s untimely death, so near the end of the war, was a poignant loss for his family and for Swansea. His resting place at Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapel stands as a reminder that even in the final days of conflict, the toll of war remained heavy.

His name is also proudly inscribed on the St. Paul’s Church War Memorial, Swansea, where he is honoured alongside his fellow parishioners who gave their lives in the Great War. His story endures as a tribute to dedication, duty, and the human cost of the fight for peace.