William Henry Elliott
Private William Henry Elliott – Welsh Regiment, 1st Battalion
Early Life
James Elliott and Ellen Thomas
marriage certificate
Oystermouth Parish church
William Henry Elliott was born in 1890 in
Oystermouth, the youngest son of James Elliott and Ellen Thomas,
who were married in 1877 at Oystermouth Church.
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| 1891 Census |
According to the 1891 Census, the Elliott family was living at 10 Woodland Terrace, Blackpill, Oystermouth. James, aged 36, was employed as a House Decorator, and Ellen, aged 40, managed the household. Their children at that time were Ada (10), Bertie (9), and Mary Jane (7), all attending school, along with the younger children James John (4), Ellen (3), and William Harry (9 months).
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| 1901 Census |
By the 1901 Census, the family had moved to 8 Woodland Terrace, Blackpill. James, then 46, continued to work as a House Decorator, while Ellen, aged 50, remained at home. Two of their sons, Bertie (19) and James John (14), were both employed as Gardeners (not domestic), while Ellen Caroline (12) and William Henry (10) were attending school.
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| 1911 Census |
A decade later, the 1911 Census records the family at 6 Woodland Terrace, Blackpill, Oystermouth. James, aged 56, was still working as a House Decorator, and Ellen, aged 60, was at home. Their only child still residing with them was William Henry, aged 20, who was employed as a Farm Labourer.
Military Service
With the outbreak of the First World War, William
Henry Elliott enlisted in the Welsh Regiment, serving as a Private
in the 1st Battalion. The battalion, a Regular Army unit,
formed part of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, and
was among the first to arrive in France in August 1914 as part of the British
Expeditionary Force (B.E.F.).
The 1st Welsh Regiment fought in several key
early engagements, including Mons, Le Cateau, and the First
Battle of the Marne, before enduring the severe winter campaigns at Festubert
and Givenchy. By March 1915, the battalion was stationed near Ypres,
Belgium, holding the trenches opposite Hill 60, a position of intense
and continuous enemy activity.
According to the battalion’s War Diary (The National
Archives, WO 95/2277), on 2nd April 1915, the 1st Welsh
were entrenched south of Ypres when “continuous shelling over the front line
and support trenches from 0400 hrs” was recorded. The diary also notes “enemy
sniping and grenades in No-man's-land during evening. Casualties remain
moderate among other ranks.” Although individual names were not recorded in
the daily entry, these brief lines capture the hazardous conditions in which
Private Elliott served and almost certainly perished. The battalion endured
constant artillery fire, sniper attacks, and exposure to the cold, water-filled
trenches of early spring—a combination that claimed many lives even outside
major battles.
Death
Private William Henry Elliott was killed in action
on 2nd April 1915 while serving in these front-line trenches
near Hill 60, south of Ypres. He was twenty-five years old. His death
came amid the relentless strain of daily bombardment and small-scale enemy
actions that characterised the static fighting of the early Western Front.
Burial
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| William Henry Elliott Lindenhoek Chalet Military Cemetery credit - findagrave |
He is also commemorated locally on the Blackpill First
World War Memorial, situated at Clyne Chapel, where his name appears
among those of fellow parishioners who gave their lives in the conflict.
Legacy
Private William Henry Elliott is remembered for his
courage, endurance, and devotion to duty. Like so many young men from Oystermouth
and Blackpill, he left behind family and community to serve in one of
history’s most devastating wars. Though he fell in the early years of the
conflict, his sacrifice endures through the official records of the Welsh
Regiment, the CWGC, and the memorials that continue to honour his
name more than a century later.
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