William Protheroe Johns
Private William Protheroe Johns – Monmouthshire Regiment, 2nd/2nd Battalion
Early Life
The final military burial at St. Peter’s Church, Cockett,
in 1917 was that of William Protheroe Johns. He was born in 1885 in
Swansea, the son of William Johns and Charlotte Griffiths,
who had married in 1866 at Llandeilo Fawr, Carmarthenshire.
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| 1891 Census |
By the 1891 Census, the family was living at 27 Upper Aberborthy Street, Swansea. William Johns, born in Haverfordwest, then aged 49, was employed as a police constable, while Charlotte, from Llanddo, was 52. Their children included Lucy, 18; Jessie, 14; Charlotte, 11; and William, aged 7. On this census, his middle initial was mistakenly recorded as “B” rather than “P.” The younger children were all attending school.
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| 1901 Census |
Ten years later, in the 1901 Census, the family had moved to Alexandra Arcade, High Street, Swansea, where William senior, now 59, was employed as the caretaker of the arcade. Charlotte was 62. Their son William, aged 16, worked as a shop assistant, while their nephew, William Charles, 23, was employed as a tram conductor.
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| 1911 Census |
By the 1911 Census, William Protheroe Johns, aged 28, was working at a brewery. At this time, he was recorded as a boarder at the home of the Lowther family, 13 Winston Street, Swansea.
Military Service
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| Attestation Papers |
The 2/2nd Battalion, Monmouthshire Regiment
The Monmouthshire Regiment was a Territorial Force
infantry regiment formed in 1908, with battalions based largely in South Wales.
When the war began in 1914, its battalions were mobilised for both overseas and
home service.
The 2/2nd Battalion was created as a second-line
Territorial unit in 1914, originally to train and supply
reinforcements for the 1/2nd Battalion serving abroad. It spent much
of the war on home defence duties, guarding vulnerable locations such as
docks, railways, and industrial sites. The battalion later became part of the 68th
Division, a home service formation responsible for coastal defence and
training in southern England.
Although not destined for front-line service overseas, men
of the 2/2nd Battalion played a vital role in Britain’s war effort, enabling
the army to deploy fully trained soldiers abroad while ensuring key parts of
the country remained secure.
Norfolk War Hospital, Norwich
When William became ill, he was admitted to the Norfolk
War Hospital, Norwich, where he died on 27th December 1917,
aged 32.
The Norfolk War Hospital was established in 1915, when the Norfolk
County Asylum at Thorpe St. Andrew was converted into a military hospital
to care for wounded and sick soldiers. With more than 1,200 beds, it
became one of the largest war hospitals in the country. Patients were brought
there directly from the front via ambulance trains, as well as from camps and
barracks across Britain.
The hospital treated a wide range of cases, including battle
injuries, shell shock, and infectious diseases. Like many such institutions, it
relied on both military medical staff and large numbers of Voluntary Aid
Detachment (VAD) nurses, many of them local women, who provided essential
care.
For soldiers such as William Johns, who never went overseas,
the Norfolk War Hospital represented the final stage of their service, a place
where illness or injury was met with the best treatment the wartime system
could provide.
Death and Burial
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| William Protheroe Johns St. Peters church credit - findagrave |
Legacy
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| Attestation Papers |
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| Register of Soldiers’ Effects |
The Register of Soldiers’ Effects records that his War Gratuity was paid to his siblings. His Attestation Papers also note that any medals awarded to him were to be retained by his brother, David Sydney Johns, who was serving with the Royal Navy aboard H.M.S. Essex.
Though he never served overseas, William’s death in uniform
places him among the ranks of Swansea’s fallen. His story reflects the quieter
but equally significant sacrifice of men who died while training, guarding
Britain, or succumbing to illness far from the front lines. His grave at St.
Peter’s remains a lasting reminder of the breadth of loss endured during the
First World War.
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