Remembrances – Oystermouth Cemetery Inter-War Burials (1918–1921)

Remembering Those Who Served Beyond the Armistice

When the guns of the First World War fell silent on 11^th November 1918, the Armistice marked the end of hostilities — but not the end of the war’s suffering. Across Britain and the Commonwealth, thousands of men who had served overseas or in home forces continued to battle the physical and emotional toll of their service. Many would die in the months and years that followed, their deaths directly linked to wounds, illness, or hardship sustained during the war.

At Oystermouth Cemetery, several of these men are laid to rest. Their burials form part of what are known as the inter-war or post-Armistice commemorations — a poignant reminder that the consequences of the Great War extended well beyond 1918.

Defining the End of the War

Although the Armistice ended the fighting, the British Government did not legally declare the war over until almost three years later. Under the Termination of the Present War (Definition) Act 1918, passed by Parliament on 31 August 1921, the government officially fixed the end date of the First World War for administrative and commemorative purposes.

This act allowed the state to determine which soldiers’ deaths would be recognised as war-related by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and other military authorities. Any serviceman who died between 4^th August 1914 and 31^st August 1921, and whose death was attributable to war service, was to be officially commemorated as a casualty of the Great War.

Thus, the burials at Oystermouth Cemetery between November 1918 and August 1921 fall within this final period of official recognition — a transitional time between war and peace.

---

Oystermouth Cemetery and Its Servicemen

Oystermouth Cemetery became a place of rest for local men who returned from the war only to succumb later to wounds, disease, or the lingering effects of hardship. Their graves stand among those of civilians, each headstone representing a personal story of endurance and loss.

Private John Porteous Patterson – Machine Gun Corps (Infantry)

The first recorded military burial at Oystermouth following the Armistice was that of John Porteous Patterson, who died on 23^rd November 1918. Born in Dumfries in 1892, John enlisted in the Machine Gun Corps (Infantry) in July 1918 and was stationed at Brindley Hospital, Camp Brereton, Staffordshire, where he died from pneumonia. His burial marked the beginning of Oystermouth’s post-war commemorations.

Lieutenant Stanley Meredith-Thomas – Royal Field Artillery

Stanley Meredith-Thomas, son of Evan and Bridget Meredith-Thomas, died on 13^th December 1918 at the Russian Hospital, South Audley Street, Mayfair. A bank clerk before the war, he had served with the Royal Field Artillery. His death at just 30 years old reflects the toll of post-war illness among young officers.

Private Frederick William Davies – Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 9^th Battalion

Frederick William Davies of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers died on 14^th January 1919. Little is known of his life, yet his headstone stands as a reminder of the many men for whom few personal records survive — but whose service and sacrifice were no less real.

Captain Alexander Lockhart Ogston – Royal Marine Artillery

Alexander Lockhart Ogston, who died in February 1919, was the son of Sir Alexander Ogston, the eminent surgeon who discovered Staphylococcus. Ogston had served with the Royal Marine Artillery and was stationed at St Helena during the war. Returning home, he fell ill with pneumonia and influenza and died soon after. His family’s distinguished history adds a remarkable dimension to Oystermouth’s record of service.

Private Walter Pool Terry – Welsh Regiment, 6^th Battalion

Walter Pool Terry was born in 1889 in Burley, Yorkshire, the son of George Pool Terry and Mary Haley. Before the war, Walter worked as a Builder’s Clerk and lived in Mumbles with his wife, Rubina Margaret Rogers, whom he married in 1911. At the outbreak of war, Walter enlisted with the Welsh Regiment, 6^th Battalion and served in France for over three years. After returning home, his health declined, and he was discharged in February 1919. Walter died on 10^th March 1919, aged 30, and was buried at Oystermouth Cemetery.

Gunner Thomas Lawton – Royal Field Artillery, 8^th Divisional Ammunition Column

Thomas Lawton, born in 1879 at Market Drayton, Shropshire, served with the Royal Field Artillery, 8^th Divisional Ammunition Column. Little is known of his early life, but his service records show that he was a dedicated artilleryman during the Great War. He died on 4^th August 1919, aged 40, and was laid to rest at Oystermouth Cemetery. His grave represents those of men whose contributions, though often unrecorded in detail, were essential to the war effort.

Serjeant Henry Joseph Spiers Thomas – Glamorgan Yeomanry

Henry Joseph Spiers Thomas, born in 1880, was the son of the late Elizur Thomas of The Nook, Ebbw Vale, and Mrs. Thomas of Hamilton Terrace, Swansea. Before the war, he worked as an Engineer with the Red Line Company of Antwerp and had earlier served as a Trooper with the Pembrokeshire Imperial Yeomanry during the Boer War. During the First World War, he enlisted with the Glamorgan Yeomanry, rising to the rank of Serjeant. He died on 11^th April 1920, aged 40, and was buried at Oystermouth Cemetery. His career reflects a lifetime of service across two wars.

Lance Serjeant Alfred Charles Vivian – The King’s (Liverpool Regiment), 11^th Works Company

Alfred Charles Vivian, born in Swansea in 1860, had previously worked as a hotel keeper and livery stableman before re-enlisting at the age of 48. Having served with both the Welsh Regiment and The King’s (Liverpool Regiment), he was later transferred to the Irish Command Labour Centre. He died on 29^th May 1920, aged 61 — the oldest serviceman buried at Oystermouth.

Quartermaster Serjeant Samuel Worstall – The King’s (Liverpool Regiment), 13^th Battalion

Samuel Worstall, born in Derbyshire in 1875, enlisted in November 1914 and originally served with the 6^th Battalion before promotion. He later became Quartermaster Serjeant in the 13^th Battalion. After years of service in France, he returned home suffering from tuberculosis — a common legacy of wartime exposure — and died on 12^th October 1920.

Private Arthur George Thomas – Royal Army Service Corps

Arthur George Thomas was born in 1890 in Oystermouth, the son of William Thomas and Elizabeth (née Davies). Before the war, he worked as an Engine Driver and lived with his large family at 3 Windsor Place, Oystermouth. Arthur enlisted during the First World War and served as a Private in the Royal Army Service Corps (R.A.S.C.), a vital branch responsible for the transport and supply of food, ammunition, and equipment to the front lines. His mechanical skills would have been invaluable to the Corps’ operations, which kept the army moving under the most difficult conditions. Arthur died on 25^th February 1921, aged 30, and was buried at Oystermouth Cemetery. His service reflects the endurance and quiet heroism of those who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to sustain the British Army during the Great War.

Private John Graham Timothy – Welsh Regiment, 15^th Battalion

John Graham Timothy, born in Oystermouth in 1899, served with the 15^th (Carmarthenshire) Battalion, Welsh Regiment, part of the 38th (Welsh) Division. He died on 21 March 1921, aged 22, from the effects of illness and hardship sustained during his service.

Corporal Walter Frederick Morgan – Green Howards (Yorkshire Regiment), 2nd/4th Battalion; Labour Corps

Walter Frederick Morgan, of Blackpill, enlisted in 1915 and served for two years in France before transferring to the Labour Corps. He was discharged on 10^th April 1921 but died just six days later from heart disease, aged 35. His grave symbolises the fine line between survival and sacrifice in the post-war years.

Private Frederick Ward – Welsh Regiment; Royal Defence Corps

The final of Oystermouth’s inter-war burials was Frederick Ward, who died on 15^th August 1921, aged 53. Born in Linton, Cambridgeshire, he enlisted in November 1914 with the Welsh Regiment before transferring to the Royal Defence Corps in 1917. His burial came just weeks before the official legal end of the war on 31 August 1921.

---

Enduring Memory

The men buried at Oystermouth Cemetery between 1918 and 1921 are part of a unique chapter in Britain’s military history — the transitional period between war and peace. They remind us that the cost of the Great War did not end on the battlefield, nor on Armistice Day.

Many of these men died at home, often from illnesses or injuries linked to their service. Their graves, set among those of their families and neighbours, reflect the deep interconnection between local life and global conflict.

As the Termination of the Present War (Definition) Act finally brought the war to its legal close on 31 August 1921, it also ensured that these men would be remembered — not as forgotten post-war casualties, but as part of the same generation who had endured and sacrificed in one of the most devastating conflicts in history.

At Oystermouth Cemetery, their names continue to tell that story.