Laurence David Jenkins MM – Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps, 2nd

Corporal Laurence David Jenkins MM – Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps, 2^nd

Birth and Family Background

Laurence David Jenkins was born in 1920 at Swansea. He was the son of Frederick William Jenkins and Mary Jane Wallace Romary, who were married in 1913 at Pontypridd.

1921 Census

At the time of the 1921 Census, the Jenkins family were recorded as residing at Bryncelyn, Killay. Frederick William Jenkins (42) was a haulage contractor, working on his own account, while his wife Mary Jane Wallace Jenkins (32) undertook household duties. Their children were William (7) and Ellen Elaine (5), both attending school; John Julian Frederick (3); and Laurence David (1).

Also present in the household was a boarder, George Morgan (16), a labourer employed by F. W. Jenkins, haulage contractor.

1939 Register

1939 Register

By the time of the 1939 Register, Frederick and Mary Jenkins were residing at 50 Park Street, Mumbles. Laurence David Jenkins does not appear in the register, suggesting that he was already away from home, possibly due to military training or active service.

Military Service

Laurence David Jenkins served in the Royal Tank Regiment, part of the Royal Armoured Corps, attaining the rank of Corporal. He served with the 2nd Battalion, seeing active service during the Italian Campaign of the Second World War.

His award of the Military Medal was gazetted in the Supplement to The London Gazette on 9^th March 1943, when he was serving as Trooper 7888942, Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps (Swansea). The award recognised bravery and devotion to duty in active operations.

By September 1944, the 2^nd, Royal Tank Regiment was heavily engaged in the Allied advance north through Italy, operating in close support of infantry formations as German forces withdrew toward the Gothic Line. Armoured units fought in exceptionally difficult conditions, with narrow roads, steep terrain, minefields, and heavy enemy anti-tank defences, resulting in frequent casualties among tank crews.

On 15^th September 1944, while engaged in these intensive operations in central Italy, Corporal Laurence David Jenkins MM was killed in action.

Death and Burial

Corporal Laurence David Jenkins MM was killed in action on 15^th September 1944.

He is buried at the Ancona War Cemetery, which contains the graves of Allied servicemen who died during the fighting in central and northern Italy.