David Cyril Thomas – Royal Armoured Corps, Royal Dragoons

Trooper David Glyn Thomas – Royal Armoured Corps, Royal Dragoons

Birth and Family Background

Daniel Anthony Thomas and Edith Louisa Davies
marriage certificate
St Mary’s Church, Swansea

David Cyril Thomas was born in 1910 at Swansea. He was the son of Daniel Anthony Thomas and Edith Louisa Davies, who were married in 1906 at St Mary’s Church, Swansea.

Early Life

1911 Census

At the time of the 1911 Census, the Thomas family were residing at The Rectory, Derry Ormond, Cardiganshire. Daniel Anthony Thomas, aged 44 and born in Carmarthenshire, was employed as a Clerk in Holy Orders. His wife Edith Louisa, aged 27, undertook household duties. Their children were John Stanley, aged 3, and David Cyril, aged 1. Also present in the household were two servants, Gwendoline May Campbell, 20, and Annie Dinah Campbell, 18.

1921 Census

The 1921 Census records the family still living at The Rectory, Derry Ormond, Cardiganshire. Daniel Anthony, now 55, continued to serve as a Clerk in Holy Orders, while Edith Louisa, aged 37, undertook household duties. Their children were David Cyril, 11; Edith Gwenllian Winifred, 8; and Annie Kathleen, 6, all attending school. Also present was a visitor, Bertha Elizabeth Thomas, aged 14, who was also attending school.

Marriage and Civilian Life

1939 Register 

In early 1939, David married Eria Mary Richards at Clyne Church. The 1939 Register records David C. Thomas, employed as an assistant solicitor, residing at 57 Rosehill, Caswell Road.

Military Service

David served with the Royal Armoured Corps as a Trooper, attached to the Royal Dragoons.

Royal Armoured Corps – Royal Dragoons 7^th January 1943 – North African Campaign

On 7^th January 1943, the Royal Dragoons, serving as an armoured regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps, were engaged in active operations during the final phase of the North African Campaign. Following the Allied victory at El Alamein in November 1942, British and Commonwealth forces were advancing westward across Libya into Tunisia, pursuing retreating Axis forces.

This period was characterised by mobile armoured warfare, with armoured regiments tasked with reconnaissance, flank protection, screening advances, and engaging enemy rearguards. Although Axis forces were in retreat, resistance remained determined, and fighting was often sharp and costly, particularly during encounters with well-sited rearguard positions.

As a Trooper in the Royal Dragoons, David Glyn Thomas would have been a front-line armoured soldier, either serving as a vehicle crewman or operating dismounted in support roles. His death on 7^th January 1943 strongly indicates that he was killed during active combat operations connected with the Allied pursuit of Axis forces in North Africa.

Death and Commemoration

Trooper David Glyn Thomas was killed in action on 7^th January 1943. He has no known grave, and his name is commemorated on the Alamein Memorial. This commemoration is consistent with soldiers who were killed during desert operations and whose graves could not be located or identified amid the fluid and often chaotic conditions of armoured warfare