John William Williams – Royal Engineers, 282 Field Company

Sapper John William Williams – Royal Engineers, 282 Field Company

Birth and Family Background

John William Williams was born in 1920 at Bristol, Gloucestershire. He was the son of William Evans Williams and Elizabeth Ann Williams, who were married in 1917 at Bristol.

Early Life

1921 Census

The 1921 Census records the Williams family residing at 84 Terrace Road, Swansea. William Evans Williams, aged 29 and born in Herefordshire, was employed as a police constable with the Borough of Swansea Police Force. His wife Elizabeth Ann (also known as Bessie Annie), aged 33 and born in Caernarvonshire, undertook household duties. Their children were Gaynor Elizabeth, aged 11, who attended school, and John William, aged 1.

Military Service

John served as a Sapper with the Royal Engineers, attached to 282 Field Company.

Royal Engineers, 282 Field Company in Ireland – 1940–1941

During the early years of the Second World War, units of the Royal Engineers, including 282 Field Company, were stationed in Ireland (Éire) as part of Britain’s wider defensive and contingency planning. Although Ireland was officially neutral, the British government remained deeply concerned about the island’s strategic importance, particularly the risk of German landings, sabotage, or the use of Irish territory to threaten British shipping and ports.

Field Companies of the Royal Engineers were multi-purpose units, responsible for a wide range of technical and construction tasks. In Ireland, 282 Field Company was primarily engaged in the construction and maintenance of military camps and accommodation, road, bridge, and infrastructure works, defensive preparations such as obstacles and field fortifications, training in demolitions and engineering skills, and support to infantry and home defence units. Much of this work was carried out in rural and coastal areas, often involving heavy manual labour, machinery, explosives, and construction materials.

Although Ireland was not an active combat zone, service there was not without danger. Royal Engineers frequently worked with explosives and demolition charges, heavy equipment and vehicles, and faced significant construction hazards, often compounded by challenging weather and terrain. Fatal accidents were an unfortunate reality of engineering service, and deaths in Ireland were commonly the result of training incidents, industrial accidents, or illness, rather than enemy action.

Death and Newspaper Reporting

South Wales Evening Post

As a Sapper with 282 Field Company, John William Williams would have been engaged in practical engineering duties, likely involving construction or training tasks. His death in Ireland on 7^th April 1941, reported by the South Wales Evening Post on 8^th April 1941, is consistent with the pattern of non-combat fatalities among Royal Engineers units stationed there during this period. The article also noted that his parents were the owners of a bookshop in Mumbles, a detail that brought particular local attention to his death.

South Wales Evening Post

A further report published in the South Wales Evening Post on 15^th April 1941 described John’s funeral, which took place at Oystermouth Cemetery. The fact that his death was reported locally and followed by a military funeral suggests that his passing was sudden and unexpected, rather than the result of long-term illness.

Burial

John William Williams
Oystermouth Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Sapper John William Williams is buried at Oystermouth Cemetery