Trevor Lewis Williams – Royal Air Force, 72nd Squadron
Lieutenant Trevor Lewis Williams – Royal Air Force, 72nd Squadron
Birth and Family Background
Trevor Lewis Williams was born in 1898 in Swansea. He was the son of Thomas
Williams and Margaret Lewis.Trevor Lewis Williams
Early Life
1901 Census
At the time
of the 1901 Census, the Williams family were residing at Pantyffymaroc
Farm, in the parish of Llanedy St Edith and Hendy. Thomas
Williams (35) was employed as a farmer, while Margaret (30)
undertook household duties. Their children were William H. (10); Annie
(8); John A. (7); Trevor L. (3); and Margaretta M. (6
months).
Also living
in the household were Margaret Lewis (72), Margaret’s widowed mother and
a retired laundress, together with two farm servants, Arthur Johnson
(19) and Ann Hopkins (19).
1911 Census
By the time
of the 1911 Census, the family had moved to Penafuarda, Gorseinon.
Thomas Williams (45) remained employed as a farmer, and Margaret
(41) continued to manage the household. The children present were William
Howell (19), a colliery clerk; Annie (18), a farmer’s
daughter working in the dairy; John Albert (16), a farm worker;
Trevor Lewis (12), also working on the farm; Margaret Mary
(10); David Leigh (8); Glyn Eurwyn (4); and Edgar Thomas
(2).
Military Service
Trevor Lewis Williams entered military service during the First World War and was
commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force. He served
with 72nd Squadron, a unit deployed overseas in the Middle
East during the closing stages of the war and the immediate post-war period.
Service in Mesopotamia
By late
1918 and early 1919, Royal Air Force, 72nd Squadron was stationed in
Baghdad as part of Britain’s continued military and air presence in Mesopotamia
following the defeat of Ottoman forces. Although the Armistice of November
1918 had brought fighting in Europe to an end, British forces in the Middle
East remained actively deployed to maintain security, protect lines
of communication, and assert control over newly occupied territory.
RAF
squadrons in the region undertook reconnaissance, patrol, and communication
duties over vast and challenging terrain. Service conditions were demanding,
with personnel exposed to extreme climate, disease, and limited
medical facilities, all of which continued to pose serious risks even after
hostilities had ceased.
Death
Lieutenant Trevor Lewis Williams died on 1st January 1919, during this phase of continued
overseas service. Although combat operations had largely ended, Royal
Air Force casualties in Mesopotamia still resulted from illness,
exhaustion, and the lingering effects of wartime service, reflecting the
ongoing dangers faced by personnel stationed far from home.
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