Cecil Lloyd Davies - Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex Regiment), 28th (Reserve) Battalion

Second Lieutenant Cecil Lloyd Davies - Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex Regiment), 28^th (Reserve) Battalion
(Attached Princess Charlotte’s of Wales (Royal Berkshire Regiment), 2^nd Battalion)

Birth and Family Background

Cecil Lloyd Davies 

Cecil Lloyd Davies was born in 1894 in Swansea. He was the son of William Morgan Davies and Delcie Ann Lloyd.

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the family were residing at 13 Paxton Place, Swansea. Newport-born William Morgan Davies (40) was employed as a Master Mariner, while his wife Delcie Ann (39) managed the household. Their children were William Lloyd (18), a grocer’s assistant; Camilla Gertrude (16), a dressmaker; Beatrice Delcie (13), a school teacher; Stanley Lloyd (11); and Cecil Lloyd (7).

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family were living at 13 Paxton Street, Oystermouth Road, Swansea. William Morgan (53) had become a Food Inspector, and Delcie Ann (51) remained at home. The children present were Camilla Gertrude (25), a dressmaker; Beatrice Delcie (23), an uncertificated school teacher; Stanley Lloyd (21), an outdoor office clerk; and Cecil Lloyd (17), recorded as a student school teacher.

Military Service and Death

Cecil enlisted in October 1915 as a Private in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Demonstrating promise, he was commissioned in January 1916 as a Second Lieutenant in the Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex Regiment), 28^th (Reserve) Battalion, and was later attached to the 2^nd Battalion, Princess Charlotte’s of Wales (Royal Berkshire Regiment).

During the later stages of the Battle of the Somme, Cecil was wounded in action and subsequently died from his injuries on 25^th November 1916 at the London Casualty Clearing Station. His death reflects the heavy toll suffered by junior officers during the Somme fighting of 1916.

Burial and Commemoration

Second Lieutenant Cecil Lloyd Davies is buried at Grove Town Cemetery, Méaulte, Somme, France, a cemetery closely associated with casualties from the Somme offensive.

Herald of Wales

His death was reported in the Herald of Wales in December 1916, bringing news of his loss to the Swansea community