Samuel Thomas Manning (MM) – Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Howe Battalion, Royal Naval Division

 Petty Officer Samuel Thomas Manning (MM) – Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Howe Battalion, Royal Naval Division

Early Life

Samuel Thomas Manning

Samuel Thomas Manning and Constance Belinda Field,
marriage certificate
Parish Church of St Luke’s, Bedminster

Samuel Thomas Manning was born in 1892 in Swansea, the son of Samuel Thomas Manning and Constance Belinda Field, who married in 1887 at the Parish Church of St Luke’s, Bedminster. He grew up in a large family rooted in the working communities of Swansea.

1901 Census 

By 1901, the Manning family were living at 48 Argyle Street, Swansea. Samuel’s father, Samuel T., aged 38, was employed as a Lithographic Printer, and his wife Constance B., aged 37, was also born in Kent. Their children were Constance M., aged 14; Lillian E., aged 13; George R., aged 11; Samuel T., aged 9; Harry, aged 4; Frederick, aged 5; and Ralph, aged 1.

1911 Census

Constance Manning died in 1905, leaving Samuel senior a widower. By the 1911 Census, he remained at 48 Argyle Street, now aged 48, still working as a Lithographic Printer. Several of his children were still at home: Samuel Thomas, aged 19, employed as a Mill Hand; Harry, aged 17, working as a Coach Smith; Frederick, aged 15, employed as a Printer; and the younger boys, Ralph, aged 11, and Edgar Alexander, aged 9, both attending school. Samuel senior died in 1913.

Marriage and Military Service

Samuel Thomas Manning and Winifred Gladys Davies
marriage certificate
Christ Church, Swansea

In 1916, Samuel married Winifred Gladys Davies at Christ Church, Swansea. On the marriage record he gave his address as B.E.F. France, indicating he was already serving overseas. He had enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and was serving with the Howe Battalion of the Royal Naval Division, where he attained the rank of Petty Officer. The Howe Battalion was one of the RND’s principal fighting units, composed of naval personnel who served as infantry on the Western Front.

Military Service and Death

British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records

Petty Officer Manning’s final months of service took place during one of the most critical phases of the First World War. On 21^st March 1918, Germany launched Operation Michael, the opening blow of the Spring Offensive. This massive assault aimed to break the Allied line before American forces arrived in strength. The attack fell heavily on the British Fifth and Third Armies, and the 63^rd (Royal Naval) Division, which included the Howe Battalion, was positioned near Arras, a key defensive sector.

As the offensive began, the Howe Battalion faced intense artillery bombardment, gas attacks, and rapid German infantry advances. The battalion took part in fighting withdrawals, moving from one defensive line to the next under relentless pressure. The Royal Naval Division was heavily engaged in the Battle of Arras (28^th March 1918) and in the desperate defensive actions that preceded it. Although the Howe Battalion’s surviving war diary ends in February 1918, divisional records show that all its battalions were committed to the fighting around Arras during these days.

It was during this chaotic and violent phase of the German breakthrough that Petty Officer Samuel Thomas Manning (MM) was killed in action on 24^th March 1918. His death occurred just three days into the offensive, at a time when the battalion was under extreme pressure and suffering heavy casualties. He has no known grave, and his name is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, Pas‑de‑Calais, France.

Samuel had been awarded the Military Medal, recognising his bravery in the field