William Penry – Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Nelson Battalion, Royal Naval Division
Able Seaman William Penry – Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Nelson Battalion, Royal Naval Division
Early Life
William Penry was born in 1894 in Llandilo
Talybont, Glamorgan, the son of John Penry and Gwladys Ann
Morgans, who married in 1889 in Swansea.
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| 1901 Census |
The 1901 Census records the Penry family living at Brynteg Road, Gorseinon. John (33) was employed as a Tin Roller Man, while his wife Gwladys (33) cared for their family. Their children were Rachel A. (10), Henry J. (8), Willie (7), and Myfanwy (4), all attending school, along with the younger children Elvet (2) and Morfydd (1).
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| 1911 Census |
By the 1911 Census, the family had moved to Dorset House, Brynteg, Gorseinon. John (43) continued working as a Rollerman, and Gwladys (43) managed the home. Their older children included Rachel (20), a Dressmaker, and Henry John (18) and Willie (14), both employed as Labourers. The younger children were Myfanwy (14), Elvet (12), Morfydd (11), Mydrim (6), Browen (3), and Elfryn (1).
Naval Service
As a young man, William Penry enlisted in the Royal
Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) and served as an Able Seaman with the
Nelson Battalion of the Royal Naval Division (RND), an infantry
formation made up of naval and marine personnel who fought on the Western Front
during the First World War.
Nelson Battalion – The Fighting on 27th April 1917
On 27th April 1917, the Nelson
Battalion was engaged in the later phase of the Arras Offensive,
fighting in the sector east of Arras near Gavrelle and the Oppy–Méricourt
line. The battalion had already endured heavy losses earlier in the month,
yet was again committed to holding the line and supporting renewed attacks
against strongly fortified German positions.
The day was marked by intense German shelling,
repeated counter‑attacks, and severe machine‑gun fire directed at
front‑line and support trenches. The ground was churned by previous
bombardments, making movement hazardous and the evacuation of wounded extremely
difficult. Even when no major assault was underway, casualties continued to
occur as artillery fire struck communication trenches, dugouts, and working
parties.
Stretcher‑bearers and medical personnel operated under constant
danger, crossing exposed and uneven terrain to reach the wounded. Battalion
war diaries note that men were lost throughout the day while holding defensive
positions or preparing for further action. It was during this period of unrelenting
and hazardous operations that Able Seaman William Penry was killed.
Death and Commemoration
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| British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records |
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| William Penry Arras Memorial, Somme, France credit - findagrave |
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