Titanic and Its Swansea Connection

RMS Titanic

R.M.S. Titanic

The connection between RMS Titanic and the Swansea‑linked passengers who sailed on her invites a moment of reflection on the Welsh lives that were drawn into the story of the great liner. Swansea and its surrounding valleys were not distant spectators to the tragedy; they were part of it through miners, clerks, boxers, and seamen whose hopes carried them across the Atlantic. Their names, preserved in parish records, boxing halls, and census pages, form a quiet but enduring Welsh thread within the wider narrative of 1912.

This research began following an article published in The Bay Magazine in April 2016, when I was contacted by Mrs Morsely regarding her mother’s first husband, Leslie Williams. Her recollection, passed down through family memory, captures the quiet devastation felt in many Welsh homes:

“My mother’s first husband was on board the Titanic… Both men lost their lives in the sinking… All his effects were returned to my mother… Unfortunately, Leslie had been buried at sea on 22nd April 1912.”

Her words remind us that the Titanic was not merely a maritime disaster; it was a human one, felt in terraced streets, chapels, and mining communities across Wales.

The Welshmen aboard the Titanic were:

David Bowen, boxer (victim); Evan Davies, Swansea Valley (victim); Wilfred Cyril Foley, Swansea‑born (survivor); William John Rogers, Swansea Valley (victim); Robert William Norman Leyshon, solicitor’s son living in Swansea (victim); Owen Wilmore Samuel, formerly of Ben Evans, Temple Street (victim); and Leslie Williams, boxer (victim).

Their stories follow.

David John “Dai” Bowen

David John "Dai" Bowen

The life of David John Bowen, born in 1891 at Treherbert, reads like that of many young men of the Rhondda: hard work, close family ties, and the promise of sport as a way out of the coalfields. The son of James Bowen and Leah Protheroe, David grew up in a household shaped by loss—his father’s disappearance from the records left Leah to raise her children alone until her remarriage in 1902.

By 1911 David was a coal miner hewer, but his real passion lay in the boxing ring. Under the guidance of George Cundick, he rose to become Welsh lightweight champion, fighting in Pontypridd, Hartlepool, South Shields, and Cardiff. His final bout, on 5 March 1912, came just weeks before he boarded the Titanic.

David and fellow boxer Leslie Williams were bound for America, where a series of contests awaited them. Their manager, Charles A. Barnett, had arranged the tour. Originally booked on the Baltic, they delayed their departure to collect new tailored suits—an ordinary decision that placed them on the Titanic instead.

From Queenstown on 11 April 1912, David posted what would become his final letter home. It is one of the most vivid and heartfelt personal accounts written aboard the Titanic, capturing both his excitement and his innocence as he crossed the Atlantic for the first time. The letter reads:

April 11th 1912 My Dear Mother

I am just writing you a few lines before I go sick for I have been very good so far. This is a lovely boat, she is very near so big as Treherbert, she is like a floating palace, against you walk from one end of her to the other you are tired. We are landing in France the time I am writing you this, you don’t know whether she is moving or not for she goes very steady.

Dear Mother, I hope that you won’t worry yourself about me, I can tell you that I am a lot better than I thought I would be, for we gets plenty of fun on board. We met two Swansea boys at the station, so you see that I get plenty of company. There is hundreds of foreigners on her of every nation. The food we get here is very good but not so good as dear old home.

We have no boxing gloves with us, they would be no good if we did have some. Remember me to Martha Jane and Jack and Tommy Ostler, tell Morris and Stephen that if I will feel like I do now when I land in Yankee Land I shall be alright. I shan’t give you no address now, not until I land for it won’t be worth.

I did not see David Rees in Southampton at all. Remember me to all I know, tell Stephen to tell all the boys that I am enjoying myself alright so far. If James tell you that I have not wrote to him, tell him that I can’t do it very good now, you can show him this if you like, for it will be the same I shall have to say now for the time being as I am telling you.

I hope you will excuse the pencil for I have no pen and ink, so cheer up now mother, for I am in the pink, so don’t vex. I think I will draw to a close now in wishing you all my best love.

From your loving son, David John

The letter’s warmth, humour, and youthful optimism stand in heartbreaking contrast to the tragedy that followed only three days later. It remains one of the most personal and poignant Welsh voices to survive from the Titanic.

David Bowen’s body was never recovered. His name is carved into the stone of Treorchy Cemetery, a quiet reminder of a life cut short.

Leslie Williams

Leslie Williams

Born in 1888 at Tonypandy, Leslie Williams shared much with his friend Bowen: a mining community upbringing, a large family, and a talent for boxing. The son of Lewis Williams and Elizabeth Davies, he grew up in Clydach and Tonypandy, leaving school early to work as an apprentice boilermaker.

In 1910 he married Lillie Thomas, and their first son, Leslie James, was born the same year. By 1911 the family lived at 59 Primrose Street, where Leslie worked as a blacksmith’s striker. He was also a professional bantamweight boxer, known locally for his speed and determination.

Leslie’s body was the 14th recovered by the cable ship MacKay Bennett. His clothing and effects—two gold rings, silver cufflinks, pocket books, and both British and American currency—paint a vivid picture of a young man preparing for a new life abroad. Though his widow wished him returned to Wales, he had already been buried at sea on 22 April 1912.

His second son, Harold Charles, was born three months later, a child who would never know his father.

In Memoriam Card
(Courtesy of Henry Aldridge & Son)

Evan Lewis Davies

Born in 1890 at Killybebill, Evan Davies was the eldest child of Lewis Evan Davies and Mary Rogers. His early life was marked by the loss of his mother in 1899, after which his father remarried Alice Lewis, creating a blended family of nine.

By 1911 Evan was a coal miner, living in the Swansea Valley. He travelled on the Titanic with his uncle, William John Rogers, both as third‑class passengers seeking new opportunities in America.

Neither man survived, and neither body was recovered. Their names are remembered on a shared headstone at Seion Newydd churchyard, Morriston—a quiet hillside graveyard overlooking the valley they once called home.

William John Rogers

Born in 1882 at Glais, William Rogers was the son of John Rogers and Elizabeth, one of six children. A miner by trade, he lived with his widowed mother for many years. In 1911 he married Elizabeth Powell, with whom he already had a child.

In early 1912, Elizabeth reported that William had deserted her, and a court order was issued just days before the Titanic sailed. Whether he intended to start anew in America or simply escape his circumstances is unknown. He travelled with his nephew Evan Davies as a third‑class passenger.

He did not survive the sinking.

Wilfred Cyril Foley

Wilfred Cyril Foley

Born 9 May 1890 at 10 Fisher Street, Swansea, Wilfred Foley was the son of Michael Foley and Sarah Daley. His early years were spent in the narrow streets of central Swansea, but by 1907 the family had moved to Southampton, where Wilfred entered the merchant service.

He signed onto the Titanic on 6 April 1912, giving his address as 15 Monson’s Road, and had previously served as a third‑class steward on the Oceanic. His wages were £3 15s per month.

After being lowered into the sea
Boat 13 drifted under the
descending Boat 15
(as depicted by Charles Dixon)

During the sinking, confusion arose when newspapers reported the death of a passenger named William Foley, leading his family to believe Wilfred had perished. In fact, he survived aboard Lifeboat 13, one of the last boats successfully launched.

Wilfred later enlisted in the Royal West Kent Regiment during the First World War but was discharged in 1915 due to pulmonary tuberculosis. He died on 3 April 1916, aged just twenty‑five, and is buried at St John the Baptist Church, Eltham.

His survival from the Titanic only to succumb to illness four years later adds a quiet, tragic coda to his story.

Robert William Norman Leyshon

Born in 1887 in Kensington, Robert Leyshon was the son of Robert Thomas Leyshon, a prominent Swansea solicitor, and Jessie Gertrude Richards. The family returned to Swansea in the late 1880s, living at Westbrook and later Bloomfield, Sketty.

By 1911 Robert was living in London, working as a solicitor. In January 1912 he was inducted into the Cambrian Lodge of the Masonic Order, listing his occupation as engineer. He boarded the Titanic as a second‑class passenger, intending to join his brother in New York.

MacKay Bennett

His body was recovered by the MacKay Bennett and buried at sea on 24 April 1912. His death was widely noted in Swansea, where his family remained well‑known.

Owen Wilmore Samuel

Born in 1865 at Llandilo, Owen Samuel was the son of William Samuel, a schoolmaster, and Ann James. His early life was spent in Carmarthenshire and the Swansea Valley, where he attended school at Cilybebyll and later lived at Alltwen Hill.

By 1891 he was working as a clerk at B. Evans & Co., Temple Street, Swansea—a well‑known drapery store. Around 1900 he left Swansea, later marrying Elizabeth Mortimer near Liverpool. Encouraged by his brother‑in‑law John Hardy, Owen went to sea.

By 1911 he was living at 125 Osborne Road, Southampton, working as a merchant seaman. He signed onto the Titanic on 4 April 1912, earning £3 15s per month. Hardy, serving as Chief Second Class Steward, survived the sinking.

Owen Wimore Samuel
Grave
Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia 
credit Findagrave

Owen’s body was recovered by the MacKay Bennett and buried at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 8 May 1912.

The Western Mail of 18 April 1912 noted:

“Mr. W. Samuel… was at one time in the employ of Messrs. Ben Evans and Co., Swansea, and is a brother of a well‑known Swansea auctioneer.”