Alwyn Rees Owen – Royal Artillery

Sapper Alwyn Rees Owen – Royal Artillery

Early Life and Family Background

Alwyn Rees Owen was born in 1915, at Brecon, Breconshire, the son of Lewis Owen and Margaret Eleanor Evans.

1921 Census

By the time of the 1921 Census, the family were living at 6 Cromer Street, Abercwmboi, Aberdare. Lewis, aged 45, worked as a Labourer Underground, while Margaret, aged 38, undertook the household duties. Their children were Idwal (9), Alwyn Rhys (6), Ivor (4), and Emrys (2). Also present in the home was a lodger, Robert Daniel Edwards, aged 44, reflecting the common practice of mining families taking in boarders to supplement income.

1939 Register

Working Life Before the War

By the 1939 Register, Alwyn was living at 13 Abercwmboi, Aberdare, where he worked as a Coal Mine Hewer Below, a demanding and physically punishing occupation deep underground. His younger brother Emrys, also present in the household, was employed as a Colliery Engineman Below, showing the family’s continued connection to the mining industry.

Service in the Second World War

During the Second World War, Alwyn Rees Owen served as a Sapper with the Royal Artillery, attached to the 156 (Medium) Heavy Anti‑Aircraft Regiment. Units of this type were responsible for defending key military and industrial sites against enemy air attack, operating heavy anti‑aircraft guns and undertaking the technical, engineering, and logistical tasks required to keep these weapons in action. Service in such regiments was demanding, often involving long hours, hazardous conditions, and constant readiness during periods of intense Luftwaffe activity.

Alwyn Rees Owen
Anion Baptist Cemetery, Birchgrove credit - findagrave

Death and Burial

Alwyn died on 9 October 1944, during the later stages of the war. His body was brought home to Swansea, where he was laid to rest at Anion Baptist Cemetery, Birchgrove, returning him to the community from which he had come. His name stands among those of the many Welsh miners who served in the armed forces, carrying their strength and resilience from the coalfields into wartime service.