Charles Henry Newbury – Welsh Regiment, 6th (Glamorgan) Battalion, Territorial Force

Boy/Drummer Charles Henry Newbury – Welsh Regiment, 6th (Glamorgan) Battalion, Territorial Force

Charles Henry Newbury and Rose Maria Dacey marriage certificate St John‑juxta‑Swansea

Charles Henry Newbury was born in 1901 in Swansea, the son of Charles Henry Newbury and Rose Maria Dacey, who had married in 1896 at St John‑juxta‑Swansea. His early childhood unfolded in the industrial districts of the town, shaped by copper‑works employment, chapel life, and the close family networks typical of Edwardian Swansea.

Family Life

1901 Census

The 1901 Census records the Newbury family living at 30 Edward Street, Swansea, where Charles Newbury, aged 25, worked as a Timekeeper at the Copper Works, and his wife Rose, aged 24, managed the home. Their children — Doris, 3; Lilian, 1; and Charles, aged 2 months — formed a young family rooted in the working‑class communities of Hafod and Manselton.

1911 Census

A decade later, the 1911 Census shows the family living at 12 Iorwerth Street, Manselton, Swansea. Charles Henry, now 36, continued his work as a Timekeeper, while Rose Maria, aged 34, oversaw a growing household. Their children — Doris Rose, 13; Seilan Maud, 11; Charles Henry, aged 9; Jack, 7; and Eva Mary, 1 — were all present, with the older four attending school. Also living in the home was Rose’s widowed brother, Thomas Davis Dacey, aged 44, together with his sons Albert, 18, and Thomas, 14. The census paints a picture of an extended family household, typical of Swansea’s industrial districts during this period.

Military Service

Still only a youth, Charles Henry Newbury enlisted in the Welsh Regiment, serving as a Boy/Drummer with the 6th (Glamorgan) Battalion, Territorial Force. Boy soldiers were often between 14 and 17 years old, and Charles — born in 1901 and dying in 1914 — would have been just 13 years old at the time of his death. His enlistment reflects the era’s practice of accepting under‑age boys into Territorial units for signalling, music, and camp duties.

Charles Henry Newbury
Cwmgelli Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Death and Burial

On 23 December 1914, Charles died at Swansea Hospital, still only 13 years of age. His death came during the first winter of the war, at a time when many Territorial Force units were still preparing for overseas service. His body was laid to rest at Cwmgelli Cemetery, where he is commemorated among the earliest military burials of the First World War.