David Smith Jenkins – 46th Battalion, Canadian Infantry (Canadian Expeditionary Force)

Private David Smith Jenkins – 46th Battalion, Canadian Infantry (Canadian Expeditionary Force)

David Smith Jenkins was born in 1881 in Llansamlet, Swansea, the son of Evan Jenkins and Florence Smith, who married in Swansea in 1879. He grew up within a chapel‑centred household shaped by education, respectability, and the strong Nonconformist traditions of the district.

Family Background

1891 Census

The 1891 Census records the Jenkins family living at 8 Brookland Terrace, Swansea, where Evan Jenkins, aged 38, served as a Congregational Minister, and his wife Florence, aged 36, managed the household. Their children — David S., 10; Florence A., 7; and Jane E. M., 5 — were raised within a respectable ministerial home, assisted by their servant Annie E. Beynon, aged 31, whose presence reflects the standing of the family in late‑Victorian Swansea.

1901 Census

By 1901, David — then aged 20 — was living away from home as a boarder at Herbert House, North Parade, Aberystwyth, where he was recorded as a Student, studying London Mathematics. His academic path suggests a young man preparing for a professional career.

Royal Edward Passenger List

Emigration to Canada

In 1912, David Jenkins emigrated to Canada, embarking on the Royal Edward from the Port of Bristol, bound for Montreal. The outward passenger list recorded his occupation as “Farming,” indicating his intention to begin a new life on the Canadian prairies, as many Welsh emigrants did during this period.

Attestation Papers

Military Service

In 1916, David enlisted as a Private in the Canadian Infantry, serving with the 46th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. His surviving Attestation Papers recorded his civilian occupation as Teacher, showing that he had moved from farming into education during his years in Canada.

1916 Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta

Later that year, he appeared in the Canada Census of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, residing on Front Street, Yorkton, where he was listed simply as a Soldier. His service formed part of the wider contribution made by thousands of British emigrants who joined the Canadian forces during the First World War.

Illness, Death, and the King’s Canadian Red Cross Special Hospital

After serving through the war, David Jenkins — now associated with 7 Cwmdonkin Terrace, Swansea — died on 28 December 1918 at the King’s Canadian Red Cross Special Hospital, Bushy Park, Middlesex.

This hospital, located at Upper Lodge in Bushy Park, was one of the most significant Canadian military medical centres in Britain. Established in 1915 with the permission of King George V, it transformed a neglected estate into a modern convalescent hospital for Canadian troops. Initially opened with 30 beds, it expanded rapidly to accommodate 250 patients, with purpose‑built ward huts, a dental clinic, laboratory, dispensary, and extensive recreational facilities — including a concert hall donated by Mrs. Robert Gooderham of Toronto.

The hospital grounds were restored by Canadian personnel, who cleared undergrowth, repaired buildings, replanted gardens, and created a peaceful environment intended to aid recovery. The King and Queen visited in March 1916, praising the transformation of the estate and the care provided to Canadian soldiers.

David Smith Jenkins
Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapel, Llansamlet credit - findagrave

By the time David Jenkins was admitted in late 1918, the hospital was a major centre for long‑term recovery, chronic illness, and post‑combat rehabilitation. His death there places him among the many servicemen who survived the war itself but succumbed to illness during the difficult months of demobilisation.

Burial

David’s body was brought home to Swansea, where he was buried at Bethel Welsh Congregational Chapel, Llansamlet, returning finally to the chapel community in which he had been raised.