David Walters – Royal Field Artillery, “A” Battery, 251st Brigade

 Driver David Walters – Royal Field Artillery, “A” Battery, 251st Brigade

David Walters was born in 1889 in Swansea, the son of Joseph Walters and Mary Jane Thomas. His early childhood unfolded in the industrial neighbourhoods of Neath Road and later Caerau, where the family lived among colliers, labourers, and school‑age children typical of the South Wales coalfield.

Family Life

1891 Census

The 1891 Census records the Walters family at 171 Neath Road, Swansea, where Joseph Walters, aged 28, worked at the Colliery, and his wife Mary Jane, aged 24, managed the home. Their children present were Margaret, 3, and David, 2. The census depicts a young family at the beginning of its life in the mining districts of Swansea.

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 28 Railway Terrace, Caerau, Bridgend. Joseph, now 48, was employed as a Colliery Miner Labourer Below Ground, and Mary Jane, aged 44, continued to oversee the home. Their children present were David, 22, working as a Colliery Miner Labourer Below Ground; William John, 16, a Colliery Miner Collier Hewer; Michael, 19; Joseph, 11; and Sarah, 8, the younger ones still attending school. The census reflects a household deeply rooted in the mining industry, with multiple sons already employed underground.

David Walters
Cwmgelli Cemetery, Swansea
credit - findagrave

Military Service

David Walters enlisted to serve as a Driver with the Royal Field Artillery, “A” Battery, 251st Brigade. Drivers were responsible for managing the teams of horses that hauled guns, ammunition wagons, and equipment — a role requiring strength, discipline, and skill. The 251st Brigade formed part of the artillery support that sustained infantry operations, providing essential firepower on the Western Front.

Death and Burial

David died on 8 June 1918, while still serving with the Royal Field Artillery. His body was brought home to Swansea and laid to rest at Cwmgelli Cemetery, where he is commemorated among the wartime burials of the First World War.