Richard Phipps – Welsh Regiment

 Private Richard Phipps – Welsh Regiment

The final military burial at St Peter’s Church, Cockett is that of Private Richard Phipps, who served with the Welsh Regiment during the closing years of the Second World War and its aftermath.

Early Life and Family Background

Richard Phipps was born in 1902 in Swansea, the son of George Phipps and Lucy Stanbury, who married in 1889 in Swansea.

1911 Census

The 1911 Census records the Phipps family living at 56 Carmarthen Road, Swansea, where George Phipps, a 49‑year‑old dock labourer born in Pembrokeshire, resided with his wife Lucy, aged 44. Their household included their children: William John, 21, employed as a Beltman at the Patent Fuel Works; Edward James, 18, a Fuel Worker at the same works; George, 16, a Messenger Boy with the Stationery Staff; Joseph, 11; Richard, 9; and Mary Elizabeth, 7, the younger three all attending school. The census presents a picture of a busy working‑class Swansea household shaped by industrial labour and family life.

After the First World War

In 1915, Richard’s father George Phipps died in Swansea, leaving Lucy widowed and the family reliant on the older sons’ wages.

1921 Census

By the 1921 Census, Richard, aged 18, was still living at 56 Carmarthen Road with his widowed mother. He was recorded as a Behinder employed by Richard Thomas & Co. Tin Plate Works, though out of work at the time of the census — a common circumstance during the difficult economic years following the First World War. His brother George, aged 26, was employed as a General Labourer with the National Oil Refiners, helping support the household.

Marriage and Later Life

In 1924, Richard married Miriam Morgan, establishing his own family in Swansea. His working life continued within the industrial trades that shaped the city, and like many men of his generation, he later entered military service during the Second World War.

Richard Phipps
St. Peter's Church, Cockett
credit - findagrave

Service and Death

Richard served as a Private with the Welsh Regiment, one of Wales’s most historic infantry regiments. Although surviving military records for his specific duties are limited, his service places him among the thousands of Welshmen who contributed to Britain’s wartime defence during the conflict and the challenging years that followed.

Richard Phipps died on 15 August 1947, and was laid to rest at St Peter’s, the final military burial in the churchyard. His life — from a Carmarthen Road childhood to wartime service — reflects the quiet endurance of Swansea’s working families and the sacrifices made across two generations of conflict.