Talbot Vivian Wayman Roberts – Royal Army Ordnance Corps

Captain Talbot Vivian Wayman Roberts – Royal Army Ordnance Corps

Talbot Vivian Wayman Roberts

Early Life and Family Background

Talbot Vivian Wayman Roberts was born in 1881 in Warrington, Lancashire, the son of John Wayman Roberts and Matilda Janie Curtin.

John Wayman Roberts and Matilda Janie Curtin marriage certificate parish church of Walton‑on‑the‑Hill, Everton

His parents had married in 1878 at the parish church of Walton‑on‑the‑Hill, Everton, establishing a family rooted in the industrial and civic life of late‑Victorian Lancashire. Although no census returns survive that record Talbot directly, his early years were shaped by this Warrington household and by the military traditions already present within his wider family.

A Family Steeped in Military Service

The Warrington Guardian article reveals that Talbot’s father, Quartermaster‑Sergeant J. W. Roberts, enjoyed a long and distinguished military career that profoundly shaped the environment in which Talbot was raised. According to the Guardian’s reporting, Roberts served more than twenty‑one years in the Army, including seven years in India, and advanced rapidly through the ranks owing to his recognised efficiency, discipline, and natural military ability. Before joining the South Lancashire Regiment as a drummer, he had already demonstrated considerable promise as a sergeant in the St. Elphin’s Company of the Church Lads’ Brigade, an early indication of the leadership qualities that would define his career. His subsequent promotion to first‑class warrant rank further illustrates the high regard in which he was held by his superiors.

The Warrington Guardian also recorded a more personal and poignant moment in Roberts’s life. In 1916, after returning to Warrington to spend time with relatives, he was suffering from the effects of shell shock, the strain of recent fighting having taken a severe toll on his health. He required treatment at the Lord Derby War Hospital, a reminder of the physical and emotional burdens carried by long‑serving soldiers. This background of service, sacrifice, and resilience, preserved in the Guardian’s reporting, formed the world in which Talbot grew up and clearly influenced the military path he later followed.

Military Distinction and Public Recognition

The Warrington Guardian also states that Talbot’s own military achievements were publicly recognised during the First World War. In September 1917, the newspaper reported his receipt of the Medal of St. George, 1st Class, together with the Silver Medal, honours awarded for distinguished service. The Guardian further recorded that Sergeant‑Major Roberts—Talbot himself—was listed among those receiving foreign decorations conferred by the King of Serbia, including the Order of the White Eagle and an additional Silver Medal. These honours, as detailed by the Warrington Guardian, reflect exceptional merit and international recognition, marking Talbot as a soldier of notable bravery, capability, and distinguished service.

Marriage and Clara Beatrice Williams

Talbot Vivian Wayman Roberts and Clara Beatrice Williams
marriage certificate
St. Paul's Church, Landore, Swansea

Earlier in 1917, during the same year in which his military honours were reported, Talbot Vivian Wayman Roberts married Clara Beatrice Williams at St. Paul’s Church, Landore, Swansea.

1921 Census

Clara’s background becomes clearer through both the 1921 Census and later household documentation. In 1921, Clara is recorded residing at her parents’ home at 26 Mysydd Road, Landore, listed as Clara Beatrice Roberts, living with her young son Eric Vivian Waynan, aged three. This entry places her firmly within the close‑knit industrial community of Landore, surrounded by family support during the early years of motherhood.

The later household schedule further reveals Clara’s family environment. Her father, William William, a Bar Mill Foreman employed at the British Macnamara Tube Company, headed the home. Clara’s brothers—Charles Edward William, a Steel Tube Drawer, and David Evan William, a Lorry Driver—also worked in the same industrial sphere, reflecting the strong connection between her family and Swansea’s metal‑working industries. Clara herself is listed as performing Home Duties, and appears alongside her daughter Katie Marion Wynne Roberts, aged three, born in Glamorganshire. Also present is Mary Roberts, Clara’s niece, aged thirty, illustrating the extended family networks typical of Swansea’s industrial districts.

1939 Register

Life in Swansea and Wartime Movement

Clara’s life during the Second World War is further illuminated by the 1939 Register, which records Clara Beatrice Roberts residing at 68 Brynymor Road, Swansea, together with her daughter Yvonne Beatrice V. This entry shows Clara still rooted in Swansea at the outbreak of war, living within one of the city’s well‑established residential districts. Her presence at Brynymor Road demonstrates continuity of family life in Swansea, even as Talbot’s military duties took him elsewhere.

Later, Clara appears again in the 1939 Register at 2 Isis Street, Wandsworth, undertaking Unpaid Domestic Duties, and residing with her daughter Eileen. This second entry reflects the mobility and disruption experienced by many families during wartime, with Clara adapting to changing circumstances as Talbot continued his service.

Later Service and Decorations

Talbot Vivian Wayman Roberts
Oystermouth Cemetery
credit - findagrave

By the outbreak of the Second World War, Talbot had built a distinguished career across multiple regiments. He had formerly served with the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, a regiment known for its long and honourable service record, before transferring to the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC). At the time of his death, he held the rank of Captain, a senior position within the RAOC, responsible for the supply, maintenance, and management of military equipment—an essential function during wartime. His service was recognised with significant honours: he was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) and awarded the Military Cross (MC), distinctions that testify to leadership, gallantry, and sustained dedication.

Death and Burial

Captain Talbot Vivian Wayman Roberts died on 4 July 1940, during the early months of the Second World War. He was laid to rest at Oystermouth Cemetery, Swansea, where his grave stands as a testament to a life marked by military distinction, international recognition, and service across two major conflicts. His story—now enriched by the detailed records of Clara Beatrice Williams in 1921, 1939, and later household documentation, together with the Warrington Guardian’s accounts of father and son—reflects a family deeply woven into the fabric of Britain’s military and industrial history.