William John Thomas – Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, 5th Battalion, Royal Naval Division

Ordinary Seaman William John Thomas – Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, 5th Battalion, Royal Naval Division (served as William John Davies)

William John Thomas was born in 1895 in Cockett, Swansea, the son of William Thomas and Bertha Thomas. His early years were shaped by the mining communities of Waunarlwydd, where families lived by the demanding rhythms of colliery life.

Family Life

1901 Census

The 1901 Census records the Thomas family residing at Old Road, Collier’s Row, Waunarlwydd. William, aged 29, worked as a Coal Miner Hewer, while his wife Bertha, aged 32 and born in Somerset, managed the household. Their children were William J., aged 6, and Glyndwr, aged 4. Also present was a visiting family — Elizabeth A. Jones, 29, and her children William E., 6; Caroline, 4; and Sidney J., 10 — reflecting the close communal ties typical of mining districts.

1911 Census

A decade later, the 1911 Census shows the family still at Old Road, Collier’s Row. William, now 40, remained a Coal Miner, and Bertha, aged 41 and recorded as Lancashire‑born, continued to run the home. Their children had grown: William, 16, and Glyndwr, 14, were both Tinworkers, while younger siblings Beatrice, 9; Evan David, 8; and Catherine, 6 completed the household.

Military Service

When war broke out, William enlisted under the name William John Davies, serving as an Ordinary Seaman with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, attached to the 5th Battalion, Royal Naval Division. The battalion — originally known as Howe Battalion — was part of the unique Royal Naval Division, a formation of naval personnel trained and deployed as infantry. These men, many of them civilian volunteers, fought in major theatres including Antwerp, Gallipoli, and later the Western Front.

Death and Burial

William John Thomas died on 21 March 1915, during the early and costly months of the First World War. His body was brought home to Waunarlwydd, where he was laid to rest at Bethany English Baptist Chapel. His grave stands among those of the community that shaped his early life, a reminder of the sacrifices made by Swansea’s mining families during the war.