Robert Walters – Royal Artillery, 4 Maritime Regiment

Gunner Robert Walters – Royal Artillery, 4 Maritime Regiment

Early Life

Robert Walters was born in 1903 in Swansea, the son of William Walters and Catherine Gibson, who married in 1880 at Swansea. He grew up in a Hill Street household shaped by shipyard work, confectionery trades, and the steady rhythms of early‑20th‑century Swansea family life.

1911 Census

1911 Census

At the time of the 1911 Census, the Walters family were residing at 7 Hill Street, Swansea. William, aged 51, was employed as a Shipwright, while his wife Catherine, aged 50, managed the home. Their children present were Ethel (21) and Minnie (19), both working as Confectioners; William (15), a Shipwright; David (13); Thomas (10); and Robert (8), all attending school.

1921 Census

1921 Census

William Walters died in 1913, and by the 1921 Census the remaining family were still living at 7 Hill Street. Catherine, now 60, headed the household. Her children present were Minnie (27), a Sugar Boiler employed by Mr F. Holt, Sweet Maker & Confectioner; David John (23), a House Plumber employed by Mr L. Gower, Building Contractor; Thomas (19), a Trick Empty Labourer employed at Graigold Fuel Works; and Robert (18), a Plumber’s Labourer employed by Robert Fishley & Co., House Plumbers, though recorded as out of work. Also present was Thomas Trick (21), Catherine’s nephew, a Painter’s Helper employed by the Midland Railway Co., also out of work.

Marriage

In 1925, Robert married Mary A. Thomas, establishing his own household before entering military service.

Military Service

Robert served as a Gunner with the Royal Artillery, 4 Maritime Regiment, a formation responsible for providing artillery personnel aboard defensively‑equipped merchant ships. Maritime gunners protected convoys from submarine and surface attack, forming a crucial part of Britain’s wartime merchant fleet defence.

Robert Walter
Morriston Cemetery
credit - cwgc

Death and Burial

Robert died on 2 November 1946, and his burial at Morriston Cemetery marked the final interment of 1946. His grave stands among the closing entries of Swansea’s wartime and immediate post‑war military burials.