Stephen Donnelly – Royal Artillery, 133 Field Regiment

Gunner Stephen Donnelly – Royal Artillery, 133 Field Regiment

Early Life and Family Background

Stephen Donnelly was born in 1918 in Swansea, the son of Martin Donnelly and Mary Donnelly.

1921 Census

The 1921 Census records the family living at 1 Forge & Hammer Court, Landore, where Martin, aged thirty‑four and originally from Ireland, was employed as a blast furnace man with William Foster & Co., Copper Mill Manufacturers, though at the time of the census he was out of work. Mary, aged thirty‑two, managed the household. Their two young children—Stephen, aged two, and baby Robert, just six months old—completed the family. The census offers a glimpse into a household shaped by industrial labour, economic uncertainty, and the early years of two young sons growing up in Landore.

Military Service – Royal Artillery

As an adult, Stephen entered military service and became a Gunner in the Royal Artillery, 133 Field Regiment, a unit responsible for providing artillery support across multiple theatres of the Second World War. The regiment drew men from across Britain and played a vital role in both home defence and overseas operations.

Stephen Donnelly
Morriston Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Death and Burial

Stephen Donnelly died on 18 April 1942, during the third full year of the war. His death brought an early end to a life rooted in Swansea’s industrial communities and shaped by the service traditions of the Royal Artillery. Stephen was buried at Morriston Cemetery, where his grave stands among the many soldiers, sailors, and merchant seamen who lost their lives during the conflict.