Thomas Poiner – Royal Army Medical Corps

Private Thomas Poiner – Royal Army Medical Corps

The final First World War–era military burial at Morriston Cemetery

John Poiner and Jane Williams marriage certificate parish church of Pilleth, Radnorshire

Thomas Poiner was born in 1884, at Kingsland, Herefordshire, the son of John Poiner and Jane Williams, who had married in 1883 at the parish church of Pilleth, Radnorshire.

1891 Census – Springfield Terrace, Llangyfelach

1891 Census

By 1891, the Poiner family were living at Springfield Terrace, Llangyfelach. John, aged 34 and born in Herefordshire, worked as a Steelworker, while his wife Jane, also 34 and likewise from Herefordshire, kept the home. Their children were Thomas (7) and Alice (5), both attending school, along with Sarah (4) and William J. (1). The census shows a young family newly settled in the industrial districts around Morriston.

1901 Census – Pleasant Street, Llangyfelach

1901 Census

A decade later, the family were recorded at 67 Pleasant Street, Llangyfelach. John, now 44, continued his work in the steel works, and Jane, aged 44, remained at home. Their children were Thomas (17), working as an apprentice in the laundry trade; Sarah (14); and William J. (11). Thomas’s early working life reflects the varied trades available to young men in the Morriston area at the turn of the century.

Marriage and 1911 Census – Clase Road, Morriston

In 1910, Thomas married Rosanna Griffiths.

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the couple were living at 77 Clase Road, Morriston. Thomas, aged 27, was employed as a Scruff Furnace Worker, while Rosanna, aged 24, managed the home. Their household was typical of Morriston’s industrial families in the years immediately before the First World War.

Military Service

During the First World War, Thomas Poiner served as a Private in the Royal Army Medical Corps, one of the many Morriston men who joined the RAMC to support medical care, evacuation, and treatment of the wounded across the war’s many theatres.

1921 Census – Pentremalwed Road, Morriston

1921 Census

Following the war, the 1921 Census records the Poiner family living at 88 Pentremalwed Road, Morriston. Thomas, aged 37, was a Gas Producerman in the steel works, employed by Dyffryn Steel Works, though at the time of the census he was out of work—a reflection of the difficult economic conditions faced by many returning servicemen. Rosanna, aged 35, undertook the household duties. Their children were Dulcie (9), Derek (8), Nancy Mary (6), Howard (4), and Dora (3), forming a busy post‑war family home.

Thomas Poiner 
Morriston Cemetery
credit - cwgc.org

Death and Burial

Thomas Poiner died on 3 August 1921, aged 37. He was buried at Morriston Cemetery, becoming the last military burial connected to the First World War within the cemetery’s records.