Thomas Smith Morgan – Army Service Corps, 479th Company

Driver Thomas Smith Morgan – Army Service Corps, 479th Company

Thomas Smith Morgan was born in 1896 in Morriston, Swansea, the youngest child of William Morgan and Gwenllian Morgan. He grew up in a well‑established Morriston household supported by his father’s long‑standing grocery business, a family home characterised by stability, education, and domestic assistance.

1901 Census

1901 Census

In 1901, the Morgan family were living at 107 Llangyfelach Road, Swansea, where William, aged 55, continued his work as a Grocer, assisted by his wife Gwenllian, aged 48. Their household included several adult children: Llewellyn (22), a Civil Engineer; Annie (19), a Telegraphist in the Civil Service; Florence (17); Emily (11); Kate (10); Cecilia (9); and young Thomas (5). The presence of three servants—Ellen Hosea, Mary E. Thomas, and Margaret A. Walkes—reflected the family’s comfortable position within Morriston’s commercial community.

1911 Census

1911 Census

A decade later, the family had moved to Ivy Lodge, Morriston, where William, now 65, remained active in his grocery business, supported by Gwenllian, aged 58. Only three children were still at home: Florence (27), assisting in the business; Cecelia (19), helping with household duties; and Thomas Smith (15), still in school. The household continued to employ a servant, Eleanor Hosea, maintaining the same level of domestic support seen in earlier years.

Military Service

Thomas enlisted in the Army Service Corps, serving as a Driver with the 479th Company. Drivers of the ASC played a vital role in transporting supplies, equipment, and personnel—work essential to the functioning of the British Army on every front of the First World War. Their duties were constant, demanding, and often carried out under hazardous conditions.

Thomas Smith Morgan
Seion Welsh Baptist Chapel, Morriston credit - findagrave

Death and Burial

Thomas died on 15 August 1916, during the height of the war. His body was brought home to Morriston and laid to rest at Seion Welsh Baptist Chapel, where his grave forms part of the community’s First World War memorial heritage.