Trevor Joseph – Royal Engineers, 20th Signal Company

Driver Trevor Joseph – Royal Engineers, 20th Signal Company

Early Life

Trevor Joseph

Trevor Joseph was born in 1889 in Morriston, Swansea, the son of David Joseph and Ann Anthony. He grew up in a large tin‑working family typical of the industrial communities stretching along Llangyfelach Road and Tirpenry Street at the turn of the century.

1891 Census

1891 Census

At the time of the 1891 Census, the Joseph family were residing at 24 Llangyfelach Road, Swansea. David, aged 41, worked in the Tin Works, and his Irish‑born wife Ann, aged 36, managed the home. Their children present were John (11); Gwilym (7); Susanna (5)—all attending school—and Trevor (2).

1901 Census

1901 Census

A decade later, at the 1901 Census, the family were living at 65 Tirpenry Street, Morriston. David, now 52, continued working in the Tin Works, and Ann, aged 46, oversaw the household. Their children present were John (21), a Furnaceman; Gwilym (17), a Shoemaker; Susy (13), employed at the Brick Works; Trevor (12); Griffith (9); Sarah A. (7); Ethel (5); and Elizabeth M. (2).

1911 Census

1911 Census

David Joseph died in 1910, and by the 1911 Census the remaining family were still residing at 65 Tirpenry Street. Ann, aged 56, now recorded her birthplace as Llanedy, Carmarthenshire. Her children present were Trevor (21), working as Wheeling Plates in Tinworks; Griffith (19), a Betrinding worker in Tinworks; Sarah Ann (17), an Opener in Tinworks; Ethel (15), a Dressmaker Apprentice; and Elizabeth (12), attending school.

Military Service

Trevor served as a Driver with the Royal Engineers, attached to the 20th Signal Company. Signal companies were responsible for communications, telegraphy, and maintaining vital lines of contact between units—work that demanded technical skill and constant exposure to danger.

Trevor Joseph 
Seion Welsh Baptist Chapel, Morriston credit - findagrave

Death and Burial

South Wales Daily Post

Trevor’s death was reported in the South Wales Daily Post. He died from rheumatic fever at a military hospital in Woking on 17 February 1915. 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 landscape.