William Edward Hughes – Royal Artillery, 349 Battery, 76 Heavy Anti‑Aircraft Regiment

Gunner William Edward Hughes – Royal Artillery, 349 Battery, 76 Heavy Anti‑Aircraft Regiment

Early Life and Family Background

William Edward Hughes was born in 1904 in Morriston, Swansea, the son of Morgan Hughes and Mary Hannah Davies, who had married in 1903 in Swansea.

1911 Census

The 1911 Census records the family living at 56 Cwmbath Road, Morriston, where Morgan, aged twenty‑eight, worked as a doubler in the tinplate industry, and Mary Hannah, aged twenty‑seven, managed the home. Their children present were William Edward, aged seven; Brinley, five; Alice, three; and Edris, nine months old.

1921 Census – A Larger Household

1921 Census

By the 1921 Census, the Hughes family were still living at 56a Cwmbath Road. Morgan, now thirty‑nine, was employed as a rollerman at the Morriston Tinplate Works, while Mary Hannah, aged thirty‑eight, continued her household duties. Their children present were William Edward, sixteen, working as a wheeler at Duffryn Steel & Tinplate Works; Alice G., twelve; Edris, ten; and Thomas H., eight, all attending school. Younger children Ethel, aged four; Leonard, two; and Elizabeth, aged one, completed the busy household.

Marriage

In 1931, William married May Parkhouse, establishing his own home in Swansea during the interwar years.

Military Service – Heavy Anti‑Aircraft Regiment

William later enlisted as a Gunner in the Royal Artillery, serving with 349 Battery, 76 Heavy Anti‑Aircraft Regiment. Units of this type formed a crucial part of Britain’s air‑defence network, protecting industrial centres, ports, and military installations from Luftwaffe attack during the Second World War.

William Edward Hughes
St. Samlet Churchyard, Llansamlet
credit - findagrave

Death and Burial, June 1942

William Edward Hughes died on 22 June 1942, during a period of intense anti‑aircraft activity across Britain. His body was brought home to Llansamlet, where he was buried at St. Samlet Churchyard, one of the wartime military burials connected to the parish.