William Glanford Hopkins – Royal Artillery, 225 Light Anti‑Aircraft Regiment

Gunner William Glanford Hopkins – Royal Artillery, 225 Light Anti‑Aircraft Regiment

Early Life and Family Background

William Glanford Hopkins was born in 1903 in Swansea, the son of William Llewellyn Hopkins and Mary Hopkins. Few surviving records shed light on his early childhood, and he appears only intermittently in official documentation before adulthood.

1921 Census – Early Military Service

1921 Census

William is recorded on the 1921 Census as an 18‑year‑old Private serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps. At the time, he was stationed at Ellwood, The Roe, St Asaph, marking the beginning of a military career that would continue into the Second World War. His early enlistment reflects the long tradition of Welsh service in the medical and support branches of the Army.

Marriage

William later married Annie Maud Hopkins, establishing his own household during the interwar years.

Military Service – Royal Artillery

During the Second World War, William served as a Gunner in the Royal Artillery, attached to the 225 Light Anti‑Aircraft Regiment. Units of this type played a vital role in defending Britain’s industrial centres, ports, and military installations from Luftwaffe attack, operating mobile and static anti‑aircraft guns across the country.

William Glanford Hopkins
St. Samlet Churchyard, Llansamlet
credit - findagrave

Death and Burial, May 1944

William Glanford Hopkins died on 18 May 1944, during a period of intense anti‑aircraft activity and heavy operational demands on home‑defence units. His body was brought home to Swansea and laid to rest at St. Samlet Churchyard, Llansamlet, where his grave stands among the parish’s wartime burials.