David John Allis - Private - Worcestershire Regiment – 2nd Battalion

 

John Allis and Catherine Davies
marriage certificate
St. Mary's Church, Swansea

David John Allis was born in Swansea in 1878, the son of John Allis and Catherine Davies, who had married at St. Mary’s Church, Swansea, on 27th January 1866.

1881 Census

At the time of the 1881 Census, the Allis family were living at 56 Wellington Street, Swansea. David’s father, John, aged 40, was employed as a general labourer, and his place of birth was recorded as Cloenburg, Germany. His mother, Catherine, aged 38, had been born in Llanrhystud, Cardiganshire.

The couple had five children living at home. Margaret, aged 14, Catherine, 11, Thomas H., 8, and David J., 4, were all recorded as attending school. The youngest member of the household was Ada J., aged three.

1891 Census

Ten years later, the 1891 Census recorded the family living at 58 Wellington Street, Swansea. John, now aged 48, continued to work as a general labourer. Although his birthplace was again recorded as Germany, the census confirmed that he had become a naturalised British subject. His wife, Catherine, was recorded as 43 years old.

Several of their children were still living at home. Catherine, aged 24, was employed as a dressmaker, while Thomas H., 18, worked as a railway checker. David J., now 14, had entered employment as a messenger. His younger sisters, Ada I., aged 13, and Florence A., 9, were both attending school.

1901 Census

By the time of the 1901 Census, the family had moved to 8 Thomas Street, Swansea. John, now aged 61, was employed as a timber yard labourer, while his wife, Catherine, was 59 years old.

Only three of their children remained at home. Catherine, aged 30, continued to work as a dressmaker, while David, now 24, was also living at the family home. Their youngest daughter, Florence, aged 20, had followed her elder sister into the dressmaking trade.

Sadly, the following year, in 1902, David's mother, Catherine, died. She was laid to rest at Danygraig Cemetery, Swansea. David would have been approximately 24 years old at the time of her death.

1911 Census

By the time of the 1911 Census, the family had moved once again and were living at 8 Coedsaeson Crescent, Sketty, Swansea.

David's father, John, now aged 73, was still employed as a labourer. Interestingly, his place of birth was recorded on this census as "At Sea", differing from the earlier census returns, which had given Germany as his birthplace.

Only two of his children remained in the household. His daughter Catherine, aged 41, was living at home, along with David John, now aged 33, who was employed as a labourer.

With the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, David was among the many men from Swansea who entered military service. He joined the Worcestershire Regiment and served as a Private with its 2nd Battalion, a regular army battalion which saw extensive service on the Western Front.

The 2nd Battalion formed part of the 5th Brigade, 2nd Division, and took part in some of the major engagements of the war, including the Battle of Loos in September 1915.

On 25th September 1915, British forces launched a major offensive against the German positions around Loos-en-Gohelle, in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France. The Battle of Loos was one of the largest British offensives of 1915 and saw fierce fighting, heavy casualties and the first large-scale use of poison gas by the British Army.

The fighting continued into the following day, with British troops attempting to advance against strongly defended German positions.

Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects

It was during this period of intense fighting that David disappeared. The Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects record that his death was officially presumed to have occurred on 26th September 1915, the second day of the Battle of Loos.

David was approximately 37 years old when he lost his life.

His body was never recovered or identified, and he has no known grave. His name is commemorated on the Loos Memorial, at Dud Corner Cemetery, Loos-en-Gohelle, Pas-de-Calais, France. The memorial commemorates more than 20,000 British and Commonwealth servicemen who fell in the region during the First World War and have no known grave.

For his elderly father, John, and his surviving brothers and sisters back in Swansea, David's death brought the devastating loss of a son and brother who had left his home in Sketty to serve his country.

His father had already endured the loss of his wife, Catherine, in 1902, and now faced the tragedy of losing his son during the war.