Llanasa parish church

Aug 21, 2014

Hotelier's wartime tribulations


Llangollen hotelier Samuel Johnson had already seen nine of his 17 staff depart on First World War service when he tried, in vain, to get the hotel manager exempted ...

from service. The manager was one of his sons - two others were already in the armed services - and became dangerously ill soon after joining the army, needing military surgeons to operate on him. That was around the time Samuel tried to stop his hotel servant being called up, again without success. Four days before the war ended, another of his sons, Phillip, died in a military hospital. For more on the history of the Royal Hotel, scan the QR codes to the left of the entrance. Or click here