In memory of William and Fred Worth
William and Fred Worth were two of the 10 children of William and Eliza Jane Worth of Neath, writes John Thomas. Their first three children – Arthur, William and Fred – were born in Devon, where William was an agricultural labourer, in 1885, 1886 and 1890 respectively. The other seven were born in Neath, where the family had moved by 1893. In 1901, William (the father) worked as a gravedigger. His last address, before he died in 1936, was 125 Leonard Street, Neath.
Fred Worth (pictured left) joined the South Lancashire Regiment, serving in the 2nd Battalion. He was killed on 22 March 1918, aged 28, as the battalion entered the fray near Bethencourt, France. The German army had begun a powerful attack, in which it regained much of the ground the Allies had won at the Battle of the Somme. The battalion couldn’t stop the Germans crossing the river Somme and had to retreat.
Fred’s body was never recovered. He is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, in the Somme region of France.
His brother William was an engine roller boy on the roads before the war. By 1911 he was a driver of steam rollers, living at 9 Hillside. In 1905 he married Elizabeth Williams, native of Waunarlwydd, and they set up home in Stepney Road, Sketty. He joined the Welsh Regiment, serving with the 6th Battalion, and was promoted to Sergeant.
He returned to Britain from the Western Front after falling ill. He died at home on 11 February 1915, aged 28, from acute pericarditis, pneumonia and exhaustion. He was buried at Llantwit Cemetery, Neath. His widow was buried in the same grave in 1952, despite having remarried.
Arthur Worth (pictured above right) survived the war and died, aged 88, in 1973. He used to show young relatives the shrapnel that remained embedded in his legs, beneath the skin.
The fourth brother, Harry, also served. The photo on the left shows him (far left) with comrades in Egypt during war service.
With thanks to Jonathan Skidmore for additional information and photos
Return to listing page (war memorial in St Thomas' Church, Neath)
