In memory of Hugh Gwilym Jones
Hugh Gwilym Jones (known as Gwilym) was the second son of Robert and Margaret Jones. He had many siblings. In 1901 they were Edward (older brother), Joseph, Robert and David, and baby sister Elizabeth.
At that time the family lived at Stafford House in Bridge Street, Corwen. Robert worked as a postman but had died by 1911, when Margaret was living in Railway Terrace with her children who had not yet grown up.
Gwilym followed in his father’s footsteps and worked for the General Post Office, first as a telegraph messenger based at Corwen post office. He was later promoted to relief postman for the areas between Corwen and Llandrillo and between Corwen and Bryneglwys. He worshipped at Corwen’s Welsh Calvinistic Methodist chapel.
He left the area when he became a postman for the Blaenau Ffestiniog area. Six months later he was promoted to the large post office in Bangor, where he worked as a postman for about six years. His uncle Tegid Davies lived in Bangor.
Gwilym joined the London Regiment (Post Office Rifles) and served as a Rifleman. He was killed by a grenade while in the trenches of the Western Front on 10 April 1916. He was 25 years old. He is buried at Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery in Souchez, France.
His commanding officer wrote to Margaret that Gwilym had only recently joined his company, on 28 February, and was a popular and “first rate soldier” and an excellent worker. She later moved to Windsor in Ontario, Canada.
Gwilym is commemorated on the Bangor GPO First World War memorial as well as Corwen war memorial.
Return to Corwen war memorial page
Return to Bangor Post Office war memorials page
