In Memory of William Edwin Williams
William Edwin Williams was one of three sons of Mr and Mrs John Williams who served in the First World War. The family home was Rose Brae, in Rhiw Road.
He joined the army in February 1914, aged 15, and achieved the rare distinction of being discharged from the army when the war broke out! This was on account of his age. He attempted several times to re-enlist. Eventually he was sent to the front line in France as a Private with the Machine Gun Corps. He worked as a Driver with the corps and was injured twice by nerve gas.
Both of his brothers served during the war. The eldest, Oswald Hope Williams, was married by the time he was conscripted into the Royal Navy, where he was a stoker on HMS Centurion. He died in 1966. It’s thought that Thomas John Williams, the middle brother, served with a cyclist battalion. He died in 1983.
After the war, the family celebrated Christmas 1918 with all three sons at home. The local press reported that all three had survived the war without serious injury. William fell ill with influenza and died on 5 January 1919.
He was given a full military funeral at Bronynant Cemetery, with a 12-strong firing party at his grave and eight pall-bearers from the Machine Gun Corps at Kinmel Camp, near Rhyl. The mourners included his two sisters and his brothers.
