Hetty Onions

Place of birth: Tredegar ?

Service: QMAAC

Memorial: Wesley Church, Tredegar, Monmouthshire

Notes: The name of Hetty Onions appears on the Roll of Honour (under QM WAACS) formerly in Wesley Church, Harcourt Terrace, Tredegar

Reference: WaW0163

Roll of Honour

Name of Hetty Onions on Roll of Honour

Rose Powell

Place of birth: Tredegar ?

Service: QMAAC

Memorial: Wesley Church, Tredegar, Monmouthshire

Notes: The name of Rose Powell appears on the Roll of Honour (under QM WAACS) formerly in Wesley Church, Harcourt Terrace, Tredegar rn

Reference: WaW0164

Roll of Honour

Name of Rose Powell on Roll of Honour rn

Janet Jones

Place of birth: Llanrwst

Service: Quartermistress, WRAF

Memorial: War Memorial, Llanrwst, Conway

Notes: Aged 28. She is buried at Seion Calvinistic Methodist Chapelyard, Llanrwst.

Reference: WaW0141

War Memorial, Llanrwst

Name of Janet Jones on War Memorial, Llanrwst

Ada May King

Place of birth: not known

Service: Railway Porter, TVR

Notes: Ada, a railway porter, possibly at Aberdare station, was sworn at and ‘struck on the chest’ by one Alfred Collins. He was attempting to avoid paying for a ticket (again).

Reference: WaW0372

Newspaper report

Report of the assault on Ada King. Aberdare Leader 5th May 1917.

Lizzie Veal

Place of birth: Cardiff

Service: Railway Worker, GWR

Notes: Lizzie Veal was associated with Roath Road Wesleyan Methodist Church, Cardiff.The Roath Road Roamer, published monthly from November 1914, contained information about women war workers as well as men. Lizzie was one of ‘our Lady Roamers’, featured in April 1919. At that time she would have been one of over 1000 women employed by the GWR as porters and ticket collectors. Image and information courtesy of Glamorgan Archives (DWESA6).

Sources: https://archifaumorgannwg.wordpress.com/

Reference: WaW0109

Lizzie Veal, Railway Worker

Lizzie Veal was a Great Western Railway worker. She may have been a porter or a ticket clerk.

Margaret Ker Pryse-Rice (Stewart)

Place of birth: Cardiganshire

Service: Red Cross president, Brisitsh Red Cross Society

Death: 1948, Cause not known

Notes: Margaret Pryse-Rice was the mother of Dorothea and Nest. She was President of the Carmarthenshire Branch of the British Red Cross Society and was made a Dame of the British Empire in the New Year Honours of 1918. She died in 1948, aged 72.

Reference: WaW0205

Margaret Pryse-Rice

Margaret Pryse-Rice, c.1890

London Gazette 7th January 1918

London Gazette 7th January 1918, showing the name of Margaret Pryse-Rice

Newspaper report

Report of Margaret Pryse-Rice’s honour in the Carmarthen Journal. The Cambrian News reported it too, but only mentioned her husband’s achievements!

Helena Susanna Adam

Place of birth: Belgium

Service: Refugee

Death: December 1916, School House, Pantycaws, Carbon monoxide poisoning / Gwenwyno gan garbon monocsid

Notes: Helena Adam was a 51 year-old Belgian refugee living with her family near Carmarthen. They arrived from Ostend in November 1914. Her death was caused by fumes from a fire warming their bedroom. The fire was made partly of culm, coal dust mixed with clay and other materials, which was much used at this time owing to the high price of coal. Helena’s husband Jacobus was also affected but later recovered.

Reference: WaW0388

Newspaper report

Report on the inquest on Helena Susanna Adam. Herald of Wales 11th December 1915

Newspaper report

Another report on the inquest on Helena Susanna Adam. South Wales Weekly Post 11th December 1915.

Augusta Devisch (née Dekien)

Place of birth: Belgium

Service: Refugee, wife

Death: 2nd February 1916, ‘long and lingering illness’/ ’salwch hir a throfaus’

Notes: Augusta, born c 1895, was a refugee from Belgium living with her husband Edward, two step children and other family members in Siloa Buildings, Aberdare. The community worshipped at Siloa Chapel which allowed the Belgian Catholics to use the building.

Sources: Aberdare leader 12th February 1916

Reference: WaW0137

Aberdare Leader

Newspaper report of funeral

Maria Eley

Place of birth: Cardiff

Service: Rugby player, munitions worker

Death: 2007, Cause not known

Notes: Maria Eley played fullback for Cardiff Ladies Rugby Team during 1917 and 1918, including a match against Newport ladies in Cardiff Arms Park on December 16th 1917, when she was 16 years old. Cardiff lost. Maria died in 2007 aged 106.

Sources: http://www.scrumqueens.com/news/wales-v-uk-forces-99-years https://cardiffrugbymuseum.org/articles/earliest-photograph-women%E2%80%99s-team

Reference: WaW0240

Newspaper advertisement

Advertisement for Grand Rugby Match 16th December 1917. Western Morning News.

Maria Eley

Cardiff Ladies Rugby Team, probably taken 16th December 1917. Maria is sitting middle row left.

Press cutting

Cutting giving the score of the match played on 15th December 1917. Source not known.

Lilian Eva Rees

Place of birth: Cardiff

Service: Rugby player, munitions worker

Notes: Lilian played rugby for Cardiff Ladies, a team mate of Maria Eley [qv] and probably a co-worker.

Sources: https://cardiffrugbymuseum.org/articles/earliest-photograph-women%E2%80%99s-team

Reference: WaW0397

Lilian Eva Rees

Lilian is sitting between Maria Eley (middle row seated left) and the Captain E Kitson (holding ball). The photograph was almost certainly taken on 15th December 1917.

Newspaper report

Advertisement for the match between Newport Ladies and Cardiff Ladies, 15th December 1917. Western Morning News.

Newspaper report

Cutting giving the score of the match played on 15th December 1917. Source not known.