Edith Richards

Service: Sister

Notes: Mother, Mimmi (Sarah) and sister, Edith, to her left, at Tom’s graveside, c.1920; Gunner Thomas Sidney Richards,‘killed in action’, Armentieres, France, 14 March 1918, aged 20 in northern France, c. 1920

Reference: WaW0080

Edith and Mimmi (Sarah) Richards

Photograph of Edith and Mimmi (Sarah) Richards, Mother and sister of Gunner Thomas Sidney Richards, at his grave in France, c.1920; Tom Richards was ‘killed in action’, Armentieres,France

Thomas Richards

Tom Richards was ‘killed in action’, Armentieres, France

May Selwood

Place of birth: Newport

Service: Wife, widow

Death: 1995-11-03, Cause not known

Notes: May’s husband William Henry Selwood died of shell shock on 1st January 1919. She remained a widow for her remaining 76 years – credited with being the longest WW1 widow in Britain. She is buried in Christchurch Cemetery, Newport.

Reference: WaW0106

Grave of May Selwood

Grave of May Selwood who is credited with being the longest WW1 widow in Britain. Christchurch Cemetery, Newport

Death Notice of William Henry Selwood

Death Notice of William Henry Selwood, died 1st January 1919

Maud Starkie Bence

Place of birth: Suffolk

Service: Volunteer, 1914 - 1916

Death: 1916-06-01, Folkestone, Cause not known

Memorial: Memorial brass, St Brynach, Aberhonddu

Notes: Maud Starkie Bence was a former professional golfer, and friend of Lord Glanusk, Lord Lieutenant of Breconshire. At the outbreak of war she undertook registering all motor vehicles in the county for emergency use. Her first appeal was published 13th August 1914. By 20th August she had details of 552 vehicles, with 150 already offered. She went on to raise money for ‘comforts’ for the South Wales Borderers. When she died aged 48 in 1916 a plaque was erected in her memory by the South Wales Borderers.

Sources: The Brecon County Times Neath Gazette and General Advertiser for the Counties of Brecon Carmarthen Radnor Monmouth Glamorgan Cardigan Montgomery Hereford 10th September 1914; The Brecon County Times Neath Gazette and General Advertiser for the Counties of Brecon Carmarthen Radnor Monmouth Glamorgan Cardigan Montgomery Hereford 6th July 1916

Reference: WaW0057

Maud Starkie Bence

Maud Starkie Bence playing golf c 1890

St Brynach's Church, Llanfrynach

Plaque commemorating Maud Starkie Bence, St Brynach's Church, Llanfrynach

Eleanor (or Sarah Jane) Thomas

Place of birth: Cwmbwrla

Service: Munitions Worker

Death: 1919-01-08, NEF Pembrey, Explosion/Ffrwydrad

Memorial: Cenotaph, Swansea, Glamorgan

Notes: aged 20. 'Evidence showed that the explosion occurred when Gwenllian Williams was drilling out a screw from a shell. Eleanor Thomas was carrying in a shell at the time of the explosion.'

Sources: http://newspapers.library.wales/search?query=gwenllian&page=14; The Carmarthen Journal and South Wales Weekly Advertiser

Reference: WaW0059

Swansea Cenotaph

Name of Eleanor Thomas on Swansea Cenotaph

War memorial

Name of Eleanor Thomas on the war memorial at St Stephen's church Swansea.

Catherine Dorothy Thomas

Place of birth: Crai, Sennybridge

Service: Girl

Death: 1918-11-28, Influenza / Y Ffliw

Notes: Dorothy was the second to youngest of 8 children. Her mother died in 1912. The story goes that the family were struck by the great flu after WWI. Dorothy who was 21 years old at the time she looked after the family and nursed them back to health but in 1918 she succumbed and died that year on the 28th of November.' Catrin Edwards

Reference: WaW0105

Catherine Dorothy Thomas c.1912

Catherine Dorothy ‘Dollis’ Thomas, aged about 14. She seems to be wearing mourning, so it may have been taken in 1912 when her mother died.

Celia Janet (standing) and Polly Thomas, c.1912

Celia Janet (‘Sis’) Thomas and her older sister Polly. They seem to be wearing mourning, so it may have been taken in 1912 when their mother died.

Dorothy Mary Watson

Service: Munitions Worker

Death: 1917:07:31 , NEF Pembrey, Explosion / Ffyrwydrad

Memorial: Cenotaph, Swansea, Glamorgan

Notes: aged 19. Died in an 'unexplained' explosion with Mildred Owen and two male workers.

Sources: Funeral / Angladd South Wales Daily Post 11 August / Awst 1917; Inquest/Cwest The Carmarthen Journal and South Wales Weekly Advertiser 24th August / Awst 1917

Reference: WaW0062

Swansea Cenotaph

Name of Dorothy Mary Watson on Swansea Cenotaph

Grave of Dorothy Mary Watson

Grave of Dorathy Mary Watson Dan-y-Graig Cemetery, Swansea

Newspaper report

Report of the funeral of Dorothy Mary Watson and Mildred Owen.

Newspaper Report

Report of inquest into the deaths of Dorothy Mary Watson and Mildred Owen.

Dorothy Mary Watson

Mary’s photograph was collected by the Women’s Subcommittee of the Imperial War Museum as part of its collection of women who died during the War.

Gwenllian (Gwendoline) Williams

Place of birth: Kidwelly

Service: Munitions worker

Death: 1919-01-08, Explosion/Ffrwydrad

Notes: aged 21. Evidence showed that the explosion occurred when Gwenllian Williams was drilling out a screw from a shell. Eleanor Thomas was carrying in a shell at the time of the explosion.'

Sources: http://newspapers.library.wales/search?query=gwenllian&page=14; The Carmarthen Journal and South Wales Weekly Advertiser

Reference: WaW0065

Newspaper report

Newspaper report of the death of Gwenllian (Gwendoline) Williams

Ellen Myfanwy Williams

Place of birth: Cardigan

Service: Nurse, 1914 - 1915

Death: 1915-01-19, West Bromwich Hospital, Cause not known

Memorial: Cenotaph, Cardigan, Cardiganshire

Notes: aged 26. Buried Cardigan cemetery.

Sources: http://www.wwwmp.co.uk/ceredigion-war-memorials/

Reference: WaW0066

Nurse Williams

Name of Ellen Williams on St Mary's Church memorial, Cardigan

Margaret Williams

Place of birth: Holyhead

Service: Stewardess, 1914 - d

Death: 1916-11-03, SS Connemara, Drowning / Boddi

Memorial: War memorial, Holyhead, Anglesey

Notes: aged 32. SS Connemara sank in a collision with the coal carrier Retriever. MW is said to have been on her last shift before her marriage. Her body was never recovered.

Sources: https://sites.google.com/site/holyheadwarmemorial19141918/home/ss-connemara/margaret-williams-stewardess

Reference: WaW0067

Margaret Williams

Margaret Williams, a stewardess on S S Connemara, drowned in a collision at sea.

Hester Millicent MacKenzie (née Hughes)

Place of birth: Bristol

Service: Educationalist, activist

Death: 1942, Brockweir, Cause not known

Notes: Born in 1863, Millicent MacKenzie was appointed associate Professor of Education (women) at the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire (later Cardiff University) in 1904, and full Professor in 1910. She was the first women professor in Wales. She was a co-founder of the Cardiff and District Women’s Suffrage Society in 1908, which by 1914 was the largest outside London with 1200 members. Both before and during the War she was much involved the Girls’ Club of the University Settlement in Splott, Cardiff (where she met her husband, Prof J S Mackenzie). She stood, unsuccessfully as Labour Candidate for the Welsh universities’ seat in the 1918 election, the only woman to stand for a Welsh seat.

Sources: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/nostalgia/how-women-classes-came-together-12596684

Reference: WaW0246

Professor Millicent Mackenzie

Professor Millicent MacKenzie 1915

Newspaper report

Report on women candidates’ results in the 1918 General Election. Cambrian News and Merionethshire Standard 3rd January 1919.

Newspaper report

Report on election expenses, University of Wales candidates. North Wales Chronicle 14th February 1919rn