The war memorial in Tredegarville Baptist church took the form of the three story house adjacent to the church. The memorial tablet which was originally mounted in the house has since been moved into the church itself.
Tredegarville Baptist Church war memorial
Transcription of the memorial tablet:
TREDEGARVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH
THIS MEMORIAL HOUSE IS DEVOTED TO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND AN AFFECTIONATE MEMORY OF THE UNDER-MENTIONED
MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH AND CONGREGATION WHO
FELL IN THE GREAT WAR 1914 – 1918
G.W.BERRY J.M.CLARK W.H.GRIFFITH A.D.PROSSER
W.J.BERRY P.R.DAVIES I.MORTIMORE W.S.RODD
R.A.BEVAN T.DAVIES W.J.R.PARSONS D.M.ROSENBLOOM
J.B.BOWYER H.I.EDWARDS A.T.PATERSON F.H.SONNTAG
G.BRYANT H.FENTON A.E.PERRY G.A.STEPHENS
H.CREWS I.GEORGE H.T.PRICE T.E.STEER
A DONATION WAS MADE FROM THE ESTATE OF DAME ELLEN WEBB
WIFE OF SIR HENRY WEBB. BART. LLWYNARTHEN TOWARDS THE
FURNISHING OF THIS HOUSE IN PROUD AND LOVING MEMORY OF
THOMAS HARRY BASIL WEBB 2nd LIEUT OF THE WELSH GUARDS
WHO WAS KILLED IN ACTION AT GOUZEAUCOURT ON 1st DEC 1917
THE ABOVE TABLET WAS REMOVED FROM THE MEMORIAL HOUSE AND PLACED IN THE CHURCH ON 11th NOVEMBER 1950
THIS TABLET IS ERECTED IN LOVING AND AFFECTIONATE REMEMBRANCE
OF THE FOLLOWING MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH AND CONGREGATION
WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR 1939-1945
DEREK DUTTON LLEWELLYN DUTTON JOHN H IRVING
GWENDOLINE BRAGG ERIC PERKINS
The stories of some of those people on the plaque that have been researched are found lower down.
The following newspaper article from the Cardiff Times, 6th December 1919 describes the setting up of the memorial house:
Transcription of the above newspaper article:
Tredegarville Church Inaugural Ceremony
The members of the Tredegarville Baptist Church, Cardiff, have acquired as a memorial to those of their number who fell in the war at commodious three storey building adjacent to the church. This building, which was known as Trafalgar House, has been re-christened the Tredegarville Memorial House, and it, will be used for the purpose of carrying on the social life of the church. The premises contain a tablet bearing the names of the members who have fallen and an intimation that a donation was made from the estate of Dame Ellen Webb, wife of Sir Henry Webb, Bart, Llwynarthen, towards: the furnishing of this house, in memory of 2nd Lieutenant Thomas Harry Basil Webb, of the Welsh Guards. The purchase, renovating, and furnishing of the house has cost about £3,000. The place has been so arranged as to develop the “home” note, and is provided with a tea -room, games room, reception room, reading room, writing room, and ladies room. Every effort has been made by a judicious selection of pictures to make the house beautiful as well as comfortable.
The opening ceremony took place an Saturday afternoon, presided over by the Lord Mayor (Councillor G. F. Forsdike, J.P.). The doors were formally opened by Miss Cory, .Oscar House, and Sir Harry Webb unveiled the memorial tablet. A dedication service was held, conducted by the pastor, the Rev, B. Grey. Griffith, B.D. Tea was afterwards served in the schoolroom, and addresses were delivered by the Lord Mayor, the Rev. Charles Davies, the Rev. J. Phillip Rogers, B.A. Mr. D. W. Evans: Mr W. H. Mayne, secretary of the church; Mr H. L. Jones, and Sir Thomas Hughes. Mr W. H, Mayne paid a warn tribute to the work accomplished by the pastor towards the acquisition of the house. The Lord Mayor said he was very pleased. that the memorial had taken the form of house for the social life of the church, and he would be pleased to see every place of worship with a similar institution. The: Rev. Charles Davies, Vice president of the Cardiff and District: Baptist Union, expressed the: hope that the example set by Tredegarville would be followed by other churches,
WWI
JAMES BYRON BOWYER
Sapper, 96th Light Railway Operating Company, Royal Engineers (Service Number: 322820)
James Byron Bowyer was born on 31 Aug 1876 in Griffithstown, Monmouthshire to William Bowyer, a railway worker, originally from Eardisley, Herefordshire and Margaret Bowyer née Jones originally from Abersychan, Monmouthshire. James, like his father, worked on the railways. In 1891, aged 14, he was lodging at Prentrebach and working for GWR. In 1896 he was baptized as an adult at St John the Baptist Church in Cardiff. In 1901 the Bowyer family were back living together at 60 Moorland Road. In 1906 James married Annie Pound, originally from Bideford, Devon in Cardiff. They went on to have a son and daughter together and lived at 91 Moorland Road, Splott. In 1915 he was charged with stealing a large number of wooden ‘keys’ from GWR which had been found in his coal shed. The company however stated that they did not want to press the case as James had a long service and was of good character. In WWI he served as a Sapper with the 96th Light Railway Operating Company, Royal Engineers. He was one of 600 people who lost their lives when the troopship Aragon was torpedoed off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt on 30 Dec 1917. He was 41 years old. His body was recovered and he is buried at Alexandria (Hadra) War Cemetery, Egypt (grave A.123). The newspaper report of his death states he was formerly in the employment of the Prudential Insurance Company. He is remembered on the Splott War Memorial and the Tredegarville Baptist War Memorial plaque. He is also remembered on the headstone of his brother’s grave at Cathays Cemetery (grave Y1270). Commonwealth War Graves Commission record. His niece Gwendoline Rebecca Bragg was killed in an air raid when working as a nurse in Canterbury in WWII and is also remembered on the Tredegarville Baptist Church War Memorial plaque.
Pic credits: Wikipedia (left) Ted Richards (right)
ALEXANDER THOMAS PATERSON
Private, 1st Battalion, Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) (Service Number S/9446, 442019)
Alexander Thomas Paterson was born on 12 Aug 1893 in Cardiff to Thomas Paterson, a tailor, originally from Glasgow and Selina Paterson nee Peters originally from Pembrokeshire. He attended Adamsdown and later Crwys Road school. He also attended Tredegaville Baptist church. In 1901 the Paterson family lived at 13 St Peter Street and in 1904 they had moved to Crwys Road. His father died in 1906 aged 54. In 1911 the Paterson family had moved again to 69 Shakespeare Street, Roath and Alex was working as a general assistant at a wall paper merchant. By 1913 he was a fitters mate and a member of the National Union of Railwaymen. When he enlisted in Perth in June 1915 in the Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) he gave his profession as a brakesman. He was posted to the Western Front and shot and wounded in the right shoulder in Feb 1916 at the Battle of Loos. On recovering he was transferred to the Labour Corps in Nov 1917. By June 1, 1918 Alexander and the Labour Corps were serving at the line of the Hohenzoller Sector when Etaples Military Hospital, 15 miles south of Boulogne was bombed by the German forces. Alex died aged 24 as a result of being wounded in the bombing. He is buried at the Etaples Military Cemetery (grave LXVII. E. 18). He is remembered on the war memorial plaque at Tredegaville Baptist Church and the Cardiff Railway employees Roll of Honour at the Pierhead Building in Cardiff Bay. Commonwealth War Grave Commission record.
WWII
GWENDOLINE REBECCA BRAGG
Civilian Casualty
Gwendoline Rebecca Bragg was born on 24 Jul 1912 in Cardiff to Albert Thomas Bragg, a dairyman, originally from Winsham, Somerset and Alice Beatrice Bragg née Boyer, originally from Griffithstown, Monmouthshire. The Bragg family lived at 2 Westville Road from where Albert Bragg ran the Bedford Dairy milk delivery business. Gwen trained to be a nurse and in 1939 was living at Kent & Canterbury Hospital, Ethelbert Road, Canterbury and described as a probationary nurse. She was one of two nurses killed in an air raid on Burgate Street, Canterbury on 11 Oct 1940. She was 28 years old and engaged to be married to Robert Gilchrist Gentleman Drake who himself later qualified as a nurse. Her body was returned to Cardiff and the funeral service held at Minster Hall church. Commonwealth War Graves Commission record. She is remembered on Tredegarville Baptist Church war memorial plaque. (One of those killed in the same street that night was Cissie Hill, cabaret dancer, who had been engaged to Sultan of Johor).
Roath Local History Society 