One relative whom Dad knew only in childhood was his Uncle Sam, son of his grandmother Ellen.
Samuel Philip Williams was born on 22 September 1897, and his father William, a Calvinist Methodist minister at Waunfawr, Caernarfonshire (more on this elsewhere), died on 6 March 1898. After his death, Samuel moved from Waunfawr with his mother Ellen and brother Rowland, being recorded at 12 Constantine Terrace, Llanbellig, a part of Caernarfon, in April 1901. All were recorded as speaking Welsh only. His sister Hannah Phylyp, JPJB’s mother, was sent to live in Wallasey.
12 Constantine Terrace still stands, as does the house in which the Williams family lived, south of Waunfawr in an area now in Snowdonia National Park.
At some time after April 1901, Samuel was put into a children’s home in Caernarfonshire. National School Admission Records suggest, for the date 2 January 1904, that Samuel Philip was then living in “The Orphanage”, and attending a school run by the Caernarvon Board. This record confirms his date of birth as 29 September 1897, and he might have been placed there once he reached school age, which would be in September 1902.
Ellen (and probably Rowland alone) moved to Bryntirion, a house near Knolton, in detached Flintshire. She married Edwin Sadler, of Knolton, in January 1905. Bryntirion was very near to Ted Sadler’s house, just across the Bryn. Both houses still exist, although Bryntirion was ruinous at one point.
Samuel seems to have lived in The Orphanage at Bontnewydd, south of Caernarfon, until at least 1911, when Herald Cymraeg (30 May 1911) recorded him in the area. He was also recorded by the Carnarvon and Denbigh Herald (26 March 1909) as winning a school prize, along with another boy from The Orphanage.
Samuel reached the age of 18 in December 1915, and would then be eligible for military service, although conscription was not introduced until 1916. Sam seems to have served in the Welsh Fusiliers (36827) as a Private. Reg number 9726; Machine gun corps. Class 2-AR, Company WO 329. He was awarded the Victory Medal, as were most combatants in his unit. He seems to have been gassed, or inhaled gas, during the war, which may well have resulted in stomach cancer.
It now seems that the person instrumental in moving him to Wallasey was his sister Hannah, who had moved there, presumably, in 1898. This move seems to have been made after her marriage to Horace Jepson Boughey late in 1916. At that time they set up home together, and, so Mum recalled, she sought out Samuel and secured accommodation for him in Wallasey. She also found a job for him working for a shoe repairer in Victoria Road, Wallasey. Given that his brother Rowland was a cobbler, and Samuel himself was described as a “boot and shoe repairer”, it seems likely that he already had the relevant skills. Hannah Phylyp and Samuel’s uncle was Hughes Price Williams, and it may be that he offered accommodation before his death in April 1918.
He then married Ethel Bailey, who was aged 32 to his 25, in February 1921 at St Mary’s Church in Wallasey, and they went to live at 27 Greenwood Lane in Wallasey. His brother Rowland signed the register, so they must have kept in touch, but how close the dispersed family was is not clear. One speculation is that Sam might have gone to live in Knolton with his mother, brother and half-brothers once he left the orphanage at (presumably) the age of 14 in September 1912 – but this does not fit with the story of his sister bringing him to Wallasey. At the time of the marriage, Sam was living in 1 Milton Road, Seacombe (an address that no longer exists), but it was Ethel who was already living in Greenwood Lane.
He died in St Catherines Hospital, Birkenhead, of stomach cancer, on 8 January 1934, aged 36. He and Ethel had two children – Desmond Philip (1921-2005) and Glyn Philip (1930-2008).
Dad’s only expressed memory – I never pressed him about this – was that he went for Christmas dinner at Knolton, and Uncle Sam ate the whole dinner, but brought up the lot. This must have been disconcerting but Dad said no one minded at all – they were just glad that he had enjoyed Christmas.
Presumably this was Christmas 1932 or 1933. I wish that I – or someone – had asked him more about any memories of Uncle Sam, or for that matter Sam’s brother Rowland. It’s all too late now – we are reliant on family history sources.
It is interesting that it was Horace, JPJB’s father, who was one witness on Samuel’s death certificate. He was very fond of his in-laws, and on the only occasion that I visited Knolton with Grandad, in (I think) 1972, he was positively beaming at being in their company.
April 2015 updated 25 June 2015, 26 October 2016 and revised 9 April 2022 and June 2 2022
Joseph P J Boughey Remembered 