In memory of William and Thomas Jenkins
William John Jenkins (born 1885) and Thomas Jenkins (born 1894) were two of the children of Stephen and Sarah Jenkins. Stephen was a boilermaker from Pembrokeshire. Sarah was from Taunton, Somerset. William was born in Bampton, Devon, and Thomas in Newbridge.
In 1901 they all lived together at 1 Panteg Terrace, Newbridge., and William was working as a haulage signal driver in a colliery. This was likely to be South Celynen Colliery, close to their home. Thomas was still at school.
In 1908 William married Lydia Mary Ellen Burden from Wincanton, Somerset, at Newport Market. His younger sister Lilian got married on the same day.
William and Lydia went on to have two children, Doris May Jenkins and Stephen Charles Jenkins. In 1911 they were living in 3 Brook Street, Abercarn, and William was a coal hewer.
Stephen had died by 1911, and Thomas was living at 34 Hill Street, Newbridge, with his mother. Thomas was a coal hewer at South Celynen Colliery, and is pictured above.
During the First World War, William and Thomas both enlisted in the army at Newport.
After training, Thomas travelled to Belgium as a Private in the Welsh Regiment. Eight days after reaching the front line, he was killed in the Second Battle of Ypres. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Menin Gate memorial in Ypres.
William served as a Private in the South Wales Borderers for nine months before being killed in action in the Battle of the Somme, in France. He too has no known grave. He is one of more than 72,000 named on the Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, in Thiepval.
William’s death at the age of 31 meant that he never got to see his infant son, Stephen.
Thanks to Laura Pike, great great granddaughter of William
Return to Newbridge war memorial page