Some members of ‘C’ Coy (Mumbles) 12th Bn. Home Guard
recalled by Grafton Maggs & Duncan Bishop
Some members of ‘C’ Coy (Mumbles) 12th Bn. Home Guard
at Oystermouth Castle
Any additional names or details would be welcome
Jack ANDERSON, ex-Welsh Guards, Peace-time enlistment, was CSM, became Drill Sgt. Later joined HG Coy at Central Hall as CSM
Mike ANDERSON, brother, ex Policeman.
Ralph ANDERSON, Marine Villa, Newton Road, Ex-Coldstream Guards,
invalided out as a result of wounds at Dunkirk
Gerald BALSDON, left 1943 to join Royal Artillery, later carpet manager in David Evans
H. BALSDON, Pte. but in charge of the QM stores. Small gentleman’s outfitters in the Dunns near Forte’s
Eddie BEYNON, village boy, member of well-known local plumbing and electrics firm.
Derek Charles BEVAN, Star Supply Stores, killed in RAF on 22 August 1942, age 19. Listed on Roll of Honour.
Dudley BISHOP, of Rotherslade Road, who worked for Richard Thomas and
Baldwin, veteran of WW1, wounded at Passchendale
Duncan BISHOP, Sgt. (later Lt.) Rotherslade Road, later Capt. Bishop, Royal
Sussex Regt., Wounded at D-Day on the beach and later in the Ardennes (badly).in Oxfordshire.
Tom BROWN, John Street, Postman
Eddie BROWN.
Sgt. BURTONSHAW, 2 Platoon.
Lt. BURGESS, Langland, WW1 veteran
Bryn CRITCHETT, Chairman of Mumbles Cricket, man about town.
Chris CUMMINGS, Newton Road, Wallace’s Shoe Shop. WW1 veteran
Edgar DAVIES, Builder
Hubert DAVIES, ‘Boop’, West Cross, Schoolboy. Enlisted RN for 22 Years,
became warrant officer in electronics. High flier.
DAVIES, Major (later Colonel and Bn CO) Moorside Road. HM Inspector of Schools. WW1 veteran & holder of Military Cross.
Cpl. Jack (John) DICKENS >, Overland Road. Postman. WW1 Veteran. - My Uncle: Jack Dickens >
Alfie Dirk, worked for Cliff Rosser the butcher in Newton Road.
Cliff DIXON, 1 Platoon, Driver for Clode’s, lived in Mumbles Road by Church.
Lt. DYSON, Norton? No.2 Platoon.
Len EVANS of the Bonbon Sweetshop, a Scoutmaster.
Cpl. Fred GILL, Norton, WW1 veteran.
Gwyn GRACE, Mumbles.
GRIFFIN, Cpl., Lived over the Maypole in Newton Road, Father of Coralie Kembery.
John Owen HARRIS, Sgt., later Lieutenant. in command of 2 Platoon,
Shipping Magnate Langland.
HAWKINS of Limeslade
HAYES, Lt. (later Capt. and full-time Adjutant for the battalion) Newton Road Knitting Shop. Ex Regular soldier. WW1 veteran.
HILLMAN of Limeslade
Signals. Active service in Europe, returned to Mumbles & became a Chartered Accountant, Married Eira Moss, Pharmacist.
Cyril JAMES, despatch Rider
Bill JEFFERS, Cpl., Coastguard family, known as ‘Plum’.
Albert JENKINS, builder, brother of Cyril.
Corporal Cyril JENKINS of Albert Place, builder.
Sgt. Dan JONES, Fish Merchant, lived at the top corner house in Park Street
George KIRBY, of the firm Rees and Kirby, Langland?
Alex Kostromin, Westbourne Place. I Platoon. Fantastic Engineer. Member of the well known Kostromin family.
Tommy LEWIS left to join Welsh Guards, active service in Europe, still lives in John Street
Grafton MAGGS, Schoolboy, Victoria Inn, Gloucester Place, 1 Platoon, left
1943, Sandhurst and Parachute Regiment, Active service, Central Med
and Middle East Forces.
Frank MARTIN, 1 Platoon, left 1942, enlisted in Royal Welch Fusileers. Sicily landings and Anzio. Father was village police Sgt.,
Joined the Foreign Legion in 1946, returned to Mumbles 1950.
Company Sergeant Major Fred MITCHELL, Postman, lived in Chapel Street, ex WW1, ex regular soldier. Saw much action and served many years with the colours. A fine man, ideal for the job.
Bert MOORE, one time Scoutmaster of 3rd Mumbles scouts
MORIARTY Lt. (later Capt.) Owner of Ladies’ fashion Shop. Due to bombing, moved from Town centre to Walter Road. WW1 veteran.
Eric NICHOLLS, Dock Cottage
Walter O’ NEILL, Newton Road, Radio and Electrics shop, Sgt. i/c of signals in WW1.
Eric OWEN, garage owner, The Dunns, who was one of twins.
Stuart PALMER, son of Bert Palmer, (later Major CO of ‘C’ Coy) West Cross.
George PARSONS, served in RN served on the WW2 Destroyer, HMS Hesperus (alongside Gerry RICHARDS) and after demob. became a Lifeboatman.
Clem PEACHEY, cleaned his boots with lubricating oil.
Harold PEACHEY, same family.
Bill PHILLIPS, Cpl. WW1 veteran, Norton Man?
Billy PHILLIPS, ‘Smiler’ Newton Road, Left 1942 for HM Forces.
Dan PHILLIPS, ‘Mooney’ Sgt., WW1 veteran, Bishopston, English scholar & Teacher in Dynevor School.
Lew PHILLIPS, Gloucester Place, 1 Platoon, Later West Cross, married to Lottie Balsdon.
George REES, Sgt., WW1 veteran, leading butcher in Newton Road
Pat REES, West Cross, lived in house, now Mumbles Bay Nursing Home. Left to go to Dartmouth Naval College as Special Entry Cadet RN.
RICHES or RICHARD. Schoolboy, Langland. Later in Forces.
Gerald (Gerry) RICHARDS, is pictured above on the far right of the front row. Of Clyne wood Cottage, Blackpill, served on the WW2 Destroyer, HMS Hesperus (alongside George PARSONS). Was an errand boy for a Mumbles Grocer and later worked for Rosser the Butcher.
Cliff ROSSER, butcher of Newton Road
SANGUIN, in charge of heating in the Regent, Father of Oswald (Ossie) in my class in Council school.
Greg SIMPSON, Langland, 2 Platoon
SMALE, semi recumbent.
Frank SMITH, Cpl., Myrtle Terrace, brother of Peter, panel beater.
Peter SMITH, later transferred to Coastal defence Guns at Lighthouse. became Sgt. Lived in Myrtle Terrace. Later crossed the Rhine as a Para with Airborne Division. Panel beater by trade, in Dave Scott’s Garage near Tivoli Cinema.
Peter Smith: 'Like most people I had happy memories of his time in the Home Guard’. My day job was a ‘coach builder, panel beater and welder’ and he served as a Lance Sergeant in the Home Guard on the 6-inch guns, being trained there by men of the Royal Artillery, as well being sent away on training courses to Llandudno. The gun crew was usually eight strong. and I was the ‘autoset layer’ (traversed, sideways). Others were a ‘rocking bar layer’ (for elevation, up & down), numbers three & five loaded the gun with shell & cordite. Number two was on the breach inserting the cartridge to fire the gun. Also in the crew was a ‘setter’ for the range as well as number one who was on the telephone, taking orders from the ‘OP’ directional range finders. I also fired the 4.7inch guns on the Lighthouse Island in 1943 where my brother in law, Jack Jackson, served in the Royal Artillery.
I was then called up to be in an Infantry Regiment. I preferred to volunteer to be a private in the Parachute Regiment, and served with them until 1947. I was on the ‘Rhine Crossing’ and met up with the Russians in April or May 1944. We finally went out to India and were due to be part of a parachute invasion of Singapore. This did not happen, as the two Atom Bombs were dropped on Japan and the war soon ended. Instead, ended up billeted near the notorious Changi Jail, guarding the Japanese POW.
Dougie STAINTON, Mumbles, was also a Special Constable.
STEPHENS, Sgt., Castle Ave., Later Lt. in command of 1 Platoon, WW1 veteran, Partner of coal Merchant firm, Merriman and Stephens.
Eric SULLIVAN, served on the Mumbles Lighthouse Fort, Electrician by trade, Born 7 April 1924, attended Dynevor School, Swansea.
TAPP, Sgt. MM, WW1 veteran, expert on Vickers medium machine gun.
Ernie TAYLOR, Victoria Ave., 1 Platoon.
THATCHER, Lt., Manager of the Mumbles labour Exchange on the corner of Cornwall Place. Ex WW1 veteran. Famous swimming family.
Sgt. THOMAS, Signals, ex WW1, ran the Signals with O’Neill
Ginger THOMAS, Gower Place, Brother ‘Tugger’ still lives in the same house.
Lindsey THOMAS, later Royal Tank Regiment.
Jack TIMOTHY, 4, Gloucester Place. Schoolboy. Son of Edwin Timothy, who was in charge of Council Changing tents in Langland with Barney Davies.
Later Sgt. Air Gunner RAF, saw action over Europe.
George TURNBULL, Windsor Place, ‘Bull’, Boer War veteran, WW1 veteran, Regular soldier in the Hussars, wonderful signaller.
John VARLEY, Cpl., 2 Platoon, left 1942 to fly with RAF, returned to continue the family Pharmacy business in Newton Road.
Ben WALKER-JONES, Capt. Caswell. 2nd in command of Company. Solicitor of well-known firm.
Sgt. WHITE, a Major in the Salvation Army, ran the Guard room at the Church Hall, Blackpill, where our armoury was.
Albert WILLIAMS, owned the West Cross garage.
Alun WILLIAMS of West Cross.
Owen WILLIAMS, son of Village Headmaster, Albert Williams, Oakland Road, left 1943 for Indian Army, became a Major.
Any additional names or details would be welcome.
The Home Guard Uniform
All ranks wore the badge of the Welch regiment i.e. the Prince of Wales feathers supported by the words’ Ich Dien (I serve). The uniform for the first 12 to 18 months was Arm Bands with L.D.V., khaki denims, leather belts and gaiters (Regular forces had these last two items in webbing), Army boots, double-breasted woollen coats, gas cape, forage caps, SM Lee Enfield Rifles, 303 ammo., A light haversack which carried a civilian respirator in the early days. Eventually in 1941, serge battledress was issued and steel helmets, shoulder flashes were issued about the same time, across the top ‘Home Guard’ in yellow on khaki, two rectangles in khaki with Blace letters; ‘12’ ‘BN’
Officers at first wore black strips on their shoulders. These were replaced by ‘pips’ as worn by regular forces officers. In the early days, there was the ridiculous practice of wearing ‘Sam Browne’ belts over the denims to make the officers look more ‘officer-like’. This was eventually abandoned.
Grafton Maggs also noted -
The Mumbles Home Guard was officially:
1,2,3 and 4, Platoons which made up 'C' Company.
'C' Company along with other Companies (eg Sketty area, Brynmill Area, Fforestfach arae etc )
made up the 12th Battalion of Glamorgan Home Guard.
Battalion HQ under the command of Lt. Col Davies MC was located in Pant Gwyn House in Sketty. Here was a full time staff under the control of Captain Hayes the Battalion adjutant.
This roughly was the makeup of the 12th Bn, Gln Home Guard (This insignia was worn on the top of the sleeves below the 'HOME GUARD' arch).
During the war years, C company had the privilege of spending occasional weekend training camps under canvas in Reynoldsdon. Firing live ammunition with rifle and machine guns. throwing live grenades were undertken on the extensive ranges then in use down on the marshes.
Some more articles by Grafton Maggs-
A selection of articles by Grafton Maggs
After serving in 1st Platoon, Mumbles Home Guard, Grafton Maggs left in 1943 for Sandhurst and the Parachute Regiment. Active service: Central Med and Middle East Forces
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