WORKING NOTES

Born 12/10/1892. Swansea. Parents - Alfred (fr Cornwall) & Elizabeth.

1901 - 46 Fern St. 8yo. W parents & 6 subs. Alfred - Tinman at Tin plate works

1911 - 2 Pemybryn Ter, Middle Rd, Cockett. 18yo. Occ-Cold roll boy. W 5 siblings. Alfred widower

1919 - Married Edith Saran Berry, Sketty. Occ-Tin worker. Add - Kenilworth, Middle Rd, Cwmbwrla.

1921 - Not found

192 - Elect Reg - 5 Penygraig Rd, Town Hill. W Martha Berry (in-law?)

1939 - 5 Penygraig Rd, Town Hill. DOB 12/10/1892. Occ-Tinworks packer (Heavy work). W wife, Joyce (1920) and poss 2 other children

Died 1980, 4th quart, Aged 88. Swansea

DRAFT

- Oliver Ivey enlisted 5 September 1914 as a Gunner in the 1st Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade service number of 951 (in the first wave of patriotic wartime volunteers). Incidentally, my great uncle was 2 places behind him in the queue.

- He would have trained at the depot in Swansea and joined the Brigade later, most likely in Cambridge in late 1914/early 1915.

- There is a pic of the recruits again in the Cambrian on 9 Dec 1914. He is standing in the 5th row

- There is also a pic of the gunners in training in Swansea on the homepage of my site - he's probably in the pic, but I'm not very good at spotting faces

- The Brigade moved to Bedford in May 1915

- They finally went to France on 22 Nov 1915 and he was one of the 401 men who travelled

- The Brigade did front line training in the Somme area opposite Mametz Wood - which was a quiet area at the time

- Before xmas 1915, they came out of the front line and received orders to go to Egypt to rejoin the 53rd Welsh Division (who had had a v hard time in Gallipoli).

- I've found no proof he went to Egypt, but then again, I've yet to find a man who went to France in Nov 1915 who didnt

- If he did, he would have travelled from Marseilles to Alexandria in Feb 1916 and moved to Beni Salama nr Cairo for acclimatisation

- After a quiet few months (inc the chance to go to Cairo), they took over a part of the Suez Canal defences near Isamalia for most of the rest of 1916

- Their commander, Gen Murray, decided attack was the best form of defence and at the end of 1916, started the march across the Sinai Desert. 1917 was the 3 Battles of Gaza and ended the year taking Jerusalem. 1918 was the march through Palestine and the Judaen Hills until the Armistice with the Turks.

- The men returned to Alexandria in Dec 1918 and after a triumphant parade, started the journey home

- Most of the men were demobilised Feb/Mar/Apr 1919