- Baker / Confectionary
Staff at Jones & Roberts, Bakers and Confectioners, Bailey Street.
Bread and confectionary were produced ‘locally’ in town and village bakeries and shops.
Private 266507 Joseph W Darlington, 1/1 Bn Kent Cyclist.
Private 8407 Percy J Davies, Labour Corps. Trans. From 4 Bn RWF. Confectioners errand boy prior to Brynkinallt colliery.
Private. 20628 Arthur Hughes, 10 Bn Canadian Infantry. Baker from family of Bakers/confectioners.
Private 59586 Percy J Mayes, 11 Bn Manchester Regiment. By 1911 he was living and working in Billericay as a baker’s assistant.
Private 11804 A Leslie Pritchard, 6 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Cake manufacturer – he assisted his father
Private 12096 Arthur Rogers. 1 Bn Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Baker’s Errand Boy.
Private 5947 Alfred Steenton 2 Bn South Staffordshire Regiment, Worked as baker/confectioner before joining the regular army. Worked as a porter for a chemist in Walsall where he was mobilised on the outbreak of war.
Sergeant T/354807 Harry Walker, Royal Army Service Corps Camel Transport. Baker at Rhosymedre
Private 22357 Christopher R Williams, 7 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Baker’s assistant. Possibly worked at (Bakery, Upper Ash Road, York Street.
Private 4234 Rueben Williams, 26 Bn Australian Infantry. Weston Bakery, Weston – owned by his father of (see also George Kirk). Later became a Railway Engine Driver at Toowoomba. Queensland Railways Australia were his parents also ran a bakery.
Messrs. Jones & Roberts, Oswestry – confectioners
Private 202054 Frederick S Smith, 11 Bn Manchester Regiment. worked in the confectionary department at Messrs. Jones & Roberts in Oswestry also Baker.
- Banks
Today’s high street banks are the result of amalgamations and mergers of smaller banks over the years. Oswestry, a market town and centre of the local economy, had its share of banks and today’s ‘Big 4’ still occupy the same buildings or plots. During the war the banks were well represented in the forces, notably the ‘Bankers Battalion’ 26 Bn Royal Fusiliers. The Men on the Gates mainly worked as clerks often coming to the town on a branch posting but there are also more senior staff and directors. After the war the banks did much to commemorate their fallen staff – see War Memorials – Banks.
Capital and Counties Bank Oswestry – The Capital and Counties Bank, founded in 1834, had 473 branches when it merged with Lloyds Bank Ltd in 1918.
Lloyds Bank in the First War and page on Capital and Counties Bank
Lance Corporal 23734 Trevor K Jenkins, 11 Bn Suffolk Regiment. Clerk at Capital and Counties Bank Bury St Edmunds.
Second Lieutenant BDR Davies, Royal Flying Corps, Capital and Counties Bank at Llanelly and Oswestry branches.
Croxon Bank – founded in Oswestry in 1792, known as the ‘Old Bank’ with premises on Willow Street. Through mergers evolved as part of RBS and National Westminster. RBS Heritage web site . Croxon Bank merged with Parrs Bank (below).
Captain Herbert MB Lawford, 9 Bn Royal Fusiliers (City of London Rgt). – a Director of Croxon Bank. He also worked for Longueville & Co Solicitors, also on the Board of Directors.
Lloyd’s Bank
Private 204284 Henry M Bull, 10 Bn Worcestershire Regiment. Clerk at Evesham Branch.
London City and Midland Bank
Links to IWM London City and Midland Bank / Lives of the Fallen IWM / London Guide – Canary Wharf / War Memorials on line
Private 19732 Richard L Roberts, 6 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Bank clerk with London City & Midlands County Bank.
Second Lieutenant John J Garland, 1/2 Bn Gloucestershire Regiment. Employed at Bleanau Ffestiniog, Llanfyllin, Lampeter, Conway and finally in Oswestry where he joined the army.
Second Lieutenant George Hughes, 7 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Clerk at Clerk at London City & Midland Bank at Liverpool, Castle Street.
National Westminster
Second Lieutenant John E G (Edward Goodwin) Wilson worked at branches in Burton, Derby and Oswestry. In the National Westminster branch on Church Street, Oswestry a bronze plaque fixed to an interior wall records 2 members of staff Frederick Dutton and Second Lieutenant John E G (Edward Goodwin) Wilson
John EG Wilson. War Memorial, Nat. West Bank, Oswestry.
The other name on the National Westminster Bank, Oswestry is believed to be Private G/40070 Frederick Dutton, 12 Bn Middlesex Regiment. Died 26 September 1916, Connaught Cemetery, Theipval,(CWGC), born 1890 Stapeley, Cheshire.
Parr’s Bank
Parr’s Bank was founded in 1788 in Warrington. In 1893 acquired Croxon Jones & Co (Old Bank) Ltd. Through mergers etc, evolved as part of RBS and National Westminster. RBS Heritage web site One of the directors in 1900s was Martin Benson Lawford
United Counties Bank – taken over by Barclay’s Bank in 1916
Private G/23165 Jack Francis, 10 Bn Royal Fusiliers. – clerk at Nottingham and then Oswestry.
- Billiard Marker
Billiard Room – Lady Webb’s Soldiers Club, Oswestry
Billiards was the preeminent cue sport at the time of WW1, far outstripping snooker in popularity. Billiard Markers involved keeping score, looking after the equipment, waiting on players and as a general ‘goffur’ for the players. They also had a reputation as a ‘fixer’ and as bookies runners.
Private 22116 Frederick Johnson, 1 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Worked at Wynnstay Hotel see George Mountford Drew
- Blacksmith & Metal Workers
Lance Corporal 200077 Samuel Vaughan, 1/4 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. & Private 17435 Richard Vaughan, 5 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Edwin Vaughan, his father was Blacksmith at Sycarth.
Shoeing Smith 146519 Lewis J Edmunds, A Battery 99 Brigade Royal Field Artillery. Blacksmith at Dolgang Smithy.
Lance Corporal 24296 Albert Davies, 7 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Employed at the Oswestry Gas Works as a Blacksmith.
Corporal 12303 Frederick Davies West Felton War Memorial – blacksmith at Rednal, Shropshire
- Boiler Maker
– in a world still largely driven by steam boiler makers are one of the traditional industrial crafts, in this case for locomotives and ships – Private 28541 Richard Roberts, 10 Bn Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Worked at Cambrian Railway Works and then at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead.
- Bookbinder
Private 1748 Thomas L Jones, 1/1 Shropshire Yeomanry. Began an apprenticeship as a bookbinder later worked as a labourer at Whitehaven Quarries and later at Northwich at Messrs Brunner Mond and Co. alkali and soda works.
- Building & Construction
In the period 1890 to the WW1 Oswestry was expanding rapidly. Houses for all social classes were being built – from the large villas for the upper class, avenues for the middle class and the terraced streets for the working classes. Building was a growing sector employing all crafts and trades.
WH Thomas & Sons, Ltd Builders, Oswestry
WH Thomas Builders Merchants and Dealers, owned by William Henry Thomas – his two eldest sons as Co. Directors.
Second Lieutenant Edward G Thomas, 7 Bn Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Second Lieutenant Norman Thomas, Royal Flying Corps, 27 Squadron, formerly 3 Bn.King’s Shropshire Light Infantry,
Private 59034 Charles A Sharman, 1/5 Bn Welsh Regiment. On leaving school he would take a joinery apprenticeship working with his father at Messrs. WH Thomas & Sons builders in Oswestry.
Private 19735 Albert S Roberts 7 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry.
WH Felton Builder Oswestry
Lance Corporal 24301 Edward Sweeney, 7 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry.
Corporal 106564 Mark Jones, Royal Garrison Artillery 234 Siege Battery. Waggoner and carter.
Jabez Hughes Builder, Oswestry.
Sapper 159134 Alfred W Miller, 128 Field Company Royal Engineers. Wood carver joiner apprenticeship with Jabez Hughes builder in the town, later worked in Smethwick.
Carpenters and Joiners.
Second Lieutenant AC Edwards, 6 Bn, attached 7 Bn, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. Joiner (Liverpool).
Staff Sergeant 131932 David W Ellis, Royal Engineers. Joiner/carpenter.
Lance Corporal 48543 John Jones, 94 Field Coy Royal Engineers. Possibly a carpenter joiner on Brogyntyn Estate – where his father worked at as engine driver/labourer.
Sergeant 200900 John J Phillips, 9 Bn. Royal Welsh Fusiliers. Joiner/carpenter then at Plough Hotel, Rhosymedre.
Private 44255 John Thomas, 2 Bn South Wales Borderers. Joiner at Brogyntyn Estate and at Park Hall Camp.
Private 59034 Charles A Sharman, 1/5 Bn Welsh Regiment. On leaving school he would take a joinery apprenticeship working with his father at Messrs. WH Thomas & Sons builders in Oswestry.
Bricklayer
Rifleman 7015 John W Hughes, 3 Bn Rifle Brigade. Bricklayer (labourer) Working for Oswestry Corporation Counci.l
Private 5588 Fred Owen, 2 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Bricklayer’s labourer.
Gunner 114603 Joseph Powell, 145 Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery,
Lance Corporal 10057 Daniel Rigby, 1 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, Bricklayer’s labourer.
Private 18247 David Williams, 5 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Bricklayer
Private 6699 RH Cooper, 2Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. General labourer in brick works Ellesmere Also in the army.
Slater & Roofer
Private 12339, John T (Thomas) Jones, 6 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Also his father was a slater and his brothers were a plumber and a labourer.
Private 6154 Albert E Loose, 2 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Slater’s labourer
(Acting) Lance Sergeant 12280 Alfred E Roberts, 6 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry.
- Butler – see Domestic Service
- Butcher
Private 10763, Bertie Annum, 5 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Mr J. Boffey, Butcher, Beatrice Street and before that as an errand boy for Mrs Leeke, Leg Street, Oswestry.
Lance Bombardier 292252 Joseph H Davies, 33 Heavy Battery Royal Garrison Artillery. Served an apprenticeship as butcher before joining police in Liverpool.
Gunner 98029 Arthur W Edwards, 205 Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery. Butcher at Llangollen.
Private 202036 George Evans, 13 Bn Cheshire Regiment. Butcher in Macclesfield.
Private 244372 David Jones, 1/5 Bn Cheshire Regiment. Employed by Mr John Davies. Butcher. Willow Street. (And later at Lever Bros Port Sunlight)
Private 37389 George H Jones 1 Bn King’s Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment). Butcher employed by Messrs. Faulks, Willow Street.
Private 19742 Albert Smith, 1 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry. Apprentice butcher with John Lloyd, Manor Farm, West Felton also there his brother farm worker same farm Private 19743 Alfred Smith, 1 Bn King’s Shropshire Light Infantry.
END