Additions will be checked before being published on the website and where possible will be forwarded to the person who submitted the original entries. Your contact details will not be forwarded, but they can send a reply via this messaging system.
please scroll down to send a message
Pte. Cyril Richards
British Army 53rd Btn., 9th Platoon, C Company South Wales Borderers
from:Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, Wales
Cyril Richards was born in Llanelli on 8 March 1899. As a young boy aged 11 years he worked at the copper works (Nevill, Druce & Co). Following the outbreak of World War 1 and the example of seven of his older brothers, Cyril enlisted on 18th of April 1916 (when he was 17 years and 1 month old) as a private with the 53rd Battalion, South Wales Borderers. This battalion’s full title was 53rd (Young Soldier) Battalion, named to reflect the very young age of these new recruits. Indeed, across Britain there were many of these “53rd (Young Soldier) Battalions†attached to different regiments. His battalion never saw action during war-time, but after the war was over, on 22 March 1919, they moved to Germany as part of Western Division of the Army of Occupation on the Rhine. At about this time he was photographed with the 9th Platoon, C Company 53rd Battalion in Germany.
After his return from Germany Cyril returned to work at the Llanelli copper works as a mill man and, during 1920-21 played for their rugby football club. He finished working there as a furnace man on 6th January 1925 at the age of 26.
Some months later on 1 May 1926, Cyril emigrated to Australia, departing from London docks aboard the Orient Line’s SS Orvieto. He arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia, after the 9½ week journey, on 6th July 1926. He married in 1931 and had four children. He and his family ran a dairy farm at Ranceby near Poowong, Victoria, Australia.
With the outbreak of World War 2, Cyril enlisted on 28th March 1942 at Korumburra, Victoria in the 23rd Battalion of the Volunteer Defence Corps. This corps was an Australia-wide home guard; paramilitary in nature, run by the government and the Returned Services League and composed of volunteers. Cyril was discharged on 15 October 1945. He died in Melbourne, Victoria on 8th June 1954 at the age of 55 years.
