211442 Pte. Ernest Charles Furneaux British Army Royal Engineers from:Swansea Ernest Charles Furneaux was my great uncle. He was born in 1888 in Swansea and married Esther Hughes from Llanelly in 1911. They had 3 children, none of whom lived for more than 6 months. At the time of the 1911 census, Ernest was a labourer in a colliery. I'm not sure exactly when he joined the army but he qualified for the 1914 Star on 10 September. In January 1915 a letter he sent home was published in the Cardiff Western Mail describing his experience of the Christmas Truce in the trenches. Later on, Ernest suffered badly as a result of a gas attack. Although Ernest survived the war, he died in 1929 at the age of 41. His wife had predeceased him in 1920, aged only 30.
If anybody has any further information or knows the whereabouts of his medal trio, please contact me.
|