Cricket Witness No 5 - Whites on Green

54 Swansea at war struck in the throat. He was able to make it back to the first-aid station unassisted, and, initially, all seemed well as a dressing was applied by the regimental doctor who was a throat specialist in civilian life. “You’ll be all right, only don’t raise your head for a bit,” said the medic. But the wound began to haemorrhage with Tommy taking a letter to his family and fiancée from his pocket and giving it to an orderly, saying “Post this!”. They were the last words he would utter as shortly afterwards he started to choke. The doctor returned and desperately tried a tracheotomy, but it was too late and, shortly afterwards, Tommy died. Dyson Bransby Williams was another Swansea sportsman to be broken both physically and mentally by the horrors of the Great War. Born in October 1877, he was the third son of civil engineer Morgan Bransby Williams of Killay House – a comfortable house with spacious grounds to the west of the town of Swansea. Cricket was in the Bransby Williams’ blood with country house matches taking place in the grounds of his home, whilst his eldest son George created during the late 1880s a team called the Public School Nondescripts as the Bransby Williams boys, together with their well-heeled friends from other well-to-do families in the area, played matches against the leading clubs at both Killay House and St. Helen’s. He also played for Killay in the Swansea and District League and in June 1901 had become the League’s first player to win county honours as he played for Glamorgan against Monmouthshire at Rodney Parade. It was to be another eleven years, interrupted by his legal training, before Williams DC Thomas (second left) standing with a colleague from Christ College plus two of the Swansea Wednesdays XI whom they played at St. Helen’s, Swansea in 1914. In the background of this photograph is the old pavilion at the Bryn Road end of the Swansea ground.