The Williams brothers from South Africa all served in the First World War in different roles, from the army, to the air force and the Merchant Navy. Their parents Classina Cornelia and Charles Danvers Williams lived in Papendorp and then Cape Town, South Africa.

They served as: British Army, Royal Engineers, Service #520018 Sapper William Harris Williams, Air Force (RAF/RFC), Service #308006 Clarence Louis Williams, South African Services, South African Infantry , Service #2526, Private Thomas Ralph Williams – killed in action at Ypes. Merchant Navy, Danvers Nicholas Williams.

Quite extraordinary (but not uncommon) to have four brothers from the same family volunteer to go and participate in World war 1.

This is part of an Imperial War Museum initiative to capture the personal history of all the men who fought in the war, visit “Lives of the First World War”

Posted for the SA Legion by Peter Dickens