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The Driscoll Family lived at 3, The Row, better known as the Post Office, from 1938 until the evacuation in 1943
William Driscoll (1894-1964) & Gwendoline Agnes Jane Driscoll nee Hall (1897-1975)
William was born on 22 November 1894 at West Street in Tallow, County Waterford, Ireland to nail maker John Driscoll (1851-1920) and his wife Mary Driscoll nee Walsh (1850-1914).
The 1901 census shows William aged 6 at West Street, Tallow living with his parents and two brothers, Jerome (Jeremiah) aged 15 and Patrick aged 9.
The 1911 census shows William aged 16 again at West Street, Tallow with his parents, but with five boarders all aged 5 or under and no siblings. It also states that John, who was then deaf, and Mary had a total of eleven children, with only William and three others still alive. One deceased child was also named William – he died aged 18 just six months before William number 2 was born. Meanwhile, William’s brother Patrick Driscoll was boarding with Timothy Driscoll and his family at Trehafod, in the Rhonnda Valley, South Wales. Patrick was then aged 19 working as a coal miner hewer. William’s other brother Jerome (Jeremiah) shown on the 1901 census had died in 1908.
William’s father John made quite a number of appearances at the Petty Sessions, mostly for being drunk:
William too made several appearances for being drunk:
William’s mother Mary died at Tallow on 28 January 1914 of bronchitis. She was aged 64.
1914 also saw William working in South Wales as a coal miner at Windsor Colliery in Abertridwr in the Aber Valley near Caerphilly. Brother Patrick, known as Patsy, was now mining at the Universal Colliery at Senghenydd a few miles away. Both collieries were linked together for ventilation purposes. The pit at Senghenydd was the site of the worst mining disaster in British history a few months earlier when 439 miners lost their lives.
On 4 August 1914 Britain declared war on Germany. Just over one month later, on 8 September 1914, William, aged 19 and standing 5 feet 6 1/2 inches tall, enlisted at Abertridwr and joined the Rifle Brigade. On 28 July 1917 he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in the 13th Battalion, regimental number 3223.
Father ran away from his home in Ireland as a very young boy. He worked as a pit boy in South Wales and met my mother there. He spent thirty two years in the Rifle Brigade. Ralph Bond, the last owner of Tyneham, served with this regiment in the First World War and his son, Major General Mark Bond, served with the Rifle Brigade during the Second World War.
Lt. Col. Peter Driscoll, 1982
During 1917, William spent two periods in hospital, first for 9 days for scabies and second for 24 days for an injury to his upper right arm. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for bravery. William and brother Patsy were featured in a local newspaper. 1
The above cutting gave 13 Station Terrace, Senghenydd as the home address of both brothers. This was the home of railway platelayer William Hall and his wife Jane Hall nee Fairfax (1878-1937). William and Jane had six children. Their second child was Gwendoline Agnes Jane ‘Gwen’ Hall born on 24 August 1897. Gwen came second in the under 16 girls 80 yards race at the 2nd ‘Senghenydd Flower Show and Sports‘ held on 3 August 1911.
In 1917 Gwen was working as a booking clerk at Senghenydd railway station.
William Driscoll and Gwen married on 23 March 1918 at Eglwysilan church just over a mile from their home.
William was demobilised on 8 January 1919. In July 1919 his brother Patrick was summoned as the alleged father of the child of Mary Lawson Needle of Trealaw which he denied. 2 On 18 July 1919 William and Gwen’s first child was born.
William’s widowed father John died on 11 December 1920 in the Lismore Union Workhouse Hospital. He was aged 78 and had suffered debility for 14 months.
By 1922 William was serving in Cawnpore, India where their second child was born. By 1928 William was based at Dalhousie, India where their third child was born. By 1930 they were back in South Wales for the birth of their fourth child. In 1937 the family were living at Winchester, Hampshire.
Gwen became Sub-Postmistress at Tyneham Post Office in 1938 and served until the evacuation in December 1943.
In 1944, Gwen was living in East Street, Corfe Castle. 3 She was working at a grocery store there in 1945.
Gwen later became Sub-Postmistress at Kimmeridge Post Office. William died on 17 August 1964 aged 69. 4
Gwen later emigrated to Rhodesia. She lived at 112 Salisbury Drive, Marlborough, Salisbury, Rhodesia. She died on 18 December 1975 aged 78.
As stated earlier, William and Gwen had four children:
- Bettina Pearl ‘Betty’ Driscoll (1919-2007) – Betty was born on 18 July 1919 in South Wales – while living at Tyneham Post Office in 1940 she met Harold ‘Dugg’ Duggleby (1920-2011) who guarded the coastline – Dugg was born on 18 May 1920 near Malton, Yorkshire – the Roll of Assistant Nurses (1947-48) shows Bettina’s enrolment date as 21 December 1945 and her permanent address in Norton near Malton, Yorkshire – it is believed Dugg and Betty had three children all born in Yorkshire – Betty died on 20 February 2007 aged 87 and Dugg died on 13 January 2011 aged 90 – they are commemorated in Tyneham churchyard
- Ilene Joan ‘Joan’ Driscoll (1922-2014) – Joan was born on 6 March 1922 at Cawnpore, India – in 1939 she was post girl at Tyneham – she married Lloyd Gerald Cornish (1919-2001) in 1943 – the same year Joan qualified as a nurse at Dorset County Hospital – they lived in East Street, Corfe Castle later emigrating to Canada – in 1963 they were at Winchester, Ontario where Lloyd was a District Manager and by 1968 were at Kitchener, Ontario – it is believed Lloyd and Joan had three children – Lloyd died at Vancouver, British Columbia on 16 December 2001 aged 82 – Joan died at Abbotsford, British Columbia on 6 October 2014 aged 92
My sister Joan delivered mail and telegrams throughout the area and knew absolutely everybody. She then trained as a nurse and was sent to the front line with the 14th Army.
Colin Driscoll, 2002
- Peter James Lewis Driscoll (1928-2020) – Peter was born on 19 May 1928 at Dalhousie, India – he married Mary Evangeline Bryce in 1955 and had two daughters, Anna & Patricia – Peter attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel – Mary died on 4 January 2015 aged 89. 5 – Peter died on 7 May 2020 aged 91. 6
- Colin Lewis Driscoll (1930-2018) – Colin was born on 22 March 1930 in South Wales – he married Janet in 1953 and had a son – Colin died on 5 November 2018 aged 88
With no piped running water in Tyneham my brother Peter and I had the daily chore to collect drinking water from the Tap by the church, but Mondays, with the main wash to be performed, it was a fairly substantial number of buckets to be carted to fill the copper boiler and still be ready to catch the School Bus.
Colin Driscoll, 2002
Page last updated: 25 August 2022
- Western Mail, 29 October 1917[↩]
- Caerphilly Journal, 12 July 1919[↩]
- Agreement of tenancy, East Street, Corfe Castle D-BKL/A/E/614[↩]
- Probate Register 1964[↩]
- Daily Telegraph[↩]
- (Daily Telegraph[↩]