Kathleen Beryl WILLIAMS (1892-1981)

Kathleen Beryl Williams (1892-1981), known as Beryl, was the sister of Mary Christabel Sladden (née Williams) who had married Arthur Sladden in April 1914.

Beryl was born on 27^th October 1892 at Dowlais Rectory, Glamorganshire, the fifth of nine children of the Reverend Llewelyn Morgan Williams and his wife, Georgina (née Rowlands).  She was baptized in the church at Dowlais on 30^th November 1892.

In August 1914, on the outbreak of war, the Sladden family were holidaying at Craig y Mor, Newport, and met up on a number of occasions with members of the Williams family.    Beryl is mentioned in three of the letters written during this period.

A letter of 21^st October 1914 from May reveals that Beryl accompanied her sister, Mary, to stay with Jack and Kathleen Sladden in Sydenham for a short time.  Letters of 26^th December 1915 from George and 14^th January 1916 from Arthur reveal that Beryl was by then working for the Dyson household.  Beryl’s sister, Mary, had been working as Governess to the Reverend Francis Dyson’s younger children in Exeter at the time of the 1911 census, and had possibly continued nearly up to her marriage.  Beryl was presumably acting as Governess to Dorothea Muriel Dyson, the youngest child who had been born in 1907.  Arthur’s letter indicates that Beryl was going to leave at Easter 1916, but was uncertain as to her plans afterwards.  However, a letter written by her sister, Dorothy, on 12^th May 1916 shows that Beryl was still in the Dysons’ employ, but had been unable to come home at Easter because of infection in the Dyson household.

Beryl did not marry.  She died in 1981 in the Pontypool district.