Swansea Family History

  So, what’s the second connection to 21st April? Replica of the F.E.2b flown at the time by Allen It relates to the death of  Manfred von Richthofen , AKA the  Red Baron  in 1918 and has a Swansea connection. Today, 44 St. Helens Road is the premises of  Kevin Thomas Pharmacy , but over a hundred years ago it was the home of  Archibald Bates, Ironmongers . At the time of the 1911 Census, schoolboy,  Allan  was aged 14 and the son of  Archibald Bates  the Ironmonger and  Harriet Elizabeth Bates .  Allan  had three older siblings,  Archibald Alfred ,  Florence Harriet  and  Richard Bertram . Top left: Red Baron Top right: 44 St Helens Rd today Bottom left: The Red Baron’s red Fokker DR. 1 triplane Bottom right: South Wales Weekly Post 21 April 1917 During the First World War,  Allan  was ranked Second Lieutenant serving with the No. 25 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps. No. 25 Squadron was formed in September 1915 in Montrose, Scotland. By the end of 1915, it had relocated to Norfolk. Initia

  This month we will look at the date 21st April and two connections specific to that date.  The first is for April 1983 when the Royal Mint introduced the ‘new’ pound coin (right). Pound notes were in circulation until 1988 when they were finally withdrawn. This month marks the 40th anniversary of the pound coin. At this time in 1983, there were 443,053,510 coins minted. The obverse side of the coin shows a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, drawn by artist  Arnold Machin . In this portrait the Queen is wearing the “ Girls of Great Britain and Ireland ” tiara which was a wedding present to the Duchess of York, later Queen Mary in 1893. In November 1947 she gave the tiara as a wedding present to her granddaughter, Princess Elizabeth. The Queen wore the tiara regularly throughout her rein and is depicted wearing it on certain issues of British and Commonwealth banknotes and coinage. This portrait was in use from 1968 until 1984.  Machin’s  portrait of the Queen has also been used on Britis