LIONEL RAYMOND CHARLES WINDOW
2nd February 1897 – 13th November 1916
Lionel Raymond Charles Window was born on the 2nd February 1897, the son of Captain Percival
and Mrs Louisa Window (nee Sparkes) of 10 Cornerswell Road, Penarth and later of “Rosebank”,
91 Cornerswell Road. Lionel had a younger brother, Kenneth, who was in an airplane accident at
RAF Andover.
From the census we see that Percy was a coal inspector; his father had moved from Gloucestershire
to Cardiff. In the 1901 census we see that they lived at 27 Dingle Road, Penarth. By the 1911
census, Lionel was 14, the family were at 10 Cornerswell Road, and there were three other children:
Kenneth, then 11, Constance 9 and Dorothy 7. They also had a family member visiting at the time
of the 1911 census, Ellen Window, who was 61, and from Gloucester.
A piece in the Penarth Times of the 25th February 1916, stated:
“A most successful and enjoyable social was held at the Drill Hall, in aid of the local funds for the
widows and orphans of soldiers and sailors. It is estimated that about £12 will have been handed
over after all expenses are paid. All expressed themselves as having spent a most enjoyable evening
and were sorry when “”lights out”” was sounded”. Amongst those present were Lieut. and Mrs P
Window, as yet unaware they would lose two sons to the War”
During WW1, Churchill formed the Royal Naval Division in 1914. It was made up of Naval
Reservists who were additional to the needs of the fleet. Many hated the idea of being turned into
soldiers. They kept their naval traditions and the naval brigades were named after famous admirals
such as Drake, Nelson, Anson, Collingwood etc., Reformed in 1916 as the 63rd (RN) Division, they
saw much action on the Western Front, becoming one of the best and most famous British Infantry
divisions of WW1. Total casualties during the war were 1,965 Officers and 44,829 other ranks, of
which 445 officers were killed and 7,102 other ranks. It is not generally appreciated that during the
Great War over 40% of the Royal Navy casualties were between July and November 1916: The
Battle of the Somme was one of the defining events of WW1.