Something a little different this week as Frederick Purslow isn't from my own family tree. My friend Christine had asked me to research her own family, and this was her Uncle Fred. It was such a lovely story to uncover I wanted to add it to my blog.
Frederick Volance Purslow was born on 6 June 1894 at Pant Tywyll Cottage, the son of Benjamin and Lydia Purslow. Known to family and friends simply as Fred, he grew up with his older sister, Sarah Elizabeth. Tragedy struck early in his life: when Fred was just five years old, his father died, leaving Lydia as head of the family.
By 1911, at the age of 16, Fred was living in a boarding house at 14 Hill Street, Wrexham. He worked as a draper’s assistant, sharing the house with eight other assistants and three live-in domestic workers.
Although Fred’s enlistment papers have not survived, surviving records show that he served as a Private in the Machine Gun Corps (MGC). The Corps, formed during the First World War and disbanded soon after, was a highly skilled unit trained in the use of Vickers machine guns. Despite its importance, much of its history is lost—operational records were destroyed in a fire at Shorncliffe in 1920, and prisoner-of-war files were obliterated during the Blitz in 1940.
On 27 May 1918, during the Third Battle of the Aisne, Fred was captured and sent first to Langensalza Prisoner of War camp, before being transferred to Zerbst POW camp in June. Zerbst was one of Germany’s largest prisoner camps, holding up to 15,000 men at a time.
Fred remained there until 15 January 1919, when he was released and repatriated to Britain. He was demobilised into Class Z Reserve and awarded both the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.
Returning home, Fred briefly worked in a local shop before deciding, as he later put it, that he had “done my wack in the war and wanted to see a bit.” In August 1924, he sailed for Port Said, Egypt, giving his last UK address as Smelt Road, Coedpoeth.
Fred’s skills as a draper took him to the Davies Bryan Company, a Welsh enterprise with stores in Egypt and Sudan. Founded by the Bryan brothers from Caernarfon, the business was a hub for Welsh expatriates and visitors. Stores displayed Eisteddfod symbols and bore the family’s “D & B” initials, becoming cultural centres as well as commercial ones. Fred eventually became the company’s chief accountant, later buying into the firm himself.
In Cairo, Fred married Marie Louise Griffiths (“Louie”), their marriage registered in the Consular Marriages List between 1926 and 1930. Together they created a welcoming home for fellow Welsh people abroad, often inviting visitors to their family home in Coedpoeth when back in Wales.
During World War II, Egypt became a hub for Allied soldiers, including many Welsh regiments. Fred and Louie opened their home in Cairo to them, hosting dinners for 20–30 soldiers every Saturday and famously organising a Christmas party in 1942 for 51 servicemen. The troops affectionately called them “Uncle Fred and Auntie Louie.”
Louie also took charge of the St Andrew’s Church of Scotland canteen in Cairo, where she welcomed hundreds of soldiers each week. In recognition of her work, she was awarded the MBE in 1944. Fred, meanwhile, served on fundraising committees, helping raise more than £500,000 for troop welfare.
On 21 September 1943, more than 200 Welsh servicemen, dressed in bardic robes, held the Cairo Eisteddfod. The event was steeped in tradition, complete with a Gorsedd of Bards, music, and poetry competitions. The Reverend Llewellyn Gwyn, Bishop of Egypt and Sudan, served as President of the day.
Fred played a central role in organising the event and even created a Welsh flag for the occasion. His and Louie’s hospitality was again on display, with their Cairo home continuing to be a gathering place for soldiers longing for a taste of home. The Cairo Welsh Services Society, formed during the war with Fred as president, carried on after the conflict ended.
After the war, political change swept Egypt. By the 1950s, under President Nasser, British businesses were no longer welcome. In 1956, while visiting Britain, Fred attempted to return to Cairo but was turned back at Gibraltar. Their shop was seized and their home requisitioned. True to character, Fred distributed the couple’s Egyptian bank savings among his employees before resettling permanently in Wales.
Fred and Louie lived out their later years in Wrexham at “Minsterley,” 26 Wat’s Dyke Way, Garden Village. Fred served as an elder at Bethel Chapel, while Louie continued her community work.
Fred remained a respected elder at Bethel Chapel until his death, and both he and Louie stayed closely connected to the local community in Wrexham.
Frederick Volance Purslow died on 28 April 1972, aged 77. A service was held at Bethel Chapel before his cremation at Pentre Bychan, Wrexham. Louie, remembered fondly by thousands of servicemen as “Auntie Louie,” died on 5 January 1976, aged 86.
The couple left behind a remarkable legacy—of service, generosity, and unwavering hospitality that stretched from Wrexham to Cairo.
