Milbourne Williams was the fourth son of Morgan Bransby Williams – a wealthy engineer who lived at Killay House to the west of Swansea – and appeared twice for the Gentlemen of Glamorgan in 1913, besides playing in August 1906 in the Colts XVIII against the county side at the Arms Park in Cardiff.
Like his brother Dyson Bransby William, Milbourne was educated at Malvern College where he shone at both football and cricket. He captained the school’s football team before going up to Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge where he also won a Football Blue. Having graduated in engineering, Milbourne subsequently extended his studies at Freiburg University in Germany where he qualified as a mining engineer.
He subsequently worked in Aberdare and South Yorkshire, before spending time in East Africa working in Nairobi. In 1911 he returned to South Wales following his appointment as a Director of the Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway Company. He also found plenty of time to continue playing football, appearing in the Swansea Town amateur team which played in the Swansea and District League, besides playing cricket for Swansea and Sketty.
Whilst at Malvern and Cambridge, he had also joined several of his brothers in playing for the Public School Nondescripts who staged games in the grounds of Killay House. His decent performances in these games had prompted his selection in the Colts match in 1906, whilst his return to the Swansea area resulted in his inclusion, alongside Dyson, in the Gentlemen of Glamorgan team which met the Players at The Gnoll in Neath on 12 and 13 June 1913. Batting at number nine he made 2 and 5 as the Players won by 24 runs. In mid-August he was chosen again to play for the all-amateur team against the Gentlemen of Carmarthenshire at Swansea. Batting at number seven he made 13 in Glamorgan’s only innings, and took a couple of wickets with his leg-breaks.
Like his brothers he joined the 14th Welsh Regiment (Swansea Battalion) in 1914 and was shot through the leg during the bloody battle at Mametz Wood during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. He also suffered damage to his hearing and suffered from periodic bouts of deafness on his return to civilian life in 1919.
Milbourne was also a member of Swansea Borough Council from 1912 until 1930, besides being an active committee member of Swansea Cricket and Football Club.
WILLIAMS, Milbourne Bransby
Born – Killay House, Swansea, 29 June 1880.
Died – Langland, Swansea, 21 July 1944.