Daniel James Rees – Royal Naval Reserve, H.M. Trawler Briton
Trimmer Daniel James Rees – Royal Naval Reserve, H.M. Trawler Briton Early Life Daniel James Rees was the son of William T. Rees , of 58 Pentrechwyth Road, Pentrechwyth, Swansea . Little survives regarding his early years, but by the First World War he was serving with the Royal Naval Reserve , one of many young Welshmen who joined Britain’s naval war effort. Naval Service Daniel served as a Trimmer , a demanding role deep in the stokehold of steam‑powered vessels. Trimmers shovelled and managed coal to feed the ship’s boilers and maintain the vessel’s balance—arduous, hot, and often dangerous work. According to the British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records , Daniel lost his life on 21 July 1915 following the loss of H.M. Trawler Briton . H.M. Trawler Briton H.M. Trawler Briton was a hired Admiralty steam trawler taken into naval service in early 1915 to support the Royal Navy’s Auxiliary Patrol. Like many requisitioned trawlers, Briton performed a range of...