Reginald Brice

Private Reginald Brice – East Yorkshire Regiment

Early Life

Reginald Brice, born in 1900, was the youngest son of John Brice and Margaret Stewart. His mother, Margaret, was born in Australia, while his father worked in South Wales as a railwayman.

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the Brice family lived at 29 Sea View Terrace. John, aged 48, was employed as a Railway Porter, and Margaret was 44. Their children at home were Thomas, 17; Robert, 15, employed as an errand boy; Walter, 13; George, 8; and young Reginald, aged just 1.

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 2 Sea View Terrace. John, then 58, was still working as a Railway Porter, and Margaret was 56. The census recorded that the couple had 14 children in total, though only 7 were still living. At home were Walter Stewart, 23, employed as a striker; George Basil, 18, working as a fuse tester; and Reginald, 12, still at school.

Before the war, Reginald found employment as a shop assistant at Messrs Stewart’s, High Street, Swansea.

Military Service

In September 1917, at the age of just 17, Reginald enlisted. He joined the East Yorkshire Regiment, one of many Swansea boys who stepped forward to serve in the final years of the First World War.

Death and Burial

South Wales Daily Post 

The South Wales Daily Post later reported his death. Reginald fell ill and died on 11^th April 1918 in Newcastle Hospital, his young life cut short by the effects of pneumonia, rather than wounds from the battlefield.

Reginald Brice
Danygraig Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Following his death, his body was returned to Swansea. He was laid to rest at Danygraig Cemetery, where his grave still marks the resting place of one of the youngest of Swansea’s war dead.

Legacy

Reginald Brice’s story is a reminder that the losses of the First World War were not confined to the trenches. Illness claimed countless lives among serving soldiers, and for families like the Brices, the grief was just as profound.

At only 18 years old, Reginald’s death ended a life that had scarcely begun. His name, preserved at Danygraig, stands alongside many others, ensuring that Swansea remembers the sacrifices of even its youngest servicemen.