Trevor Mabbett

Private Trevor Mabbett – South Wales Borderers, 2^nd Battalion

Early Life

Trevor Mabbett

Trevor Mabbett was born in Swansea in 1894, the youngest son of John Mabbett and Catherine Deweyer, who had married in Swansea in 1873.

1901 Census

The 1901 Census records the family at 8 John Street, Swansea, where the surname was mistakenly entered as “Mabbitt.” John, 49, worked as a general labourer, while Catherine, 47, kept house. Their children were Reuben, 16; Katie, 13; Susie, 11; and Trevor, aged 7.

1911 Census

By 1911, Trevor had already enlisted. At 18, he was serving as a Private with the South Wales Borderers, 1^st Battalion, stationed at Chatham Barracks, Chatham.

Military Service

Brigadier-General
Nathaniel Bamardiston

At the outbreak of the First World War, Trevor was serving with the 2^nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers, under the command of Brigadier-General Nathaniel Bamardiston. The battalion, around 1,000 strong, was dispatched to China as part of an international force sent by the British Government and other European powers, concerned about Japanese intentions in the region.

Their mission was to join Japanese forces in an attack on the German-controlled port of Qingdao (Tsingtao) in Shandong province.

The Siege of Qingdao (Tsingtao)

Qingdao was Germany’s primary naval base in East Asia, home to the East Asia Squadron and defended by modern fortifications. When Germany refused Japan’s ultimatum to surrender the port, Japanese and British forces began operations on 27^th August 1914.

The British contingent—chiefly the South Wales Borderers—was placed on the western sector of the siege lines, where they dug trenches, manned advanced positions under heavy bombardment, and joined Japanese troops in the final assault.

On 7^th November 1914, the Germans surrendered. The capture of Qingdao was strategically significant: it removed Germany’s last stronghold in East Asia and marked the only major First World War battle fought on Chinese soil.

Death

During the siege, Trevor received wounds that proved fatal. He was evacuated to Britain and admitted to Netley Hospital, near Southampton, where he died in early 1915.

Western Mail 

Western Mail 

The Western Mail of 9^th March 1915 reported his death, noting that his injuries had been sustained in the November fighting. His final letter home, written after his wounding, had already been published in the Western Mail in December 1914, offering a poignant glimpse into his final days.

Netley Hospital

Netley Hospital

Formally known as the Royal Victoria Military Hospital, Netley was located on the shores of Southampton Water in Hampshire. Opened in 1863, it was the largest military hospital of its time, built to care for soldiers returning from overseas campaigns. The imposing red-brick building stretched nearly a quarter of a mile in length and became a symbol of Victorian military medicine.

During the First World War, Netley played a vital role as a receiving and treatment centre for wounded soldiers brought back from the front by ship. Thousands of British and Commonwealth servicemen passed through its wards. The hospital was equipped with surgical theatres, convalescent facilities, and a military cemetery that grew rapidly during the war years.

Trevor Mabbett
South Wales Borderers
credit - findagrave

For men like Trevor, who had been wounded abroad, Netley offered expert care but was also often the place where families received final news of their loved ones. His death there links Swansea to one of the most important medical institutions of the war.

Burial

Following his death, Trevor was laid to rest at St. Peter’s Church, Cockett, joining the earliest military burials in the churchyard.

Legacy

At just 20 years of age, Trevor’s life ended far from home, after serving in one of the most unusual campaigns of the First World War. His grave at St. Peter’s, and the memory of his final letter, keep alive the story of a Swansea soldier whose service spanned from South Wales to the battlefields of China, and finally to Netley Hospital on the south coast of England.