John William Sommers

Ordinary Seaman John William Sommers – Royal Navy

Early Life

John William Sommers was born in 1900 in Llandrindod, Radnorshire, the eldest son of John Sommers and Harriet Mason.

1901 Census

According to the 1901 Census, the Sommers family was residing at Caerdu, Llandrindod Wells. John senior, aged 29 and born in New York, USA, was employed as a Carter for a Contractor. Harriet, aged 26, managed the home. Their only child at that time was William, aged 11 months, recorded under his middle name.

1911 Census

By the time of the 1911 Census, the family had moved south to Mill Lane, Blackpill, near Swansea. John, now aged 41, was employed as a Banker at the Colliery, while Harriet, aged 39, cared for their growing family. Their children were William (11) and Henry (10), both attending school, along with Robert (9), Doris (8), Thomas (8), and Marie (5).

Naval Service

Royal Navy
Registers of Seamen's Services

Following the outbreak of the First World War, John William Sommers enlisted in the Royal Navy on 3^rd October 1915, giving his civilian occupation as Gardener’s Assistant. At the time of his enlistment, he was only fifteen years old.

His Royal Navy service record notes that he began his training as a Boy, 2^nd Class, aboard H.M.S. Impregnable — the Navy’s principal Training Establishment for Boys at Devonport, Plymouth. Young recruits received naval education, seamanship instruction, and physical training before joining the Fleet. After completing his initial training, John was promoted to Boy, 1^st Class, and later to Ordinary Seaman, reflecting his good conduct and progress during service.

In early 1919, he was serving at H.M.S. Vivid I — the administrative and training base for naval ratings at Devonport, which handled personnel returning from sea service and those awaiting new postings or medical evaluations. While attached to Vivid I, John was invalided from the Royal Navy on 5^th February 1919, following a medical diagnosis of tuberculosis, a serious illness that afflicted many servicemen returning from the war.

Death and Burial

John William Sommers died on 8^th July 1919, aged just 19, at Neath, most likely at the Neath and District Isolation Hospital on Pant-yr-Heol, where servicemen and civilians suffering from tuberculosis were commonly treated in the years following the war. Though his death came after the Armistice, it was directly linked to his wartime service and the harsh conditions experienced by naval personnel during and after the conflict.

He was laid to rest at Oystermouth Cemetery, Swansea, where his grave remains a poignant reminder of the young lives cut short by the lingering effects of war.

Legacy

Ordinary Seaman John William Sommers is remembered as one of the youngest men from the Blackpill and Swansea area to serve during the First World War. Enlisting as a boy and dedicating his short life to naval service, he represents the courage and quiet determination of thousands of young sailors who served the Royal Navy during the Great War.

His name endures as part of the region’s wartime story, commemorating a youth spent in service to his country and a life tragically ended in its aftermath.