John Edgar Rees – King’s Royal Rifle Corps, 2nd Battalion
Lance Corporal John Edgar Rees – King’s Royal Rifle Corps, 2nd Battalion
Was John Edgar Rees the oldest casualty commemorated on
the Mumbles War Memorial
Early Life and Family Background
 |
| James Rees and Eliza Annie Hinckley marriage certificate St. James Church, Swansea |
John Edgar Rees was born in 1877 in Swansea, the son of James Rees and Eliza Annie Hinckley, who were married at St James’ Church, Swansea, in 1868.
 |
| 1881 Census |
At the time of the 1881 Census, the Rees family were living at 54 Mansel Street, Swansea. John’s father, James Rees, was absent, being employed as a Master Mariner. His wife, Eliza A. Rees, aged 34, was recorded as head of the household.
The children listed were Annie M. (10), John E.
(4), and Frederick B. (1). Also present were Eliza’s widowed mother Eliza
Hinckley (75), her niece Alice E. Hinckley (19), and her widowed
sister-in-law Jane F. Hinckley (45). A lodger, John Smyth (56),
born in Hampshire and employed by the Board of Trade, was also recorded
at the address.
 |
| 1891 Census |
By the 1891 Census, the family were residing at 54 Mansel Terrace, Swansea. James Rees (53) was recorded as a Master Mariner, with his wife Elizabeth A. (59).
Their children were Annie M. (30), John E. (14),
employed as a Senior Clerk, Frederick B. (11), and James R. H.
(5). Also present in the household was their niece Alice E. Hinsley (29).
Military Service Prior to the First World War
 |
| 1901 Census |
In the 1901 Census, John is recorded as a Sapper with the Royal Engineers, stationed at Brompton Barracks, Kent. He served during the South African Campaign, gaining experience in field engineering, construction, and demolition, and later saw service in German South West Africa with the 1st Rhodesian Regiment, reflecting a long and varied military career prior to the First World War.
There is no known record of John appearing in the 1911
Census, suggesting he may still have been overseas or employed in military
or related service.
First World War Service
 |
| Attestation Papers |
John’s attestation papers, which have survived, record that he enlisted in October 1915, despite already having considerable previous military experience. At the time of enlistment, his home address was Oakhurst, Bringslead Road, Sutton, Surrey.
He enlisted with the King’s Royal Rifle Corps,
serving with the 2nd Battalion, and later attained the rank of Lance
Corporal, indicating his experience and leadership qualities. His mother’s
address was recorded as 11 Langland Road, Mumbles, maintaining a strong
connection with the local area.
King’s Royal Rifle Corps, 2nd Battalion – 1st July
1916
On 1st July 1916, the opening day of the Battle
of the Somme, the 2nd Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps
was committed to one of the most destructive and costly actions in British
military history.
At the time, the battalion formed part of 99th
Brigade, 2nd Division, a Regular Army division that had been
continuously engaged since 1914 and was regarded as one of the most
experienced formations on the Western Front. The battalion was ordered to
attack in the Thiepval sector, an area dominated by strongly
fortified German defensive positions, including deep concrete dugouts,
interlocking machine-gun posts, and dense belts of barbed wire.
Despite a week-long preliminary artillery bombardment,
much of the German defensive system remained intact. At zero hour, the
men of the 2nd KRRC advanced from their trenches and moved forward
across open, gently rising ground, immediately coming under intense
and devastating machine-gun fire. German defenders emerged rapidly from
underground shelters, bringing accurate and sustained fire to bear on the
advancing waves.
Casualties were catastrophic within minutes. Officers
and non-commissioned officers were killed or wounded in large numbers, leading
to a rapid collapse of command and control. Many men were struck down
before reaching the enemy wire, while others were killed attempting to cut
through obstacles, regroup isolated parties, or give assistance to wounded
comrades lying exposed in no man’s land.
By the end of the day, the battalion’s objectives had not
been achieved, and the remnants of the 2nd KRRC were withdrawn
in a severely depleted and exhausted state. The losses suffered on 1st
July 1916 were among the heaviest endured by the regiment during the
entire war. Many of the fallen had no known grave, their bodies lost
in no man’s land or obliterated by later shellfire during continued fighting in
the sector.
It was during this appalling day of combat that Lance
Corporal John Edgar Rees lost his life, sharing the fate of thousands of
other soldiers who fell on the first day of the Somme.
Death and Commemoration
 |
| Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects |
According to the Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, Lance Corporal John Edgar Rees was killed in action on 1st July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
 |
| John Edgar Rees Arras Memorial, France credit - findagrave |
Comments
Post a Comment