Rees Connick – Royal Navy, H.M.S. Vivid

Stoker 2nd Class Rees Connick – Royal Navy, H.M.S. Vivid

Early Life and Family Background

Rees Connick was born in 1893 in Swansea, the son of Thomas Connick and Ann James.

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the Connick family were living at 39 Mysydd Terrace, Swansea. Thomas Connick, aged 40 and born in Carmarthenshire, was employed as a tinplate worker, while his wife Ann was 39. Their children were Mary Ann (15), John James (13), Rees (8), Brinley (4), and Sidney, aged just two months.

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 31 Mysydd Terrace, Swansea. Thomas, now 50, was working as a doubler in the tinplate industry, and Ann was 48. Their children at home were John (22), employed as a fireman with the Great Western Railway; Rees (14), described as a tinworker (rising); Brinley (14); and Emrys (10), both of whom were attending school. Also residing in the household was a boarder, William Thomas (22).

Naval Service

Royal Navy Service Records

Before entering military service, Rees Connick was employed as a police officer. In September 1918, during the final weeks of the First World War, he enlisted in the Royal Navy and was rated Stoker 2^nd Class, serving at H.M.S. Vivid, the Royal Navy barracks and training establishment at Plymouth.

Death and Burial

British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records

Shortly after enlistment, Rees Connick fell ill during the widespread influenza pandemic that was affecting both the civilian population and the armed forces. The British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records record that he died on 20^th September 1918 at the Royal Naval Hospital, Plymouth, from influenza.

Rees Connick
Cwmgelly Cemetery, Swansea
credit - findagrave

His body was returned to Swansea, where he was buried at Cwmgelly Cemetery, marking the loss of a young serviceman whose life was cut short while in wartime service.