Arthur Rees – Royal Navy, H.M.S. Impregnable

Boy 2^nd Class Arthur Rees – Royal Navy, H.M.S. Impregnable

Early Life

Arthur Rees was born in 1902 in Briton Ferry, Glamorgan. He was the son of Edwin Rees, who later lived at 4 Rugby Avenue, Neath, Glamorgan. Growing up in the industrial communities of Briton Ferry and Neath, Arthur would have been surrounded by docks, steelworks, and railways—typical of the area at the turn of the 20th century.

Naval Service

Arthur enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Boy 2^nd Class, a rank for boys aged 15–17 beginning their naval training. He was assigned to H.M.S. Impregnable, a major training establishment at Devonport where recruits learned seamanship, discipline, and the fundamentals of naval life. Conditions were strict, routines demanding, and illnesses common among the young trainees housed in close quarters.

Death

British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records

According to the British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, Arthur died of disease on 27^th October 1917, aged just 15, while serving with the Royal Navy at H.M.S. Impregnable. Diseases such as influenza, diphtheria, and other infectious illnesses were frequent in naval training establishments, and medical care at the time struggled to prevent outbreaks.

Burial

Arthur Rees
Ford Park Cemetery, Plymouth
credit - findagrave

Arthur Rees is buried at Ford Park Cemetery, Plymouth, a resting place for many sailors and naval boys from the Devonport training establishments whose lives ended before they were able to begin full service at sea