Irene Marion Roberts – Women’s Royal Naval Service, H.M.S. Excellent

Leading Wren Irene Marion Roberts – Women’s Royal Naval Service, H.M.S. Excellent

Leading Wren Irene Marion Roberts, born in 1924 in Neath, served with distinction in the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS), attached to H.M.S. Excellent, the Royal Navy’s renowned gunnery school at Whale Island. Her service placed her among the skilled and dedicated women who supported naval operations during and immediately after the Second World War.

Service and Final Illness

British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records

Irene Marion Roberts
Oystermouth Cemetery, Mumbles
credit - findagrave

According to the British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, Irene died on 22 February 1947 at her home, 17 Riverdale Road, West Cross, from pulmonary tuberculosis. Her death occurred during a period when many WRNS personnel were still engaged in essential post‑war duties, and her passing was noted as a quiet but deeply felt loss.

Burial at Oystermouth Cemetery

Irene holds a unique place in Swansea’s wartime history: she is the only woman from the armed forces buried at Oystermouth Cemetery. Her grave stands as a rare and poignant reminder of the women who served, often without the recognition afforded to their male counterparts, yet whose contributions were vital to the Royal Navy’s wartime and post‑war operations.