John Rees (known as Jack) was born on 10 May 1887 in Cardigan, Cardiganshire. He was the son of Evan & Harriet Rees.

His father, Evan, was a Master Mariner in the Merchant Service. Records show that by the time of the 1901 census, Evan had passed away and a 17 year-old Jack was living with his widowed mother and 2 younger siblings at 8 Tivy Terrace, Cardigan. It also reports that he had started work as an apprentice Shoeing Smith.

By the 1911 census, Jack was 27 years old and working as a Shoeing Smith and was still living with his mother and 3 siblings at Tivy Terrace.

At some point following this, Jack moved to Morriston and started work as a Blacksmith at one of the Tinplate Works. He also met his wife, Catherine (Kate) Morgan. and they were married at the Registrar’s Office in Swansea on 28 May 1914. A picture of Jack and Kate from that period has survived, with Jack dressed in a pre-war Territorial Artillery dress uniform and Kate proudly showing her wedding ring, it is likely that this was their wedding photo and is included in the image library. On the forms, Jack was living at 126 Graig Road and Kate was from Morfydd Street.

Just 3 months later, following the outbreak of the Great War, Jack joined the 1st Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade and would have left Swansea shortly after. Jack and Kate would have seen little of each other until after the War.

It is not known exactly when Jack returned home, but most of the men arrived back in Swansea in March/April 1919. An indication is given by the date of birth of the couple’s first child, Evan Thomas, who was born on 24 May 1920. Evan was baptized shortly after and the church record confirms that Jack had to returned to work as a Blacksmith and the couple were now living close to Kate’s parents on Morfydd Street, Morriston.

For unknown reasons, John does not appear in the 1921 census, although Kate and Evan are living at 12 Morfydd St.

The next records of the family is in the 1939 Register and they have moved to 69 Park Avenue, Plasmarl, Swansea. The Register shows a second child, John G (1933) and Jack is shown as a Master Blacksmith, Wagon Repairer and it also notes that he is a full-time ARP (Air Raid Warden).

John Rees passed away at the age of 66 on 19 March 1951 at Swansea Hosp. At the time he died, he was still living with Kate at 69 Park Avenue.

His grand-son added: Unfortunately, I have no personal recollection of my grandfather as he died about 5 years before I was born. I knew Kate my grandmother, but she did not talk a great deal about him. I knew that he was a blacksmith and that he fought in WW1. I knew that he returned in ill health, but didn't know he had Malaria until I came across his pension records as part of my family tree research. I also knew that he was an ARP Warden in WW2 and I have a photo of him in uniform with a group of ARP Wardens, as well as a number of other photos of him in civilian life in later years.

Jack Rees enlisted in the 1st Welsh (Howitzer) Brigade in the days immediately following the outbreak of the Great War and was given the service number 916. Unfortunately, his service record was destroyed in the Blitz, but the surviving fragments of official information, coupled with a selection of photographs held by his grandson, allow an outline of his service to be produced.

Jack had served before the start of the War. A surviving ‘Certificate of Service’ shows that John James Rees had joined the 1st Battalion, The Welsh Regiment on 7 February 1902 and served as a Private until 31 March 1908.

It also appears that Jack served as a member of the Territorial Artillery following this as in his wedding picture (May 1914), he is wearing the pre-War Dress Uniform of a Farrier in the Royal Artillery – 3 months before he enlisted in the Brigade. Despite no records found to confirm this, it is reasonable to assume that he did serve and left following his marriage, re-enlisting with his former comrades when war was declared.

After enlisting, Jack would most likely have joined the Brigade in Shrewsbury in late August or Northampton in early September 1914 to start the preparations for War. In December 1914, the Brigade moved to Cambridge and May 1915 to Bedford where they finalized their training. Given the subject of a number of photos that have survived, it is reasonable to assume that by this stage he had joined the 1st Battery as a Shoeing Smith – using his civilian skills to best advantage.

On the night of 21/22 November the Brigade finally left the UK, traveling from Southampton to Le Havre. Shortly before, a local paper had published a photograph of the Brigade NCO’s and the promoted Shoeing-Smith Corporal J Rees is pictured in the front row, sitting cross-legged.

In France, the Brigade moved to the Somme area, where they underwent further training, including a period in the front-line South-East of Albert (an area that marked the southern edge of the Somme battlefield just 6 months later).

Just before Christmas 1915, the Brigade withdrew from the front-line and in January 1916, received orders to rejoin the rest of the 53rd Welsh Division in Egypt. The rest of the 53rd Division had served in Gallipoli and suffered terribly.

It is likely that S/S Cpl Rees made the dangerous 5-day crossing from Marseilles to Alexandria with the rest of the Brigade in February 1916 and then moved to Beni Salama, Wardan Station near Cairo where the 53rd Division refitted and acclimatized to desert conditions. A number of Jack’s pictures from this period have survived, including a picture of D Sub of the 1st Battery.

In May 1915, the Brigade took over a section of the defences of the Suez Canal, which was dull and uninteresting. However, later in the year, their Commander – Gen Murray – decided attack was the best form of defence and in November 1916 they began the long, hot, sandy and thirsty march across the Sinai Desert.

This march ended at the Turkish Garrison at Gaza and the Brigade took part in the first 2 unsuccessful battles in early 1917. After a change of leadership, Gaza finally fell in November 1917 and the army pushed on to Jerusalem which they took in December 1917.

In 1918, they continued to advance through the Judean Hills and into Jordan. The final months of the war in Jordon were marked by terrible sickness and many of the men became ill with Malaria. Later army pension records confirm that Farrier-Sergeant Rees contracted the disease.

Following the defeat of the Turkish Army, the men returned to Alexandria where they waited to demobilize. This was briefly delayed by civil unrest, but following this, most of the men returned to Swansea in March/April 1919.

Shortly before he was demobilized, one final picture of him was taken in Swansea – most likely with the men he had served with. It is annotated ‘France 1915, Egypt & Palestine 1916-1919’ and also mentions a name ‘ET Brazell C/265 Brigade RFA’. C/265 Bde was the final name of the 1st Battery and Evan Thomas Brazell was a fellow Morriston man (No 1276).

For his service in the Great War, Farrier-Sergeant Jack Rees received the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal