There is a card for Harold in the Flintshire Roll of Honour at the County Archive Office in Hawarden. It gives his name and regiment (SWB) as above. The address is 15 Alyn View and the card was signed by Elizabeth Rees, his mother. It says ‘missing August 18th 1918′
Harold’s Commonwealth War Grave Certificate gives us regimental details as above and names his parents as Richard and Elizabeth Rees of 15 Alyn View, Henffordd Mold. It gives his date of death and details of the cemetery.
It is his medal card (accessible on www.ancestry.co.uk) that details his previous regiment and number.
UK Soldiers who Died in The Great War 1914 -1919 accessible on www.ancestry.co.uk tells us that Harold enlisted in Mold and gives regimental details as above. It says he was Killed in Action in France & Flanders.
Harold first appears on a census in 1901 at the age of 4. The family was living at Wesley Place, Mold and consisted of Richard Rees, head of family who was 46 and a tin plate ‘assorter’ who hailed from Halltwin ? Elizabeth 44 was his wife from Mold. They had 7 sons William 22, Morgan 19, Philip 16, Garmon 14 all worked in the tin plate works. Ebenezer 10, John 8 and Harold 4were all scholars. There was a daughter Louisa who was 23 . Living with them were Benjamin Wigley father in law 73 and John Wigley brother in law 46 both of whom were general labourers.
Ten years later in the 1911 census the family was living in 15 Alun View Mold. Father Richard Rees was 55 and still an ‘assorter’ in the tin plate works. This census tells us his birthplace was Alltwin Glamorgan. His wife of 36 years Elizabeth was 54 and living at home were Philip 25 a tinman, Richard Garmon 22 a’doubler’ in the tin works, Ebeneezer 20 (married) and a labourer in the tin works. Harold was 14 and a ‘cold roller’ also in the tin works. Albert 9 was at school and 83 year old Benjamin Wigley – father in law, a widower was descibed (incredibly) as a labourer. This census form tells us that there had been 10 children born to Richard and Elizabeth and 9 of them were still alive. There was no mention of Ebeneezer’s wife. Where was she?
Many thanks to Jennifer Ackerman who sent us the answer to our question about Ebeneezer’s wife.
“Regarding a page that you did on Flintshire War Memorials about Harold Rees from Mold who was killed in ww1, you asked at the end where was his brother Ebeneezer’s wife as there was no mention of her, her name was Sophia nee Jones born 1892, they had 1 son Gwilliam and 3 daughters, Elizabeth, Ellen and Myra, Myra was born 1924 and was my mother.”