REGINALD VAUGHAN CLEVES
25th November 1896 – 23rd April 1917
Reginald, or Vaughan as he was known was son of Frederick Vaughan Cleves and Annie Maria
Marsh of 14 Woodland Place, Penarth. He was educated at St Mary’s Hall, Park Grove, Cardiff.
In 1910 he was living at 10 Longcross Street, Cardiff with his parents and his grandmother Sarah
Marsh. Vaughan was an only child. He was formerly at member of St German’s Church Choir. The
church is dedicated to the Garman Sant of Welsh tradition, and is situated in the Adamsdown part
of Cardiff. Vaughan was also a member of the Church Lads’ Brigade. This organisation was set up
by Walter M Gee and Reverend Thomas Milner, and was set up for the personal and social
development of young people within the Anglican Church. The Brigade’s Patron is Saint Martin of
Tours. A banner depicting St Martin, which was presented by the Brigade in 1921 to honour those
members who died in the First World War is kept in Westminster Abbey.
Vaughan joined the Merchant Service and we have records of him in 1912 arriving in San Pedro on
the SS Oakley out of North Shields, having sailed from Conorel, Chile. He was employed by
Middleton & Co., of London. Subsequently Vaughan served with the Royal Naval Volunteer
Reserve Hood Bn. RN Div. His rank was Temp. Sub-Lieutenant (service number Z/374) Petty
Officer, RNVR. He signed up for the Royal Navy during October 1916.
At the declaration of War on the 4th August 1914, there was a surplus of some 20-30,000 men of
the reserves of the Royal Navy who could not find jobs on any ships of war. It was recognised that
this was sufficient to form two Naval brigades and a Brigade of Marines for operation on land.