Dawlish World War One Project

Reginald Charles Bright joined the Navy as a Boy Seaman on 12 August 1912 at age 15 and was sent to the Boy Seaman’s Training Ship Impregnable, a wooden hulk moored in the Hamoaze off Devonport. After initial training he was posted to H.M.S.Gibraltar, an old cruiser laid down in 1892, and he stayed from February to May 1913. He returned to Barracks. H.M.S.Vivid, and then had short spells aboard Lancaster and Talbot until joining H.M.S.Skirmisher on 7th October 1913. He was made up to Ordinary Seaman on 7th July 1914 and signed on for a 12 year engagement on 1st January 1915, at the age of 18. He was made up to Able Seaman on 21st December 1915.

On 7th December 1917 he was posted to HMS Blake, a depot ship in Harwich to the 11th Destroyer flotilla. R C Bright served aboard H.M.S.Mons, one of one hundred and three destroyers of the M Class built for the Royal Navy during the Great War. Mons was first commisssioned in July 1915 designed by Messrs Yarrow Ltd. They were 270 feet overall with a displacement of 890 tons and a designed speed of 35-36 knots. In heavy seas it is quite likely that waves could break across decks of these small fast ships.

He was declared dead on 19th February 1918. The report of Court of Enquiry found that he 'was washed overboard and drowned on 19 Feb 1918. No blame is attributable to anyone.'

R C Bright was one of twin sons (q.v. Hubert J Bright) of Frederick and Charlotte Bright. The father was an agricultural labourer and in 1901 they lived at Kerswell Cottage, Kenn. In 1911 Reginald C Bright was living with his grandfather, Charles Abraham Ware Jarman (widower and market gardener) in Holcombe and working as a gardener.    (see detail in Documents below)