BRASHIER, WILLIAM, Private, No. 2436, D Coy., 1/7th Battn. Durham L.I., 2nd s. of James Brashier, by his wife, Sarah, dau. of Hugh McKee; b. Durham, 20 Jan. 1895; educ. there; enlisted after the outbreak of the war, and died in hospital at Boulogne, 14 May, 1915, of wounds received in action; unm.

BRASIER, LEONARD GEORGE, Petty Officer, 2nd Class (R.F.R., B. 2406), 219840, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in the action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

BRASS, WILLIAM, Corpl., No. 6/807, South Canterbury Battn., New Zealand Expeditionary Force, s. of James Gilles Brass, of Kirkwall, Farmer, by his wife Isabella Balfour, dau. of James Bews; b. Harray, Orkney, 27 Dec. 1889; educ. Rendall Parish School, Orkney, went to New Zealand in Dec. 1908, enlisted at Christchurch on the outbreak of war, left with the main force and was killed in action at the Dardanelles, 26 April, 1915; unm. Brass was the well-known Mount Cook Guide, and had been a member of the Scottish Garrison Artillery before going to New Zealand. He was a personal friend of Richmond, the guide who was lost with Mr. King in the descent from Mount Cook. Brass, with Mr. Turner, made an ascent on the same day, and the two parties were to have met on the top. They passed over the avalanche which killed the others, tracing their steps down to it. Subsequently it was Brass who found the mangled body of Richmond, and his great strength was a considerable factor in bringing it down to the hut in that terrible journey in which the guides had to take it in turns to carry it on their backs down a mountain side in the dark, a feat which seems almost incredible when the place is gone over in the daylight.

BRATTLE, WILLIAM, Chief Stoker, 277368, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

BRAY, CECIL HERBERT, Private, No. 2801, 1/9th Battn. (Queen Victoria’s Rifles) London Regt., s. of Thomas Bray, Engineer’s Draughtsman, by his wife, Frances, dau. of John Drewry Codling; b. Harringay, N., 22 Nov. 1892; educ. Haverstock Hill Orphanage; enlisted two days after the declaration of war, 7 Aug. 1914; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders, and was killed in action at Voormezeele, near St. Eloi, 17 July, 1915; unm.

BRAY, GEORGE, A.B., 216585, H.M.S. Pathfinder; lost when that ship was sunk by a mine, about 20 miles off the East Coast, 5 Sept. 1914.

BRAY, DERRICK REGINALD PAMPHILON, Corpl., No. 1553, 1st Battn. (Royal Fusiliers) The London Regt. (T.F.), only s. of Reginald Alfred Bray, of 49, Orlando Road, Clapham Common, S.W., formerly of Jersey, by his wife, Lissa, dau. of the late Stephen Algir Pamphilon, of Lea Hall, Hatfield Broad Oak, Harlow, co. Essex; b. Clapham Common, 20 Sept. 1895; educ. private school, and Wix’s Higher Grade School; joined the 1st City of London Regt. 7 April, 1913; on the outbreak of war volunteered for foreign service, was sent to Malta for five months, and proceeded to France, 10 March, 1915. He was killed in action at Aubers Ridge, 9 May, 1915, and was buried in Rue Pettilon, near Picantin; unm. His commanding officer wrote: “At the time he was gallantly leading his section in an advance under very severe fire, and by his death, we all realise that we have lost a brave comrade, who has done his duty and whom we all miss dreadfully. His sense of duty was most real, as events have proved.” Corpl. Bray was very proud of the fact that every man of his family of fighting age joined the colours early in the war. His uncle, Lieut. Ede, Royal Marine Artillery, was mentioned in Despatches while serving with the Egyptian Army in 1896.

BRAY, HORACE, Private, No. 9241, 3rd Battn. The Middlesex Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in action, 16 April, 1915; m.

BRAZIER, ALFRED, Private, No. 9499, 2nd Battn. East Surrey Regt., s. of James Brazier, of 22, Stewarts Lane, Battersea; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in action, 25 April, 1915.

BRAZIER, BENJAMIN WILLIAM, Corpl., No. 8949, 2nd Battn. Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire L.I., eldest s. of Wallace Brazier, Lieut. and Quartermaster 6th Service Battn. and late Regimental Sergt.-Major 2nd Battn. Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire L.I., by his wife, Mary Jane (4, Pentland Villas, Juniper Green, Midlothian), dau. of William Paddon, late R.N.; b. Bareilly, N.W.P., India, 30 Nov. 1893; educ. Cowley, and East Oxford Council School, Oxford; joined the 2nd Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire L.I. in Sept. 1908, attended the Kneller Hall Royal School of Music from Oct. 1913 till Aug. 1914, and on the outbreak of war rejoined his battn., served in France and Flanders; was twice wounded, the second time at the Battle of the Aisne, and was killed in action during the night attack, 15–16 May, 1915, at Richbourg L’Avoue; unm. His company commander wrote: “During the time I was out in France he was in my company, and I looked upon him as a promising N.C.O. He was always cheerful, ready to help in anything there was to be done, and during the three rather hard days fighting, 21–23 Oct., he did a lot of most excellent work, and looked after the men round him admirably. Everyone who knew him will miss him, and the regt. has lost a N.C.O. who would in time have risen to the highest rank. He was a gallant lad,” and the Quartermaster: “He was a brave lad, the best of soldiers, and would, I am certain, had he been spared, have risen to a high position. There is not one but will mourn his loss.” Corpl. Brazier was a keen sportsman and football player, in which latter sport he won two medals.

BRAZIER, FREDERICK OWEN, Private, No. 3198, 5th (Cinque Ports) Battn. Royal Sussex Regt. (T.F.), s. of Frederick Brazier, of 29, St. George’s Road, Hastings; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in action, 9 May, 1915.

BRAZIER, JAMES, Private, No. 6282, 1st Battn. East Surrey Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders; killed in action, 26 Oct. 1914; m.

BRAZIER, WALTER ERNEST, Stoker, 1st Class, Chatham, 311704, H.M.S. Laertes; killed in action in Heligoland Bight, 28 Aug. 1914.

BREACH, JOHN, Private, No. 4770, 5th Dragoon Guards, 3rd s. of William Breach, of Lowestoft, Fishing Smack Owner, by his wife, Sarah; b. Lowestoft, 5 April, 1879; educ. at the Board and Technical Schools there; joined the Army, 16 April, 1898; served with his regt. in India, and went through the Boer War, for which he was awarded the medal. At the outbreak of the European War he was farming in Canada, and was recalled to join his regt. He died of wounds received in action at Hill 60, in 13 General Hospital, Boulogne, 11 June, 1915. He m. at Kirkley Parish Church, Lowestoft, 28 March, 1910, Agnes Maud (Ivydene, Kitchener Road, Ipswich), yst. dau. of John William Hadenham, of Ipswich, District Superintendent Insurance Company; s.p. Private Breach was a lifelong abstainer, a keen football player, and an expert cricketer, and held several good conduct medals. His three brothers are all now (1916) on active service.

BREAM, CHARLES, Drummer, No. 7248, 1st Battn. Northamptonshire Regt., s. of Charles William Bream, of Nassington, co. Northants; b. Nassington, 5 Dec. 1883; educ. there; joined the 1st Northamptons (D Coy.), 1903, and saw active service on the Indian Frontier in 1904, for which he received two medals and two bars. He afterwards became a Police Constable in the Durham County Constabulary, and was stationed at South Moor, in the Lancashire and Consett Petty Sessional Division, when he was called up on the outbreak of war. He left with his regt. for France, 17 Aug. 1914, taking part in the retreat from Mons and several other engagements, and was killed in a bayonet charge at Festubert, 21 Dec. 1914. In a letter to a friend at South Moor he said: “You will have heard about the battle on the Aisne. We were in the trenches for a month, and the first week it never ceased raining, and we had to stick it.” Later, writing from Festubert, he said that they had had several engagements with the Prussian Guard, but had got through them, doing six bayonet charges in ten days. He m. at Yarwell, Nassington, 8 Oct. 1913, Carrie, dau. of (—) Mould, of Nassington.

BRECKELL, RALPH LEICESTER, 2nd Lieut., 3rd Battn. (Prince of Wales’ Volunteers) South Lancashire Regt., attd. 2nd Battn. Lancashire Fusiliers, 2nd s. of Edward John Blease Breckell, of Holmdene, Alexandra Road, Waterloo, near Liverpool, by his wife, Emilia Mary, only child of the late Charles Oddie, of Everton, Liverpool; b. West Derby, near Liverpool, 16 April, 1890; educ. Ellesmere College, Shropshire; was Resident Secretary in Liverpool for the British Crown Insurance Company, but on the outbreak of war joined the 18th Service Battn. King’s Liverpool Regt. in Sept. 1914, and was gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the 3rd South Lancashires, 20 Feb. 1915, being later attached to the 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers at the front; killed in action on the canal between Pilkem and Boesinghe, during the severe fighting between 5 and 9 July, 1915; unm. His orderly, Private E. Murphy, wrote: “He died fighting like a true English gentleman, being in charge of a party of bomb throwers who held on to such a purpose that they were piling themselves on top of one another, and I am very pleased to tell you that he did not suffer more than a minute, just calling my name like this, ‘Oh, Murphy’; then I caught him and laid him down and as near as I could make out he said a few prayers, and then passed peacefully away looking as if he had gone to sleep,” and added that he was killed by a piece of shrapnel in line with his left shoulder striking his heart.

BREED, GEORGE ALFRED, Private, No. 444310, 55th Battn. Canadian Expeditionary Force, s. of the late William Breed, Farm Labourer, by his wife, Julia (Papworth Everard, Cambridge), dau. of James Paine, of Croydon, co. Cambridge; b. Hatley St. George, co. Cambridge, 14 Feb. 1892; educ. there, and at Papworth Everard; went to Canada, 1 March, 1912; volunteered for service overseas on the outbreak of war, and died in the Military Hospital at Bramshott, Liphook, Hants., 10 Dec. 1915, of influenza contracted while going through his course of training; unm.

BREEZE, JOHN, Private, No. 10505, 1st Battn. South Wales Borderers, s. of John Breeze, of 6, Durham Street, Grangetown, Cardiff, Labourer, by his 1st wife, Caroline, dau. of Thomas Morris; b. Tenbury, co. Worcester, 9 March, 1887; educ. National School, Monmouth; enlisted in 1911; killed in action at Langemark, 21 Oct. 1914; unm.

BREMER, FRANCIS AUGUSTUS, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 3921), 167964, H.M.S. Hawke; lost in action in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; m.

BREMNER, HENRY SADLER, Private, No. 138, 2nd Battn. Australian Imperial Force, 3rd s. of James Bremner, of 137, Canongate, Edinburgh, by his wife, Jane, dau. of Robert Sadler, of North Shields; b. Edinburgh, 30 Oct. 1885; educ. Milton House School there; went to Australia in 1912; enlisted on the outbreak of war, and was killed in action at Gallipoli, 2 May, 1915; unm.

BREMNER, JAMES, Private, No. 8834, 1st Battn. The Royal Scots, s. of John Bremner, of Edinburgh, by his wife, Elizabeth, dau. of James Wilson; b. Edinburgh, 30 Sept. 1886; educ. there; enlisted in Jan. 1904, and served three years with the Colours, acting part of the time as Assistant Schoolmaster at the Depôt (Glencorse). At the outbreak of war he was in the employ of the North British Railway Co. at Edinburgh; was called up on mobilisation in Aug. 1914, and was killed in action at Messines, 16 Nov. 1914, by a shell when entering a trench; unm.

BRENAN, BYRON EDWARD, 2nd Lieut., 2nd Battn. Gloucestershire Regt., yst. s. of Edward Vincent Brenan, of Poulton, Sneyd Park, Bristol, late Commissioner Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs (died July, 1915), by his wife, Marion Mabel, dau. of Major-Gen. John Thornhill Watson, B.S.C.; b. Hong-Kong, 22 March, 1895; educ. Clifton College, was in the O.T.C. there; joined the Army on the outbreak of war, and was gazetted 2nd Lieut. 3rd (Reserve) Battn. Gloucestershire Regt. 15 Aug. 1914. On 19 March he was attached to the 2nd battn. at the front, and was killed while leading his men to repair a trench which had been absolutely destroyed by a shell, 18 April, 1915; buried at Ypres; unm.

BRENCHLEY, ARTHUR, Leading Seaman, 215494, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

BRENCHLEY, GEORGE CHARLES, A.B. (R.F.R., B. 6640), 223932, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

BRENCHLEY, ROBERT HENRY, 1st Class P.O. Blacksmith, No. 156247, H.M.S. Cressy, s. of Henry Brenchley, of St. Peters, Thanet, by his wife, Elizabeth, dau. of James Epps; b. 25 Jan. 1868; educ. St. Peter’s National School; served in the Navy for twenty-two years, and in 1912 became an attendant at the Broadstairs Cinema. On the outbreak of the war was recalled, 3 Aug. 1914, and was lost on H.M.S. Cressy, 22 Sept. 1914. He m. at Broadstairs, 11 Nov. 1903, Louisa (20 Albion Street, Broadstairs), dau. of Henry Mawlings of Walford, near Ross, co. Hereford, and left a dau., Mary Louise, b. 7 May, 1905.

BRESLIN, ANDREW, Private, No. 3103, 1st Battn. Irish Guards, s. of Patrick Breslin, of Ballyorr, near Londonderry, Labourer; b. St. Johnston, co. Donegal, 4 Dec. 1885; enlisted Aug. 1908, served with the Expeditionary Force in France, and was killed in action during a charge on a strong enemy position, 1 Nov. 1914; unm.

BRESLIN, PETER, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., Ch. B. 8656), S.S. 105078, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

BRETT, CHARLES, A.B., 162505, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

BRETT, CHARLES, Private, No. 1707, 4th Battn. Australian Imperial Force, s. of Walter Brett, of Lodge Farm, Wingfield, Harleston, Norfolk, Farmer, by his wife, Sarah Jane, dau. of the late John Welsh Berry, of Great Yarmouth; b. Styleham, Suffolk, 22 Oct. 1886; educ. Brockdish Council School, Norfolk; emigrated to Australia in July, 1911; joined the Commonwealth Expeditionary Force, 9 Jan. 1915, and was killed in action between 9 and 11 Aug. 1915, at Gallipoli; unm.

BRETT, CHARLES ARTHUR HUGH, D.S.O., Lieut.-Col., 2nd Battn. The Suffolk Regt., eldest s. of the late Lieut.-Col. Arthur Brett, A.P.D., formerly of the 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen’s Bays), by his wife, Georgina, dau. of Hugh Hannay, Paymaster R.N. (who served through the Napoleonic War and was taken prisoner at Verdun in 1812); b. Muttra, India, 28 March, 1865; educ. privately and at Sandhurst; entered the Army as Lieut. 9 May, 1885; was promoted Capt. 15 June, 1894; Major, 24 Feb. 1906, and Lieut.-Col., 24 Feb. 1914. From Jan. 1895–Jan. 1899, he was Adjutant of the 1st Battn. of the Suffolk Regt., and of the 4th Battn. at Ely in 1900, and from Dec. 1909 to Dec. 1912 was in command of the Depot at Bury St. Edmunds. He served in the Hazara Expedition in 1888 and received the medal with clasp, and in the South African War, 1899–1901. He was in command of one of the four companies of the 1st Suffolks which, on 5 Jan., made the night attack on a ridge in the Colesberg district, and when they suffered repulse he found himself in charge of the party of 107 which was cut off, and after making a gallant resistance, until their ammunition gave out, and during which Capt. Brett was severely wounded, had no alternative but to surrender. After his release he rejoined his regt. and saw service in the operations east of Pretoria, and in the Orange River Colony, from July to Oct. 1900. He was mentioned in the general’s despatches [London Gazette, 10 Sept. 1901], and received the Queen’s medal with three clasps, and also the D.S.O. On the outbreak of the European War he went to France with the first Expeditionary Force, and was killed in action at Le Cateau, France, 26 Aug. 1914. The 2nd Battn. of the Suffolks arrived at Le Cateau about 7 p.m. on the 25th, and bivouacked at the barn, and made themselves comfortable for the night, although the Germans were following close on their heels. The remainder of the Brigade was fairly close at hand. On the 26th the Suffolks had breakfast at 3 a.m., and fell in at 4 a.m. to take up their allotted positions, which were about half a mile to their rear. Two of the battns. (Nos. 3 and 4) of the Brigade were to occupy the trenches which had already been prepared for them, and the Suffolks (No. 1 Battn.) and the 4th Battn. of the Brigade was placed in reserve. Afterwards the Suffolks were moved out in front of the battery and No. 4 Battn. to the right, to protect the guns. The Suffolks had barely taken up their position and commenced to use the web equipment entrenching tool when the Germans opened fire on the battery and dropped a shell right among them. The fight developed and the regt. hung on, protecting the guns, but had to put up with a good deal of shelling which was intended for the battery. They also came in for a good deal of enfilading fire from the German guns. This went on for several hours. It was very difficult to feed the firing line with ammunition, especially when the German infantry drew near. Our infantry and maxim guns simply mowed them down, but still they pressed on, and for a time they recoiled, and then came on again. The battery at one time was firing at them at about 800 yards range, and some of our men, especially of C Coy. (Capt. Orford), got hit with our own shells. Nothing could show itself in the open without drawing a terrible fire from the enemy. The first line of transport was ordered to retire and get away the best way it could. The batteries and the infantry brigade stuck to their positions, and continued the fire, hoping to be reinforced, as General Sir Charles Fergusson had given out that 40,000 French troops were expected. Eventually the order to retire was given, but the old Suffolks had little ammunition left, and the casualties were enormous; very few men were able to retire. In the early part of the fight about 50 wounded Suffolks were carried to the dressing station and to the field hospital. These, together with the other wounded, were shown as “missing,” with the exception of Col. Brett, who was killed early in the fight by a shell. Col. Brett was buried on the battlefield and was mentioned in F.M. Sir John French’s Despatch of 7 Sept. 1914. A brother officer wrote: “If ever there was a commanding officer that I would wish to have gone on service with, it was he whose loss we now mourn. The one consolation is that he fell as a soldier at the head of his regt. for whom he did so much, and who, everyone of them, looked up to him, admired him. and tried to follow his grand example in everything. His life was noble and straight, and his death was the same. We of the regt., or what is left of it, mourn his loss as the best of comrades”; and another one wrote: “I don’t suppose there was a single commanding officer in the service more beloved by the officers and men. We had all so looked forward to his getting command, and were delighted at the prospect of serving under him. His loss to the regt., as it is to you, is absolutely irreparable.... It will be a long time before we cease to grieve for a gallant soldier, and one of the best and kindest of men.” One of his former subalterns also wrote: “I thought I would like to write to you to tell you that I was his subaltern that night at Colesberg in 1900 when he was shot, and to say that he was a very gallant fellow. Though shot through the lungs, he kept up command of his Coy., and actually charged the Boer trenches in this state, until he fell exhausted from loss of blood. I have no doubt he was just as brave in France when he met his glorious death, and I write these few words in the hope that should they be shown to his wife, it may console her just a little to know that there are a few of his comrades of that night left, who will remember him always as one of old England’s most gallant sons.” Col. Brett was fond of travel and astronomy, and joined when on leave Sir W. Christie’s party to Sfax, Tunisia, 1905, to witness the Eclipse, and received thanks from the Admiralty for his assistance to the Astronomer Royal. During other leave he visited Mesopotamia, and was interested in exploring Muscat, Bagdad, Babylon, and other places. He m. at St. Mary-at-the-Walls Church, Colchester, 6 Jan. 1909, Enid Geraldine (The Cottage, Lexden, Colchester), eldest dau. of the late Lieut.-Col. Harry Hamersley St. George, Senior Ordnance Officer, Scottish District (and sister of Lieut. G. S. W. St. George, 1st Gurkha Rifles, who was killed in action, 27 April, 1915, see his notice), and had one dau., Ione Moncrieff St. George, b. 10 Oct. 1909.

BRETTELL, SAMUEL THOMAS, Petty Officer (N.S.), 210526, H.M.S. Aboukir; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

BREWER, FRANK, A.B., 207025 (Ports.), H.M.S. Hawke; lost in action in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; m.

BREWER, JOHN HAROLD, Private, No. 169, 6th Battn. Australian Imperial Force, s. of John Brewer, late Worcester Regt., by his wife, Emily Isabella Margery, dau. of John Harley Bedford, late Superintendant of Post Offices, Bombay Presidency; b. Poona, India, 7 June, 1892; educ. Church School, Liskeard, Cornwall, and on leaving there served as an errand boy with Mr. Rapson, the Mayor for three years there; joined the Duke of Cornwall’s L.I. in 1908, and two years later emigrated to Australia, where he was employed at the Parkside Tannery, Preston, until the outbreak of the war when he joined the Commonwealth Expeditionary Force. He was killed in action in Gallipoli, 8 May, 1915; unm.

BREWER, WILLIAM ARTHUR, Private, No. 10398, 1st Battn. Wiltshire Regt., 2nd s. of George Brewer, of 81, Shamrock Cottage, Chippenham, by his wife, Sarah, dau. of William Neate, of 42, Wood Lane, Chippenham; b. Chippenham, co. Wilts, 19 May, 1893, and educ. British School there; an old Territorial he enlisted in the Wilts Regt. 1 Sept. 1914; and was killed in action at Ypres 13 Nov. 1914; unm. A comrade wrote: “The officer called for volunteers to rush a road, and he was the first to leave trench, and by so doing was killed with a Maxim gun.” Private Brewer was a well-known Wiltshire footballer, and was formerly a captain of Chippenham Town, but in 1913 signed on for Swindon and played one match with the first eleven.

BREWIN, WILLIAM HENRY FRANK, Private, No. 1749, 7th Battn, Middlesex Regt. (T.F.), eldest s. of William Henry Brewin, of 90, St. Loys Road, Bruce Grove, Tottenham, by his wife, Louisa, dau. of Richard Henry Calvert; b. Stoke Newington, 12 May, 1896; educ. Earls Mead School there; joined the Middlesex Territorials about 1911; volunteered for foreign service Aug. 1914; went to France the last week in Feb., and was killed in action there, 13 April, 1915; unm.

BREWSTER, HERBERT JOHN, Ship’s Corpl., 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4774), 169829, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

BRIAN, HERBERT CECIL, 2nd Lieut. 59th Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery, eldest s. of Hyla Edwin Brian, Military School, Cairo, and of Holmbury, Berkhampstead, by his wife, Annie, dau. of Charles Elliott; b. Abbassieh, Cairo, Egypt, 23 Dec. 1891; educ. Berkhampstead School, and Royal Military Academy, Woolwich; gazetted to the 18th Battery 20 Dec. 1912, with which he served in England until June, 1914, when he left to join the 59th Battery in India, and returned the following Dec. to Portsmouth, and went from there to the Front early in March, 1915. He was present and took part in the action of Neuve Chapelle, and was killed in action near Fromelles, while performing the duty of forward observing officer in the trenches, 9 May, 1915. He was unm. and was buried in an orchard near where he fell. His commanding officer wrote of him: “He was a splendid officer and absolutely fearless in the execution of his duty.”

BRICE, HENRY COPELAND, Lieut., 4th Battn. Leicestershire Regt. (T.F.), only s. of Francis Strange Brice, of Middlemeade, Stoughton Drive, Leicester, J.P., by his wife, Margaret Alice, dau. of Thomas Henry Downing; b. Leicester, 28 Nov. 1893; educ. Mill Hill School, London; received his commission as 2nd Lieut. 10 May, 1913. When war was declared he volunteered for Imperial Service, was gazetted Lieut., 22 Oct. 1914, and died at Bailleul, France, 12 June, 1915, of wounds caused by the premature explosion of a rifle grenade at Dranoutre, Belgium. He was buried at Bailleul. His commanding officer wrote: “I cannot forbear saying how profoundly I regret his death, and how great a loss he is to the battn. He was the Grenade Officer and had charge of the bomb throwers. His work in that position was of a high quality. He was absolutely fearless, and I believe that his men would have followed him anywhere. He was of the type of which leaders are made, and the Army can ill afford to lose such men.”

BRICKETT, RALPH, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., Ch. B. 7013), S.S. 101618, H.M.S. Cressy; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

BRICKWOOD, ARTHUR CYRIL, Lieut., 1st Platoon, A Company, 1st Battn. York and Lancaster Regt., elder s. of Sir John Brickwood, of Southsea and Hindhead, by his 2nd wife, Jessie, dau. of the late John Cooper, of Burghfield; b. Southsea, 1 Nov. 1896; educ. Twyford, near Winchester, and Charterhouse; entered Sandhurst, Feb. 1914; gazetted to York and Lancaster Regt., 30 Sept. and was engaged on coast defence at Cleadon and South Shields. On 2 Feb. 1915, he took out drafts of Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders to France, and on arrival was sent to Rouen Hospital suffering from a sharp attack of influenza. On recovery he rejoined, and was in and out of the trenches seven times. He was taken ill in the trenches with septic throat, 11 April, and was sent back to the base hospital at Boulogne, where, after two operations, he died 15 April, 1915; buried at Grayshott.

BRIDGELAND, HUBERT EDWARD, Private, No. 11478, 1st Battn. Coldstream Guards; 5th s. of the late John George Bridgeland, of St. Leonards-on-Sea, Carpenter, by his wife Eliza (16 Silverlands Road, Silver Hill, St. Leonards-on-Sea), dau. of George Dearing, of St. Leonards-on-Sea; b. Hastings, 8 Feb. 1897; educ. Tower Road Board School; enlisted the last week in Aug. 1914; went to France 8 April 1915, and was killed in action at Vermelles, 27 Sept. 1915; unm. A comrade wrote: “It was while we were advancing that he met his fate, a shell exploding just in front of him, the shock proving fatal. He was neither hit nor wounded, it was purely the shock.”

BRIERLY, ALWIN HUARD, Private, No. 1281, 25th Battn., 7th Brigade, Australian Imperial Force, s. of the late Sir Oswald Walters Brierly, Marine Painter to Her Majesty Queen Victoria, by his 2nd wife, Louise Marie, eldest dau. of Louis Huard, of 37, Onslow Square, S.W., and Brussels; b. London, 26 Jan. 1877; educ. in London; went to South Africa as a lad in 1895, and after some years there left for New Zealand, and finally settled in Australia about 1907. After the outbreak of war he volunteered for Imperial service, and enlisted at Mackay, North Queensland, in Oct. 1914, and after training at Enogerra Camp, Brisbane, from March to Aug. 1915, left for Egypt with the second reinforcements. He died in No. 27 General Hospital at Mudros, 1 Jan. 1916, from uremia, brought on by exposure in the trenches, and was buried in the cemetery there; unm.

BRIGGS, CHARLEY, Private, No. 6479, 1st Battn. West Yorkshire Regt., 1st s. of Samuel Briggs, of 1, Ganny Yard, Elland Road, by his wife, Emma; b. Brighouse, co. York, 9 Jan. 1886; educ. there; enlisted 7 Aug. 1902, and was killed in action 1½ miles S.E. of Tyron, 20 Sept. 1914. He m. at Southowram, 13 Aug. 1910, Emma Jane (5, Elland Road, Brookfoot, Brighouse, co. York), dau. of (—), and had three daus., Mary, b. 9 Feb. 1911; Mabel, b. 5 Jan. 1913; and Muriel, b. 6 Oct. 1914.

BRIGGS, GEORGE CLARK, Capt., 1st Battn. Royal Scots Fusiliers, only s. of Francis Briggs, of Huntington, near Haddington, Teak Merchant and Shipowner, by his wife, Esther White, dau. of James Munro, of Moffat, M.D. [by his wife (—), dau. of Dr. George Smith, Fleet Surgeon, R.N., who at one time served with Nelson]; b. at Edinburgh, 4 March, 1878; educ. Edinburgh Academy, Malvern College and Clare College, Cambridge; gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the 1st Battn. of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, 3 May, 1899, and promoted Lieut. 24 Feb. 1900, and Capt. 18 April, 1915. He served in the South African War, 1899–1902, taking part in the Relief of Ladysmith and was taken prisoner at Colenso, but was released on the entry of Lord Roberts into Pretoria. He was sent with Boer prisoners to Ceylon. On his return he took part in the operations in the Transvaal, west of Pretoria, including the actions at Frederickstad, 17–25 Oct. 1900, and was employed with the Rand Rifles from Dec. 1901, to June, 1902, and was then chosen for the Mounted Infantry. For his services he received the Queen’s medal with four clasps and the King’s medal with two. He afterwards served in India, again in South Africa and accompanied the first Expeditionary Force to France. He was killed in action at Vailly-sur-Aisne, 14 Sept. 1914, while extracting his men out of a position from which they had to retire. Capt. Briggs was mentioned in F.M. Sir John (now Lord) French’s Despatch of 8 Oct. 1914, for gallant conduct during the retreat from Mons. Corpl. T. Gibson and Private Cox of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, both home wounded, related in The Scotsman of 17 Oct. the following incident: “In the retreat from Jemappes the Germans were pressing the Fusiliers closely, and towards evening the coy. reached the village, dead beat after a long march. Capt. Briggs got the men together and gave the order to fix bayonets. At the same time he spoke a few patriotic words with regard to the regt. and its illustrious history, pointing out that it had never been known to surrender. The Capt. said he was prepared to make a last stand and with bayonets fixed the men waited on the enemy coming through. The last stand was not needed, however, as the Germans did not press home their advantages.”

BRIMBLE, CYRIL GEORGE MICHAEL, Private, No 72029, Machine Gun Section, 27th Battn. (Winnipeg L.I.), 6th Brigade, Canadian Expeditionary Force; 4th and yst. s. of Edward Henry Brimble, of Milton, Weston-super-Mare, retired Banker, by his wife, Agnes Edith, dau. of George Shadbolt, P.R.M.S.; b. Fish Ponds, co. Gloucester, 11 Sept. 1888; educ. Lewisham School, Weston-super-Mare; went to Canada in March, 1911, and settled at Winnipeg. In Feb. 1915, he volunteered and joined the Winnipeg L.I., and was killed in action at Neuve Eglise, 16 Oct. 1915, being the first of his battn. to fall; unm. He was buried in Locre churchyard the following day with full military honours.

BRIMBLECOMBE, THOMAS, Private, No. 91133, 7th (Service) Battn. Royal West Surrey Regt.; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in action, 13 Aug. 1915.

BRINDLE, JAMES, Private, No. 17367, 2nd Battn. King’s Own Royal Lancashire Regt., s. of Hugh Brindle, of 29, Pickup Street, Blackburn, by his wife, Jane Eliza, dau. of Henry Tomlinson; b. Blackburn, 16 Sept. 1893; educ. Holy Trinity School there; prior to the outbreak of the war was employed as a weaver in Sparrow’s Mill, Quarry Street; joined the Army 25 Jan. 1915, and was killed in action at Ypres, 8 May, 1915; unm. Five of his brothers are, or were, on active service, Private Joseph Brindle, 3rd Battn. East Lancashires; Ewen, 4th Battn. East Lancashires; and Alfred, Lancashire Fusiliers, are serving in France; George is in the Navy; and the yst., Private Thomas Brindle, Scottish Rifles, has been discharged, having had his finger blown off at the Battle of the Aisne.

BRINDLEY, THOMAS LESLIE ST. JOHN, Private, No. 12037, 2nd Battn. Coldstream Guards; b. Worcester; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in action at Cuinchy, 1 Feb. 1915; unm.

BRINGLOE, THOMAS, L.-Corpl., No. 470, 1/5th. Battn. (The Buffs) East Kent Regt. (T.F.), 5th s. of the late John Bringloe, of Cranbrook, co. Kent, by his wife, Mary (Lauriston, High Street, Cranbrook), dau. of Henry Curry of Foulden, Norfolk; b. Didlington, co. Norfolk, 6 April, 1891; educ. Didlington and Cranbrook National Schools, and was Gardener to Col. Alexander; joined the Cranbrook Territorials in 1906; volunteered for active service on the outbreak of war in Aug. 1914; left for India (Kamptee) in Oct. 1914; went to Mesopotamia, Dec. 1915; and died 8 Jan. 1916, from wounds received in action at the Battle of Sheikh Saad, the previous day; unm. He was bugler to Col. Munn-Mace.

BRISTOW, ARTHUR THOMAS, Gunner, R.M.A., 10280, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.

BRISTOWE, ROBERT OWEN, Lieut., 2nd Battn. Devonshire Regt., only s. of the late Stanley Bristowe, Member of the London Stock Exchange, by his wife, Ethel (now wife of William Henry Harrison, of 13, Oakley Street, Chelsea, S.W.), dau. of John Pike, and grandson of Robert Henry Bristowe, of Wavertree, Sydenham Hill, S.E.; b. Sydenham, 5 Sept. 1888; educ. Parkfield, Haywards Heath; Charterhouse, and Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd Lieut. to the Devonshire Regt., 14 Oct. 1908, and joined at Plymouth 21 Nov. following; served in Crete, Malta and Egypt, and was promoted Lieut. 4 May, 1911. He obtained a “distinguished” in both the rifle and machine gun courses at the Hythe School of Musketry between Jan. and March, 1913, and was Acting Adjutant in Cairo and at the front. When the European War broke out he was home on leave from Cairo and was sent to the camp at Saltash, Cornwall. He rejoined his battn. on its return from Egypt, and proceeded with it to the front on 5 Nov. 1914; came home on short leave 21 Jan. 1915, returning to the front on the 27th of the month, and was killed in action at Neuve Chapelle, 10 March, 1915; unm. He was mentioned for gallant and distinguished conduct in the field in F.M. Sir John French’s Despatch of 5 April, 1915 [London Gazette, 22 June, 1915]. The second in command of the battn. wrote: “His loss to the regt. is immense, and to me, personally, more than I can say...; he was always so cheery, and the whole of the officers, N.C.O.’s and men of the battalion share your grief.... He was cool and collected as he always was under all circumstances, and he led his platoon splendidly.” The officer commanding his company at the time said: “To me it seems impossible that such a catastrophe could have happened to the most wonderful nature I have ever met. His death has left all of us that remain in the battn. simply stupefied.... You will remember that he took his platoon over that machine gun and rifle swept ground, losing half his platoon, and when they arrived at the German trench the remnants laid down under the German parapet, while Bob knelt up and fired from two to three dozen shots at Germans who were firing at our troops advancing further to the left. There seems no doubt at all that he accounted for some dozen and a-half of them, until one of them spotted him and hit him behind the left ear.... Only 18 men out of 53 now remain of his platoon ... more than one gulped down a lump when reminded of their beloved officer and friend. They just loved the old lad. I have never known any person so universally admired and loved as he was by everyone”; adding: “his advance greatly helped to cause the whole German line to retire.” A private wrote: “I feel sure that I am expressing not only my own thoughts but those of my comrades of the platoon which has had the honour of serving under the leadership of so brave a gentleman as the late Lieut. Bristowe. It is hardly necessary for me to add that his loss is most keenly felt by us all.” The platoon sergt. wrote: “I trust you can now realise how bravely and fearlessly our gallant leader met his death, not caring about himself as long as he could make the attack successful.” His cousin, Private Stanley Bristowe, died on active service 18 June, 1915 (see following notice).

BRISTOWE, STANLEY, Private, No. 2063, Hon. Artillery Company, eldest s. of Percy Robert Bristowe, of Roundwood, Hutton, Essex, member of the London Stock Exchange, by his wife, Elizabeth Frances Mary, dau. of Henry Edward Milner (late of) Woodlawn, Kingswood Road, Norwood, and grandson of Robert Henry Bristowe, of Wavertree, Sydenham Hill, S.E.; b. Waverley, Bromley, Kent, 29 May, 1893; educ. Charterhouse; joined the Hon. Artillery Company in Sept. 1914, and died in hospital, St. Omer, France, of illness contracted while on active service in France, 18 June, 1915. He was buried in the Souvenir Cemetery, St. Omer; unm. His cousin-german, Lieut. R. O. Bristowe, was killed in action 14 March, 1915 (see preceding notice).

BRITT, ALBERT HENRY, Private, No. 3245, 1st Battn. Coldstream Guards; enlisted 16 Jan. 1900; served in South Africa, 7 Nov. 1901 to 4 Oct. 1902 (Queen’s medal with three clasps), and with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders, 11 Sept. to 29 Oct. 1914; was reported missing on the latter date, and is now assumed to have been killed in action 29 Oct. to 2 Nov. 1914. He m. Rose (1, The Row, Elmdon Heath, Salihill, Birmingham) and had six children.

BROAD, EDWARD, Stoker, Petty Officer, 281620, H.M.S. Hawke; lost in action in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914; m.

BROAD, GEORGE ALFRED, Private, No. 7751, 2nd Battn. East Kent Regt. (The Buffs); served with the Expeditionary Force in France, etc.; killed in action, 18 Oct. 1914; m.

BROAD, WALTER, Sergt. Shoemaker, No. 5641, 3rd Battn. Coldstream Guards, s. of George Broad, of North Evington, Leicester; b. Leicester, 3 Jan. 1883; educ. there; served with the 3rd Battn. Leicester Regt. in the South African War (Queen’s medal with two clasps “Cape Colony,” “South Africa, 1902”); enlisted in the Coldstream Guards, 8 Aug. 1904; became L.-Corpl. 3 Oct. 1905; Corpl. 5 Jan. 1909; Sergt. and Sergt. Shoemaker 26 July, 1913; served in Egypt 29 Sept. 1906, to 20 Oct. 1908, and with the British Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from 12 Aug. 1914, and was killed in action at the Battle of Mons, 16 Sept. 1914. He m. at St. Peter’s Church, Mount Sorrell,—Aug. 1910, Nellie (170, Main Street, Mount Sorrell, Leicestershire), dau. of Harry Rudkin, of 170, Main Street, Mount Sorrell, and had two children: Walter, b. 29 Oct. 1914; and May, b. 2 May, 1912.

BROADHURST, JOSEPH HENRY, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 6723), S.S. 101291, H.M.S. Hawke; lost in action in the North Sea, 15 Oct. 1914.

BROADRICK, JAMES GEORGE, Stoker, 1st Class (R.F.R., B. 4540), 282164, H.M.S. Hogue; lost in action in the North Sea, 22 Sept. 1914.

BROADWAY, HUGH ALEXANDER, Lieut., R.E., eldest s. of Alexander Broadway, Magistrate and Landowner in the Punjab, India, by his wife, Lizzie Welford, dau. of Kinsey Beaumont Thomas, of Upton, co. Worcester; b. Mussoorie, India, 23 June, 1891; educ. Watson’s College, Edinburgh, and Royal Military Academy, Woolwich; obtained his commission, 25 July, 1912. On the conclusion of the usual two years’ course at the S.M.E., he volunteered for India, and was sent to Gosport in July, 1914, for an electric lighting course prior to embarkation. On the outbreak of war, Broadway was at first employed in hutting the troops for coast defence, and then on some miscellaneous work at Netley Hospital and in the Southampton district, to his great and natural disappointment. But it was not for long, and in Nov. he was ordered to report at Chatham for service in a field company to be sent to the front, where he afterwards served in the 15th Field Coy. under Major P. K. Betty, R.E., to which he appears to have been transferred at the front. Here Broadway was specially commended for good work in design and execution of defences in an important position, christened “Port Arthur,” and specially commended for the excellent and gallant work carried out by himself and his section of the 15th Coy. R.E. by the Brig.-Gen. commanding the 24th Infantry Brigade, through the Headquarters of the 8th Division in March, 1915. The 10 March saw Broadway preparing the defences of a post captured outside Neuve Chapelle, and in the afternoon of that day he was bending down in an exposed position to bandage one of his sappers who had been shot when he was himself hit in the shoulder, and the bullet injured his spine. He was immediately carried to the dressing station and sent out to the base hospital, but eventually died there on 30 March. Hugh Broadway was specially fond of Rugby football among games, was a keen soldier, and very popular with his fellows, and put all his energy into the subject in hand. Many letters testify similarly to that of the Major commanding his company, who wrote: “Your son, during the short time he was in the company, endeared himself to us all, and worked hard at whatever he undertook,” and his all too brief career was crowned by his posthumous mention in F.M. Sir John French’s Despatch of 31 May, 1915, “for gallant and distinguished service in the field.”