Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Books 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. [Illustration: =Ralph L. Brecknell.=] =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._ [Illustration: =George Alfred Breed.=] =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._ [Illustration: =Henry S. Bremner.=] =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._ [Illustration: =Byron Edward Brenan.=] =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. [Illustration: =Robert Henry Brenchley.=] =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._ [Illustration: =Andrew Breslin.=] =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 Comm |