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onwealth Expeditionary Force,
9 Jan. 1915, and was killed in action between 9 and 11 Aug. 1915, at
Gallipoli; _unm._

 [Illustration: =Charles Brett.=]

=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.

 [Illustration: =Charles Arthur H. Brett.=]

=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._

=BREWE
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