First World War Soldiers Photos
World War One Soldier's Photos, Obituaries And Short Service Records
BRIDGES, RICHARD JAMES, No. 39633, 10th (Service) Battn. The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regt.), s. of Thomas Bridges; b. Notting Hill, London, W.; educ. there; enlisted in March, 1918; served with the Expeditionary Force in France, and was killed in action in Aug. following; unm.
Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5
BRIDGER, WALTER, Private, No. 202915, 4th (Territorial) Battn. The Royal Scots Fusiliers, yst. s. of the late Frank Bridger, by his wife. Ruth (Church Farm, Sutton, co. Surrey); b. Sutton aforesaid, 3 July, 1898 : educ. there; was a Shop Assistant; joined the Royal Scots Fusiliers, 10 July 1916; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from early in Aug., and was killed in action at Péronne Wood 1 Sept. 1918. Buried there; unm.
Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5
Bridger F Sergt 201028 2nd Royal Sussex Regiment
BRIDGER, FRANK, Sergt., No. 201028, 2nd Battn. (35th Foot) The Royal Sussex Regt., a. of the late Thomas Henry Bridger, Fisherman, by his wife (-) (33, Gloucester Place, Worthing), dau. of the late William Osborne, of Aylesbury, co. Buckingham; b. Worthing, co. Sussex, 20 Dec. 1885; educ. Christ Church ,Church of England Schools there was a Painter and Decorator: volunteered for active service, and joined the 4th Royal Sussex Regt. 15 June, 1915; served at various places in England as Gym-nastic and Physical Instructor; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from 23 July, 1918, being transferred to the 2nd Battn., and died at No. 141 Field Ambulance Hospital 18 Sept. following, of wounds received in action at St. Quentin the previous day. Buried in Estrées British Cemetery, south of Péronne. Letters received by his mother state that he was loved and respected by both officers and men;
Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5
Brickell C D Wireless Operator S.S. Polesley (London) Mercantile Marine
BRICKELL, CECIL DOUGLAS, Senior Wireless Operator, H.M.S. Polesley, Royal Navy, eldest s. of Eli Brickell, of 7, Church Lane, Aldershot, by his wife, Edith (-); b. at Petersfield, co. Hants, 19 Jan. 1901; educ. Eggar’s Grammar School, Alton, and Aldershot Co County Secondary School; joined the Marconi Company in May, 1917, and after gaining his P.M.G. Certificate, served on H.M.S. Polesley 30 Sept. 1917, and was lost at sea when that ship was torpedoed off the coast of Cornwall 20 Sept. 1918; unm.
Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5
BREMNER, HUNTLY WILLIAM BRUCE, Private. No. 6547, 14th Batth. (The London Scottish) The London Regt. (T.F.). s. of William Bremner, by his wife. Diana, dan, of the late Major-General Alexander James Bruce, Madras Staff Corps; and gdson. of the late Lieut. Alexander Robertson Bremner. H.E.L.C.S. and brother to Capt. A. B. Bremner; b. Edinburgh, 21 Sept. 1880, edue. by a private tutor at St. Marychurch, co. Devon; went to Ceylon in Jan. 1902. where he was a Tea Planter; returned to England in Oct. 1915: joined the London Scottish 19 Jan. 1916; served with the Expeditionary Force in France from the following June: was reported missing after the fighting on the Somme 1 July, 1916, and was afterwards known to have been killed in action on that date. He was a well-known athlete; Unm.
Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5
Breen T F P Major Royal Army Medical Corps
Major THOMAS FRANCIS PENNEFATHER BREEN
Major T. F. Pennefather Breen, R.A.M.C., born 1889 and killed in action on September 18th, 1918, was the elder son of the late Doctor Breen and Mrs. Breen, of Dublin. He came to Stonyhurst in 1900, and was a boy of much character. Freddie, for so he was known amongst us, had a good standing in his class. He was a prize-man, and when in Poetry, in 1905, gained the first prize for debating, given by the Stonyhurst Association. He was a fluent and ready speaker. On leaving Stonyhurst he went to Trinity College, Dublin, where he took the B.A. and M.B. degrees. In 1913 he passed into the Army Medical Service from Trinity College, one of the two successful candidates out of twenty-seven from Ireland at that examination. This he did without any special cramming.
On the outbreak of the war he crossed over to France with the first British Expeditionary Force, and was attached to the 11th Field Ambulance during the retreat from Mons. Subsequently he served as Regimental Medical Officer with the 1st Bn. The Rifle Brigade, having been specially asked for by the Colonel. He was twice called to the 3rd Army School of Instruction, his lecturing powers being of a high order. He also twice served as D.A.D.M.S., and he exhibited in a marked degree high qualities of initiative and administrative capacity. Finally, he served during the last advance with the 142nd Field Ambulance, and when his Colonel was wounded, commanded the Ambulance, during some of the severest fighting. At the time of his death he was performing an exceptionally gallant and unselfish action. Having led a bearer party, under heavy shell fire, in order to rescue some wounded officers, he passed through the barrage once, bringing in one comrade. He then went out a second time alone, and did not return. This was during the Battle of Epchy, second of the Battles of the Hindenburg Line.
As his Colonel wrote:-
He died as he lived, an honourable, gallant gentleman. His coolness and bravery were known to all. It was, in fact, his zeal and unselfish devotion to duty that cost him his life.
As his late Commanding Officer, I should like to say how much I valued him, both as a friend and as an officer of the ambulance. He was absolutely fearless and self-sacrificing, and my last act before being evacuated wounded from France was to recommend him for a Military Cross. The news of his death came as a great shock to me personally, for I had grown very fond of him.
From a brother officer’s letter we learn that:-
He was very popular with everyone, and such a splendid soldier; his men would follow him througli anything.
Another tells us:-
He was one of my most esteemed friends, though a good deal younger than me. We mobilised together, and I was able to observe him in all sorts of trying circumstances, and we were frequently under fire together, and I formed a very high opinion of hit character, and looked upon him as one of the coming men in the R.A.M.C. One of his traits that specially impressed me was his independence of mind. He kept steadily to his own high standard of living, quite regardless of the morals of the company he lived in. For a quite young man to do this in military society is a sign of exceptional strength of character. But with it all there was never the slightest pose or priggishtiess Of his physical courage you will probably have heard from others. I know by experience that it was of a very high order, But I write to you because I think that others who did not know him so well as 1 did may not have mentioned his moral courage, a rarer and higher thing.
We may aptly conclude this account with the words written by an officer and friend
His memory survives to us as invigorating and vital. Age, disillusion, decay, never tonched him. Like a bright flame he burnt, and is suddenly extinguished to his friends the world is darker.
Source : Stonyhurst Roll Of Honour 1914-1918
BREEN, THOMAS FRANCIS PENNEFATHER, Major, Royal Army Medical Corps, elder s. of the late Thomas John Breen, Inspector-General of Hospitals and Fleets, Royal Navy, by his wife, Mary, dan. of William Pennefather, of Ballylanigan, co. Tipperary: b. Dublin, 8 June, 1889; edne. Stonyhurst College, and Trinity College, Dublin, where he took his B.A. and M.B. degrees: gazetted Lient. Royal Army Medical Corps in Feb. 1914: promoted Capt, the following Aug. and Major in March, 1918; on the outbreak of war served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from Aug. 1914. and was attached to the 11th Field Ambulance, taking part in the Retreat from Mons, and in the operations on the Aisne was subsequently attached to the 1st Rifle Brigade as Regimental Medical Officer, and later twice appointed D.A.D.M.S.: in 1918 was attached to the 142nd Field Ambulance which he commanded during some of the severest fighting in the final push, and was killed in action on 18 Sept, following, while gallantly rescuing the wounded under heavy shell fire. Buried at Monchies, north of the Bapaume-Cambrai Road. His Commanding Officer wrote: “He died as he lived, an honourable. gallant gentleman. His coolness and bravery were known to all. It was, in fact, his zeal and unselfish devotion to duty that cost him his life. I should like to say how much I valued him, both as a friend and an officer of the ambulance. He was absolutely fearless and self-sacrificing, and my last act, before being evacuated wounded from France, was to recommend him for a Military Cross,” and a brother officer:”He was very popular with everyone, and such a splendid soldier, his men would follow him everywhere.” Another also wrote: “He was one of my most esteemed friends, though a good deal younger than me.. … We were frequently under fire together, and I formed a very high opinion of his character, and looked upon him as one of the coming men of the Royal Army Medical Corps. One of his traits that specially impressed me was his independence of mind. He kept steadily to his own high standard quite regardless of the company he lived in. Of his physical courage you will probably have heard from others. but I write because I think that others. who did not know him so well as I did, may not have mentioned his moral courage, a rarer and a higher thing.” Unm
Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5
BREE, EDWARD RUSSELL STAPYLTON, Lient., 8th (Service) Battn. The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, only s. of the late Rev. Edward Henry Bree, late Rector of Stow St. Mary, by his wife, Charlotte Jane (Britannia House, Hunstanton), dau. of the late Rev. John Russell Jackson, M.A.; and gdson. of the late Right Rev. H. Bree, D.D., Bishop of Barbados; b. Stow St. Mary, co. Lincoln, 27 Feb. 1897; educ. St. Edmund’s School, Canterbury, and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst; gazetted 2nd Lieut. The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry in July, 1915; promoted Lieut. 29 Dec. 1916; served with the British Expeditionary Force in the Balkans from Nov. 1917, and was killed in action near Dora Tepe 18 Sept. 1918. on the first day of the British offensive. Buried where he fell. His Commanding Officer wrote: He was a first-rate officer, always keen to take out patrol, and undertake duties of a dangerous nature. I had the greatest admiration for him, my one difficulty being to restrain him from going too far. We have all lost a cheery companion.” A brother officer also wrote: ” He was leading his men gallantly when he fell, and his
loss is deeply felt by the whole battalion.” Unm.
Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5
BRASSEY, ALBERT, Private, 4th (Territorial) Battn. The Cheshire Regt., s. of James Thompson Brassey, of 7, Whitfield Street, Tranmere, Shipping Clerk, by his wife, Elizabeth; b. Birkenhead, co. Chester, 6 Oct. 1893; educ. St. Peter’s School there was for seven years a Clerk in a Shipping Company: enlisted in Nov. 1914; served with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force at Gallipoli from June, 1915, and was killed in action while landing at Suvla Bay 9 Aug. following; unm.
Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5
BRASH, ROBERT, Private, No. 105136, Machine Gun Corps, s. of Robert Brash, of 12, Society Place, West Calder, Stableman, by his wife, Catherine, dau. of Joseph Rankine; b. West Calder, co. Midlothian, 21 Nov. 1883; educ. Public School there was a Cabinet Maker enlisted in Nov. 1900; served 12 years with the Colours and afterwards in the Reserve; was called up on mobilization 4 Aug. 1914; served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from that month, and was killed in action 1 April, 1918. Buried where he fell. He m. 31 Dec. 1913, Eliza, dau. of (-) Mackay, and had a dau., Margaret.
Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5
BRASH, EDMUND, 2nd Lieut.. 13th (Service) Battn. The Royal Welch Fusiliers, only s. of James Brash, of Vineyard. Hereford, late Proprietor of the West Cumberland Times, by his wife. Marie, dau. of the late Edmund Morton, of Elton; b. Elton, near Peterborough, 31 Jan. 1895; educ. Cathedral School, Hereford, and Friends’ Commercial School, Lancaster; was on the Commercial Staff of the “Hereford Journal and Mercury”; joined the Hereford Territorial Regt. 7 Sept. 1914: served with the Expeditionary Force in France and Flanders from Aug. 1916, being attached to the Scouts Section of the 9th Battn. The Royal Welch Fusiliers: returned to England in June, 1917, and after a period of training at an Officers’ Training Camp near Rhyl, was gazetted 2nd Lieut. 5th Battn. The Royal Welch Fusiliers, and attached to 13th Battn. The Royal Welch Fusiliers 30 Oct. 1917: went back to France the following Jan., and died at Sailly-Saillisel 2 Sept. 1918, from wounds received in action there on the previous day. Buried at Varennes. An officer wrote: “He was loved by his fellow officers and the men in his platoon, and his loss is very keenly felt,” and the Chaplain: “He was a great favourite, and had done splendidly all through.” Unm.
Source : De Ruvigny’s Roll Of Honour Vol 5