Percy Morton Brew 195438
“Chargeable to Board of
Education 5/- per week. Attended school in Ramsey. Child's present address:
King St, Ramsey. Religion: Wesleyan. 2 brothers in Home. Also has 1 sister not
admitted. Mother intemperate at this time and sent to prison. Children thus
destitute. Sent to Home from Ramsey Petty Sessions till 16 years of age. Left
school: July 1910. Attained Standard VI (evening classes). General Conduct:
very good. Gone to Canada c/o Mr. (T)edford, Warsaw, Ontario. Attends
Presbyterian Church. Dismissed from Home 12 April 1912”.
He came to Canada as a Marchmont boy in 1912 at age
15, leaving Liverpool on
12 April 1912
on the ship 'Victorian', and arriving in Halifax on the 20th of April 1912, destined for the Marchmont Home at
Belleville. Percy later lived and worked on the farm of Joseph and Ella Tedford in Warsaw,
Ontario. He also worked on the farm of
Robert Bullock of Dummer Township. His enlistment papers show that he might have
had an aunt, Louise Naylor of Chicago, Illinois, as it written and crossed out
in his next of kin section.
 |
| Brew's Attestation Paper Full Service file available at Click here for link to Full Service File |
Brew enlisted with the 93rd Peterborough
Battalion on December 20th 1916, at age 19 years and 5 months in
Peterborough, Ontario. His enlistment
papers show no previous military service, and his occupation as farm labourer. He was 5 foot 6 inches tall, weighed 123 lbs, and had a
fresh complexion, blue eyes and light brown hair. He listed his religion as Presbyterian.
Brew proceeded overseas with 93rd Battalion
in September of 1916. Soon after
arriving the men of the 93rd were used to reinforce other various
Canadian battalions already fighting at the front. Pte. Brew was transferred to the 5th
Pioneer Battalion have first been assigned to the 4th Overseas
Pioneer Battalion, a labour unit, and was stationed at Crowborough England for training.
He remained with the Pioneers in
England until January, 1917, when he proceeded to the front to join the 67th
Canadian Pioneer Battalion in the field.
 |
| Pte. Brew (centre) in Peterborough Examiner Photo March 18, 1916 |
In May of 1917, Brew was reassigned to the 102
Battalion (Central Ontario Regiment). He was with this battalion when they
moved into the recently won trenches in the Vimy sector on May 11th 1917. A burial register describes Percy Brew as being
killed on May 13, 1917, from gunshot wounds to the stomach and left arm. He died after being evacuated to the No. 6
Causality Clearing Station.
Percy Brew was buried in the Barlin Commune Cemetery
Extension, Pas de Calais, France. His
name appears on the Dummer Cenotaph in Warsaw, Ontario, as well as on the
Peterborough War Memorial, and in the Peterborough City Hall Book of
Remembrance.
Postscript: Upon examination of Percy Brew’s Service file, it appears that his
mother and younger sister survived him.
Noted in his file is that a War Service Gratuity (commonly referred to a
pension) was awarded for the educational benefit of Percy’s younger sister, until
it was cancelled in 1920 when she went to work in a factory. On which date Percy’s pension was paid to his
mother, Mrs. Julia Brew, Fuchsia Cottage, Agneash, Laxey, Isle of Man. England.
<http://brew.clients.ch/BrewRamsey.htm#Percy Morton>
Canada. "Soldiers of the First World War (1914-1918)."Service File". Record Group 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 4930 - 35. Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa.
Library and Archives Canada LAC Reference: RG 150, Accession 1992-93/166, Box 1048-33
Commonwealth Graves Commission. Online Database <http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/469707/BREW,%20P%20M> 2014.
“The Dummer News””. J. Murray Jones ed. Issue #195 Nov. 2009.
War Graves Registry: Circumstances of Death Records. Record Group 150, 1992–1993/314, Boxes 145–
238. Library and Archives Canada. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
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