Henry Brant. Died 25 October 1914
Henry was the son of Ellen and Francis and was born about 1884, one of 9 children. the family lived at Rose Gardens in 1901, Wokingham and Francis was working as a carpenter.
By 1911 Francis had died and Henry and Lydia lived at home with their mother. Henry was a bricklayer/labourer.
In 1913 Henry married Ada Bolton from Shinfield and it was whilst Ada was expecting their first child that Henry was killed whilst serving with the 1st Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment (number 7424) near Zonnebeke, Flanders on 25th October 1914. His name is commemorated on the Menin Gate,Ypres. His brother William was also to die for the 1st Battalion in 1917.
Here is a description of the action written at the time by a Corporal Wickens:
“Oct 25th Remain in trenches all day. Shells bursting very near worse position we have ever experienced, being within 4 yards of the main road, with houses quite close, & a school just in the rear of us on the other side of the road, all these more or less already reduced to ruins by shell fire, marvellous escape soon after dusk, just leaving the trenches to reform the Coy & form up on the road, when a large shell burst not 2 yards away, nearly filling the trench I had occupied, taking away all the head cover, & blew 3 or 4 yards of the hedge away, the force of the explosion knocking 6 of us over temporaly (sic) stunning & covering us with earth. Our Coy Officer who was standing the other side of the hedge not 2 yards from me being killed instantly, though we did not know until next morning, part of the shell weighing 8 or 10 lbs being scarcely a yard away from us, we tumbled into the trenches again & remained in them all night, rain fell during the night but managed to keep dry with Coat & Waterproof Sheet”.
An un-named private reported:
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“I remember seeing two of my chums dragging a wounded man who had both his legs blown off, to a ditch. They had no sooner arrived there than both were killed on the spot”.
Henry and Ada’s daughter was born in 1915 and baptised Frances Zonnebeke, after the place where her father died. Her son Bill Smith is a well-known Wokingham resident. Ada remarried in 1916 to Arthur De Meyer and had another three children.
BRANT, HENRY
Menin Gate
Rank: Private
Service No: 7424
Date of Death: 25/10/1914
Age: 31
Regiment/Service: Royal Berkshire Regiment 1st Bn.
Panel Reference Panel 45.
Memorial YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
Additional Information: Husband of Ada Brant, of 20, Mount Pleasant, Wokingham.
20 Mount Pleasant, Wokingham, Berkshire
My Grandmother was Rose Brant from Wokingham. She was born in 1892 and married my Grandfather Albert Price a Blacksmith of Marlow in 1911. They lived through WW1 as my Grand Dad was invalided out after suffering his first of seven heart attacks in 1914. Unfortunately my Grandmother died a victim of the Spanish Flu Epidemic in 1918 at High Wycombe Hospital when my own father was just two years old.
I’m not sure on this one as I haven’t researched enough but I believe my Grandmother could have been one of Henry’s sisters. She was named Rose after where they lived and I believe her other name was Emily. My Great Uncle and Aunt described Rose as being one of the prettiest ladies they had ever seen and in Marlow she was remembered for being a great beauty. I have one photograph of her and I know she was very keen on dogs and flowers.
I would appreciate any further information on this