Ypres Reservoir Cemetery: P. Priano
Ypres Reservoir Cemetery: Pauline Priano
Ypres Reservoir Cemetery
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Ernest Brady was born at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, one of 7 children he was the eldest of 2 sons and had 1 elder and 4 younger sisters. His father John Brady was born at Bangalore, East Indies in 1869 most probably the son of a military man. He was married to Isabella Harling born in 1869 at Whitehaven, Cumberland, at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1892, where they settled and in 1893 their daughter Lucy Ellen was born and Ernest in 1895. By 1897 they had moved to Gateshead and Isabella gave birth to a further 5 children Elizabeth Ann 1897, Jane Alice 1899, John 1901, Isabella 1904 and Edith 1908. In 1901 they were living at 21, Fox Street, John Brady was employed as an ordinance fitter, the only breadwinner in the family. He was an unemployed marine and ordinance engineer in the census of 1911, it fell to his elder children to support the family. Lucy Ellen (18) worked at a toffee factory, Ernest (16) as a pony driver at the colliery, their younger siblings were scholars with the exception of Edith (3).
He enlisted September 7th 1914 at Gateshead, leaving his employment as a labourer at the Gas Works and was assigned as Private 19424 joining the other recruits at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland. Later that month they departed by train from Newcastle to Buckinghamshire, at Aylesbury they were formed into the 14th and 15th Battalions Durham Light Infantry. Private Brady was posted to the 14th Battalion which joined the 15th at Halton Park Camp the following month both attached to the 64th Brigade, 21st Division. Training was difficult due to bad weather, no uniforms, dummy rifles and too few officers. By December they had moved into billets at High Wycombe and issued with uniform and rifles their training began in earnest. In the spring they returned to Halton Park for final training before leaving for Aldershot. September 19th 1915 the 14th and 15th Battalions departed as part of the British Expeditionary Force landing at Boulogne in France. Two weeks later as part of the 21st Division, still inexperienced and unprepared they were sent into battle at Loos, the first major British offensive on the Western Front which raged from September 25th-October 9th 1915. After a long march, cold, tired and hungry they attacked across the British front line reaching the old German line September 26th only to be driven back by machine gun fire. During the fighting the 14th lost almost 300 men killed or wounded and the 15th lost over 450 men. During November the 14th was transferred to the 6th Division and defended Potijze, December 19th they were subjected to a gas attack near Wieltje on the Ypres salient. Casualties were high, 149, with 22 killed and a number of officers being gassed or wounded.
Private 19242 Ernest Brady Durham Light Infantry was amongst the dead, December 19th 1915 and interred at Ypres Reservoir Cemetery, West Vlaanderen, near Ypres, Belgium, grave I. B. 47. He was 20 years old and single.Alongside Private Brady is buried Lance Corporal 16503 John Henry Ellis Durham Light Infantry of 16 Queen Street, Gateshead, 32 years of age, married with 4 children, who died that day same day, not only comrades in arms but work colleagues at Redheugh Gas Works.
His father John received all monies due to him, his personal effects, a pension and his awards of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to him at his home at 54, Fleming Street, Gateshead. It was his mother Isabella who commissioned at a cost of 4 shillings 8 pence an additional inscription to be added to his military headstone, It reads, “Never Forgotten”.
John Brady died in 1922 aged 53 years, Isabella Brady nee Harling aged 87 years in 1946, both registered in the district of Gateshead, County Durham.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Ernest Brady is remembered at Redheugh on R43.01 at Teams on T68.02 and at Gateshead in G39.004
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 335
