CWGC Headstone

Canadian Badge

Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-

Born on 6th July 1888 in Howick, Northumberland and baptised a month later, Robert William was the youngest child of local couple John Brewis, a farm labourer and his wife Anne (nee Grey). His older siblings were Elizabeth Hannah, born 1877, John born 1880 and Mary Ann who was five years older than Robert.

In 1891 the family were living in Pastures House, Howick, but after the death of father John in 1899 Anne and the youngest children, Elizabeth having married in 1895, moved ten miles north to Henhill where both Anne and John worked on the local farm. John died in 1904 aged 25, and by 1911 Anne and Mary were taking in lodgers whilst living in Chathill and Robert was lodging in Ellington and working as a colliery carter.

But the end of May 1911 saw Robert sailing from Liverpool to Quebec aboard the SS Corsican, intending to make for Toronto and life as a farmer. He settled and farmed in Ontario and on 1st April 1915 enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Guelph as Private 43076 (renumbered from A/3076) of “B” Company, 34th Battalion. Two months later he sailed with the Battalion, again on the SS Corsican, arriving in Liverpool on 28th June 1915, and travelling onwards to camp at Shorncliffe, Kent, where he was posted to the 11th Reserve Battalion.

Posted to the 1st (Western Ontario) Battalion, 1st Infantry Brigade, 1st Canadian Division he joined them at the Piggeries near Ploegsteert in Belgium at the end of August. Apart from two weeks leave in the UK in January 1916 he fought with the battalion without being wounded, until on 26th April 1916 he was killed during an enemy trench raid at Mount Sorrel.

Robert Brewis was buried in a known and registered grave at Observation Road Cemetery, one of three in the area of Sanctuary Wood. All three were later destroyed in the fighting and his remains could not be found. The area became the current Sanctuary Wood Cemetery, and he is commemorated by a special marker, noting that he was buried in the vicinity.

His name does not appear on any local war memorial.

In Canada he is remembered on their Virtual War Memorial and in their Book of Remembrance.

Canadian Book of Remembrance
Canadian Virtual Memorial
The CWGC entry for Private Brewis