| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
John Henry Brant was born on 24 Oct 1891, at Hollym and baptised at Catwick on 22 Nov. He was the elder son of William Brant, farm labourer and his wife Mary Elizabeth, nee Fenwick. John had three older sisters Hannah Amelia, Olive, and Ethel Mary and three younger sisters, Emily Agnes, Alice May and Gertrude Annie. He had one younger brother, Charles William.
At the time of the 1911 Census, nineteen-year-old John was working as a ploughman on a farm at Paull, near Hedon.
John enlisted in the Army as Driver T4/057739, 270th Company, 29th Reserve Park, Army Service Corps at Bradford on 13 Feb 1915. His unit, originally attached to the Royal Naval Division, arrived in Egypt on 23 Mar 1915, prior to serving in the Gallipoli Campaign. 29th Reserve Park subsequently transferred to Army Troops, British Salonica Force. While stationed here John spent time in hospital suffering from malaria.
On 22 Jun 1918 John was transferred to the 1st Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment, on attachment to the 28th Division Signal Company, Royal Engineers where he was employed as a signals orderly. He served with them for the remainder of the war and was discharged to the Army Reserve on 17 Apr 1919. He was awarded the British War Medal, the Victory Medal and the 1914-1915 Star.
John was granted home leave in the Spring of 1918, when he married Alice Bentley at Kilnwick Church on 18 April, John and Alice had three children. They lived at Main Street, Kilnwick and were members of Kilnwick Methodist Chapel where John served for many years as a Chapel Steward. Alice died in 1962, aged 68. John died on 2 Apr 1979, aged 87. They are both buried at Kilnwick.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |