Private George Ashbrooke Brewer, Royal Fusiliers.

George Ashbrooke Brewer was born in Pendleton, Manchester in 1884 and baptised on 26th September that year in the Primitive Methodist Chapel in Broad St, Pendleton. He was the first child of his parents George Hartley Brewer, a compositer (printing) and his wife Jane Susannah Brewer, they lived at 36 Withington St, Pendleton.

The 1891 census shows the family had moved to 11 Queen St, Cheetham, Manchester. Father George was employed as a (compositor) journalist. At this time George had four younger sisters.

At the time of the 1901 census the family had moved to 2 Grimshaw St, Bootle, and the father George gave his occupation as 'mineral water manufacturer' and he was an employer. Son George Ashbrooke was aged 16 and employed as a printer's copy holder; he had six younger sisters.

The 1911 census shows that the Brewer family were living at 64 Eversley St, Liverpool. Father George Hartley Brewer (originally from Kendal) was employed as a newspaper compositor, mother Jane Susannah's entry shows that they had been married for 27 years and had 8 children, only one of whom had died. Six of those children were at home with them for the night of the census: George Ashbrook, aged 26, was single and employed in the readers department of a printing firm. Daughter Jane Agnes was aged 24, single, and worked as a shop assistant for a milliner. Daughter Ethel May, aged 23, was single and worked as a seedman's store assistant. Daughter Kate was aged 17, single, and worked as a carpet-making and upholstery apprentice. Their youngest daughter, Mary, was aged 15 and still at school.

Information held by the CWGC records that George Brewer enlisted on 10th March 1915, with the Legion of Frontiersmen and that he also served in East Africa, it also gives his parents (post-war) address as 34 Windbourne Rd, St Michael's, Liverpool.

arriving there on 4th May 1915.

Unfortunately, George's service records haven't survived so we don't have many details about his wartime experiences. We know from his medal index card that he first entered the war in Africa on 4th May 1915. The medal roll adds that he served from 10th April 1915 to 26th Oct 1916 with the 25th Battalion The Royal Fusiliers as private number GS/13729. (GS stands for General Service). This service was in South Africa and this battalion was the one raised by the League of Frontiersmen as referenced in the CWGC records. Click here to see more information on the League of Frontiersmen on Wikipedia (opens in new tab).

From 9th - 26th February 1917 George was posted to the 1st Battalion The Royal Fusiliers in France or Belgium, then from 27th February 1917 to his death on the 27th November 1917 he was posted to the 23rd Battalion The Royal Fusiliers (France & Flanders).

Private George Ashbrooke Brewer was killed in action on 27th November 1917 aged 33 years.

George Ashbrooke Brewer wasn't married, so when he was killed in action in France/Belgium his mother received a pension of 10s per week as his dependant. Probate records show she was also the beneficiary to his effects. Her address was recorded as 9 Merlin St, Windsor St, Liverpool. George received the British War Medal, the Victory Medal and the 1914-15 Star, which would have been sent to his mother as next-of-kin.

George was buried by his comrades in a field near to Graincourt Les Havrincourt, after the war the Imperial War Graves Commission (Later the Commonwealth War Graves Commission or CWGC) exhhumed bodies from the battlefields and re-interred them with honours and specially designed headstones in dedicated war grave cemeteries. George Ashbrooke Brewer was reburied in nearby Moeuvres Communal Cemetery Extension, his family chose to have the following inscription on his headstone:

Faithful to everyone the path of duty was the way to God.

Click here to view the CWGC entry for George Ashbrooke Brewer (opens in new tab).

His family also commemorated him on a headstone in Allerton Cemetery, as shown below: