Will and Clara (Stockley) Brennan

William James Brennan, Canadian Expeditionary Force, WWI

He was baptized William, on January 23, 1884, just four days after his birth at the Church of The Immaculate Conception in Saint John, New Brunswick.  The record for that day stands out from all others on the page, because the priest in documenting and therefore legalizing his birth, first wrote in his parents names and then drew a single line through both the name of his mother and his father and wrote instead, “of unknown parents”^[i].

The baby, who was blessed by the church was my grandfather, William (Will) James Brennan. These records do tell us that his father was a protestant and his mother a catholic and that their firsts names were John and Jane.  Their family names are illegible and any insight who his biological parents were has been lost.  It is likely that his mother was Irish and from the Brussels St. area or the Lower Cove loop area where many Irish Immigrants lived at that time[ii].  See my most recent post, “Who is John Vose?”

We do know, however that William was adopted by James and Sarah Brennan.  So we will begin with what we know,  James Brennan, Will’s adopted father,  came to Saint John as a young man and worked for a time as a ship’s laborer and was vice-president of the Ship Laborer’s Union. ^[iii]    Sarah and James were married in the Church of the Immaculate Conception on August 1, 1871; just one day after Sarah Jane Proud converted to Catholicism.^[iv]   James was born in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland in 1843 the son of Patrick and Mary Brennan.^[v]  Sarah was born in Saint John in 1845, the daughter of Thomas Proud and Elizabeth Harvey.^[vi]  Thomas had emigrated from England years earlier and Elizabeth was from New York.^[vii]

In January of 1884, James and Sarah Brennan were into their thirteenth year of a childless marriage. There is no record of the adoption of William by James and Sarah, just the baptism record.  This is a strong connection and suggests that it is most likely that it was through the Church of the Immaculate Conception that William became the adopted son of James and Sarah. The baptism record is a mystery since the parents names are crossed out. It is clear that the first names of the parents are John and Jane. I have always thought the father’s last name was VOSE (pronounced voss as in boss) and the archivist at the Catholic Diocese in Saint John agreed, however my efforts to connect John Vose to the Brennan family was never successful until my husband had his DNA test.

By 1897[ix], James was no longer working as a ships laborer, but had become the proprietor of the Old Reliable Union Hotel located at 184 Union Street not far from Kings Square.  Sarah, James and William lived at the hotel with 3 domestics and approximately 18 roomers for the next 8 years.^[x]

Will was sixteen when his mother Sarah died on February 5, 1905. One year after Sarah’s death, Will’s father, James remarried.  His second wife, Margaret Priddle was from Carboneer, Newfoundland.  Their marriage certificate gives both their addresses as Union St., Saint John.  In any event, Will did not; according to one of his daughter’s, get along well with Margaret Priddle.  It was during this time that Will became estranged from the Catholic Church.^[xi]  It was also during this time that James, with a reputation for enjoying a drink, lost the Union Hotel in a game of cards according to family lore.^[xii]  James died on June 11, 1911 in poverty, his funeral paid for in part by the Saint John Relief Association.^[xiii]

Will Brennan,  Canadian Expeditionary Force

Little is known of Will’s early life but his children recall him telling stories of the family’s deep involvement with the Church of the Immaculate Conception including that he served as an alter boy. We know from his service records that he left school at 15, was a certified electrician by trade and was attached  to the 62^nd. St. John Fusiliers Militia.^[xiv]

 It is likely that Will began spending more and more time with his aunt Susan (Proud) Murphy and her husband Frank after his father’s death^[xv].  He was working for the American Light Company in Saint John earning $18.00 per week in 1914.   When World War I broke out, the Dominion of Canada immediately and without hesitation supported the United Kingdom’s declaration of war against Germany and its allies.  War was declared on Germany on August 4, 1914 and Will enlisted in the 12 Battalion on August 10, 1914 at the age of 30 years, 7 months. Like many young men he did not hesitate.

Will’s service record, suggests he was not a formidable man, and somewhat small in stature:  5 ft. 3 1/2 in. tall, with blue eyes, medium complexion and dark brown hair.   It also states he had a number of tattoos: a cross on his chest with “in Memory of Mother”, a shield and crucifix on his left forearm, and the initials W.J.B. on his right forearm.

His attestation papers were completed in Quebec on September 28, 1914. He arrived in England on Oct. 21, 1915 and arrived in France on March 21, 1915 with the 10^th Battalion, D. Coy, 15^th Platoon, 2^nd Infantry Brigade, First Canadian British Expeditionary Force.^[xvi]

On September 26, 1916, Will received a gunshot wound to his left hand at the Somme, while fighting near Courcelette.^[xvii]  His middle finger was amputated and a portion of bone was removed.  After spending four months in Hospitals overseas, Will sailed from Liverpool for Canada on the SS Scandinavian on January 5, 1917.  He left the MHCC Hospital in Halifax on August 31, 1917 and returned to Saint John.  He received his discharge from the 10^th Battalion on January 18, 1918.  Will served overseas for 2 years and 3 months.

Background to Battle of Courcelette

One of the most famous and deadly battles of the War was in France at the Somme.  The four-month Battle of the Somme was fought from 1 July to 18 November 1916.  The Canadians, originally in the Ypres sector, missed the first months of the fighting, but had moved to the Somme by early September.   In the fighting to come, the Canadians would benefit from two tactical innovations: a creeping artillery barrage, and the first employment of tanks in combat.  To assist with cutting barbed wire and silencing enemy machine guns, seven tanks, or armored land cruisers, accompanied the Canadians in their first major battle at Courcelette on 15 September. Mechanically unreliable and as slow as a walking person, tanks nonetheless struck fear into the enemy, many of whom surrendered when the tanks first appeared.  With the new artillery barrage, tanks, and a carefully prepared infantry attack, the Canadians captured the ruined village of Courcelette on 15 September. Despite thousands of casualties, it was a victory, one of the few for Allied forces on the Somme. Further attacks through September and October were just as costly but less successful. Operations against Desire Trench and Regina Trench, to the north of Courcelette, were grinding affairs where soldiers attacked and counterattacked repeatedly over the same ground, and always under heavy enemy fire.

The capture of the ruined town of Courcelette, France on 15 September 1916 was a significant Canadian victory. It was also the first time tanks were used in battle.

Primary Sources