Basil Stockbridge Brewster

A Second Lieutenant attached to the 2/5th Battalion, Basil died on 3rd of May 1917 at the age of 26. 

Basil was born at Lowestoft on 3 April 1891, a son of Arthur and Ruth Brewster. He was baptised at Christchurch, Lowestoft, on 27 April 1891, and his family lived at 32 Clapham Road. In 1901 his family lived at Waverley House, 110 Raglan Street.

Basil volunteered and enlisted in the Army. He joined the Norfolk Regiment, service number 2197, and was posted to the 6th (Cyclist) Battalion. Basil was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the 2/6th Norfolk Regiment on 4 August 1915. 

In 1917 Basil was attached to the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and he arrived in France on 14 January 1917 with the 2/5th Battalion. On 1 February 1917, as Bus, Somme, Basil and nine men of the battalion were attached to 97th Brigade to spend 24 hours in the trenches. On 4 February Basil and nine N.C.O.s began a course at the Divisional School, and he re-joined the battalion on 28 February. 

On 2 May 1917 nineteen officers and 589 men of the battalion arrived at St. Leger in readiness for an attack at Bullecourt. The attack began with an artillery barrage at 3.45 a.m. on 3 May. Smoke from the barrage and the general darkness made it difficult for the men to keep direction and when they reached the enemy front line there was considerable confusion. The troops details to take the first objective were held up by machine-gun fire. They were rallied by Lieutenant-Colonel Watson, and they tried to take the objective by sheer weight of numbers. By this time nearly all of the officers had become casualties, and the attack began disorganised with only small parties reaching the enemy’s front line: these were held up by wire that had not been cut. At 8.45 a.m. a second attack was organised, but this was again held up by enemy machine-gun fire. The men were able to take to shell holes and held these throughout the day. At 8 p.m. they were ordered to withdraw.

The battalion’s casualties were:   
Officers: three killed, seven wounded, one missing
Other ranks: 35 killed, 156 wounded, 16 wounded and missing, 53 missing

Basil was killed in action on 3 May.