Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Thomas De Bruen, a joiner, born 1861 in Leicester (son of John Brewin, 1836-1907 and Eliza Susannah Blakesley, 1836-1914) and his wife Minnie Elizabeth De Bruen (nee Guest, married in the October quarter of 1892 in Leicester), born 1868 in Bedfordshire. John De Brewin Bruen was born in the October quarter of 1893 in Knighton, Leicester, he had one sibling, William, born 1897 in Leicester and a half blood sibling, Henry Sharp Guest, a light porter, born 1885 in Bedford, in March 1901 the family home was at 23, Kentish Street, Leicester. In April 1911 John was employed as a tailor and was residing in the family home at 108, Cavendish Road, Leicester, together with his father, a joiner, his mother and sibling, William a schoolboy. In the October quarter of 1914 John married Kate McCann in Leicester, Kate a tailoress was born on the 22nd January 1893 in Leicester (daughter of Mary Barclay, 1859). The family resided at 11, Curzon Street, Leicester. On the 25th March 1922, John’s widow and her daughter Winifred M. Brewin who had been born in the January quarter of 1918 in Leicester, and who were residing in the family home at 5, Alfred Street, Leicester, embarked aboard the SS Montcalm bound for St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. It appears from notes in the Army Pension records that Kate remarried after her emigration to Canada, and became Mrs. Kate Barratt.
NOTE:
John’s officially registered name was recorded as, John De Brewin Bruen, indeed this was the same spelling as officially registered when he married Kate McCann. However, in many official documents he has been variously shown as De Bruen Brewin, Brewin and Bruen. In order not to overcomplicate my recording of John’s biographical information I have chosen to use the spelling of Brewin as recorded at the time of his enlistment and subsequent military service, and also as recorded by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme in France.
John’s Army enlistment documents do not survive, all that is known of his military service is that he enlisted into the Leicestershire Regiment, being allotted the service number 17122, and was posted as a Private to the 6th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment and it was with this unit that he first entered the theatre of war in France on the 29th July 1915. Nothing more is known of his military service suffice to say that he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in a short space of time. He was killed in action on the 17th July 1916 and his body was never recovered, he was therefore commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France. John was awarded the 1914-15 STAR, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
On the 16th February 1917 John’s widow was awarded a weekly Army Pension of eleven shillings to commence on the 19th February 1917.
The War Diary records: 14-17 July-16 - FRICOURT. The 110th Brigade attacked and captured BAZENTIN – LE – PETIT WOOD and village and held same. Appendix I. The action attached.
Narrative of action of the 6th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment from 3.00am 14/7/16 to 8.00am 17/7/16.
The Battalion moved from FRICOURT WOOD via the southern and eastern edge of MAMETZ WOOD and reached the north east corner of this wood just before 3.00am. The Battalion was formed in four lines by 3.15am under a fairly heavy bombardment and lined up with the 7th Battalion LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT on its left about 100 yards in front of MAMETZ WOOD. At 3.25am 1st and 2nd lines advanced on German first line, and five minutes later the third and fourth lines advanced, and, crossing first line, assaulted and took the German second line. The first German line was very much knocked about and some 25 or 30 prisoners were taken in it. The right Company blocked German first line trench on right of the attack, and also the same in the German second line. While crossing “No man’s” land the barrage was not very severe but the two right Companies suffered a good many casualties from enemy machine guns in BAZENTIN-LE-GRAND WOOD, which had not then been cleared by 7th Division on our right. There were also two enemy machine guns in the south east corner of BAZENTIN-LE-PETIT WOOD. These were charged by the third and fourth lines and the detachments killed, and the guns taken. There were not a large number of Germans in second line when it was entered. The trenches had been so knocked about that it was difficult to consolidate them. At 4.00am first and second lines, leaving small parties to deal with any dugouts, advanced to German second line, which was also being consolidated by the third and fourth lines. At 4.20am three platoons remained in German second line, and the rest of the Battalion advanced to the “one hour” line, which was reached after suffering a good many casualties from enfilade fire from the direction of BAZENTIN-LE-GRAND WOOD. Soon after this the enemy, retiring in front of the 7th Division from BAZENTIN-LE-GRAND WOOD on our right, were enfiladed from the eastern edge of the wood by our Lewis guns, and suffered heavy losses. For some time, the right Company had to form a defensive flank as many of the enemy were trying to get from BAZENTIN-LE-GRAND WOOD to BAZENTIN-LE-PETIT WOOD. At 5.20am the Battalion advanced to the “two hour” line and remained there till 6.00am, waiting for the 7th Division to come up on our right. At 6.00am the Battalion was reinforced by several platoons of the 9th Battalion LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT At 6.05am the line advanced against the village, and, the left of the 7th Division not being up, the whole village was assaulted and taken, and 3 officers and 200 prisoners. At 6.40am the ROYAL IRISH RIFLES entered the village and the eastern portion was handed over to them. At 7.15am the Battalion occupied and began consolidating the line from the northern end of the village, thence southwards to the north eastern point of BAZENTIN-LE-PETIT WOOD, thence along northern edge of wood halfway to the railway. An attempt to get the real objective was heavily enfiladed from a point just outside the wood near the railway. About 50 prisoners were taken in a trench along northern edge of wood. At 8.30am the enemy made a counter attack against the northern portion of village. The 7th Division who were not very strong here fell back on cemetery. The Battalion conformed and held northern edge of wood and the prolongation of same through the village. At 9.15am the 7th Division were reinforced and retook eastern portion of village, and the Battalion resumed its previous line, joining up with the 7th Division north of the village. At 3.00pm the enemy made another counter attack against northern and north eastern edge of village. Many of them reached the road running from north end of village to railway and were at once stopped by our rifle and Lewis Gun fire. The Battalion held and consolidated this position on the night of the 14th and also on the 15th there was no change. At 2.00am on the 16th a party of one officer and 50 men were sent out to try to consolidate the original objective along the road. They were preceded by a party of one officer and 40 men of the YORKSHIRE REGIMENT The latter party got to the road and held it for some time while our party was trying to consolidate, but were heavily bombed and enfiladed from enemy post just outside wood near railway, and was forced to retire. On the night of the 16th the Battalion was relieved by the 10th KING’S OWN YORKSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY and the Battalion went into bivouac just south of FRICOURT WOOD, arriving there at 1.00am the 17th instant. The Battalion suffered the following casualties 7 officers killed and 20 wounded. 500 other ranks killed, wounded and missing.
The War Diary records: 16 July-16 - 6th Battalion right supported by 9th LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT 7th Battalion LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT on left supported by 8th Battalion LEICESTERSHIRE REGIMENT.