Private Joseph Brewis
Joseph Brewis was born in Hackney, Greater London, England on October 1, 1893. He emigrated to Paris and worked as a laborer at Penmans No. 1 Mill and was listed on the Penmans Honour Roll. He was a member of St. James Anglican Church.
He was single when he enlisted with the 84th Battalion at the age of 25 years. Little is known of his wartime experience, but he seems to have been transferred to the 14th Battalion. He was killed in action on June 12, 1916, during the Battle of Sorrel, a significant but short engagement (June 2-13) where Germans attacked the Canadian-held high ground (Hill 62, Mount Sorrel) in the Ypres Salient. They inflicted heavy casualties but failed to dislodge Canadians, who eventually counterattacked to regain most lost ground, suffering heavily themselves, including the death of their commander, Major General Mercer.
It was a brutal lesson in trench warfare for the newly arrived Canadian 3rd Division, highlighting devastating artillery and mining tactics. It was a major engagement for Canadian forces, demonstrating their resilience but also the brutal reality of attritional warfare, with Canadians suffering heavily for ground that offered little strategic gain. Joseph Brewis is remembered at the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres. The memorial is situated on the eastern side of the town. On it are inscribed the names of 55,000 soldiers from the British Empire who were killed in defence of the Ypres Salient and have no known grave.