Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Flanders | Panel 7 - 17 - 23 - 25 - 27 - 29 - 31. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.117 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 56C GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | Military Cross | ||
Family :
Son of Henry and Jemima Brinsmead, of Leopold, Victoria.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 8/Australian Infantry, A.I.F. |
Mike: BEAN Passcbendaele attack,26 Oct., 934-5; casualties. |
| Action : France & Flanders |
France & Flanders covers all the dates and corresponding locations which are outside the official battle nomenclature dates on the Western Front. Therefore the actions in which these men died could be considered 'normal' trench duty - the daily attrition losses which were an everyday fact of duty on the Western Front.
Detail :
On December 17, 1917 Lt Brinsmead led his platoon in pursuit of a German patrol which had taken 10 Australian soldiers prisoner during an action at a neighbouring command post. He was wounded in the neck during the action but insisted on continuing the pursuit in the hope of freeing his comrades. After losing a lot of blood, he was eventually persuaded to turn back to the Australian line to seek medical treatment. Not long afterwards his unit found his body - he had been shot through the head by a sniper. Lt Brinsmead's last moments were documented in a letter to his father by his commanding officer Captain Gilbert Lovett. Letter exctact from War Office- With reference to the report of the regrettable loss of your son, the late 2nd Lieutenant R. W. Brinsmead, M.C., 8th Battalion, I am now in receipt of advice which shows that on 17.12.17 one of our Outposts had been captured by the enemy. The late Officer took out a party to ascertain if the Outpost was still held by the enemy, and while doing so was wounded in the mouth by a sniper. He continued on, but shortly afterwards was shot through the head. He was buried about 1,800 North North East of Wyschaete, Belgium. As a Sergeant in October 1917 at the Battle of Polygon Wood he won the Military Cross and was commissioned in the field for his extraordinary bravery. Clearly his field commission resulted in the MC rather than the MM. Despite his battlefield burial, his grave was later destroyed by shellfire and he was therefore recorded on the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres.
See a fuller account of action via the Virtual Australian War Memorial: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/350994
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | United Service No. 3473 E.C. | Dorset |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
10th July 1916 | 23rd August 1916 | 26th September 1916 |
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley