ANTILL, Brenner
| Service Number: | 500 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 February 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 4th Sanitary Section |
| Born: | Northwest London, Middlesex, August 1879 |
| Home Town: | Middlesex, London, United Kingdom |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Tiler |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 10 Feb 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, 500, 27th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 May 1915: | Involvement Private, 500, 27th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Geelong embarkation_ship_number: A2 public_note: '' | |
| 31 May 1915: | Embarked Private, 500, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Geelong, Adelaide | |
| 31 Aug 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 500, 4th Sanitary Section |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Brenner Antill, was born in Middlesex, England. Before World War 1 began, he migrated to Adelaide, Australia with his wife Juliet May Antill.
His life took a turn when WW1 broke out. In February 1915 at the age of 35, he made the decision to enlist in the military leaving behind his job as a tiler to serve his nation. He nominated his wife as his next of kin on his Attestation. Brenner became a member of the C Company 27th Battalion under the 7th Brigade of the 2nd Division and was assigned regiment number 500.
At the end of May, his battalion set sail on the H.M.A.T. Geelong A2 bound for Egypt for further training and he was promoted to Lance Corporal. However his path diverged when he was assigned to the Field Ambulance which took care of casualties. This mobile medical unit included soldiers from battalions within the 7th Brigade. Brenner faced his first experience of WW1 during the Gallipoli campaign.
The 7th Brigade arrived at Gallipoli on September 1915 and were reinforcements for the New Zealand and Australian Division. The Gallipoli campaign ended up being extremely unsuccessful, losing thousands of soldiers but luckily, the 27th battalion suffered few casualties as they arrived towards the end of the campaign.
Despite this, Brenner couldn't escape from sickness. It was, during this period that Brenner fell ill with a fever. He was moved from the Gallipoli peninsula and was returned to Egypt for care in early December. In Egypt, Brenner was admitted to multiple hospitals over a couple weeks and was transferred to the Mena House hospital in Helouan. At first he was told he had dyspepsia (heartburn). His health deteriorated, uncovering colitis (inflamation of the bowel) most likely acquired during his service, at Gallipoli. Despite these challenges Brenner was considered and declared cured on Christmas Day and he rejoined his unit 6 days later and was dischared back to overseas base at Helouan.
On the 13th of February 1916, he became employed by the Fourth Division Sanitary Section and also took charge of keeping cleanliness in places that soldiers occupied. The following day, he was temporarily transferred to Zeitoun Training Camp in Egypt as part of the 3rd Sanitary Section but soon he fell sick with highly contagious smallpox and was taken to the 2nd Australian Stationary Hospital at Tel-el-Kabir. Once recovered, he became an Acting Corporal until the 25th of May before being attached again to the Field Ambulance but this time, from the 4th Division Sanitary Section.
At the beginning of June 1916, Brenner boarded HMT Canada on his way to join the British Expeditionary Forces in Western Europe. They arrived in Marseilles, France and at the beginning of the following month, the first battle of the Somme commenced. By the end of the battle 20,000 British were killed and 40,000 were wounded. The day following the beginning of the battle of the Somme, he broke a minor rule which resulted in his loss of his Lance Corporal position and being demoted to Private. Not long after, he got an infection and was admitted to the 4th Field Ambulance for treatment. This caused him to be admitted into different hospitals for over one month. Despite this, he managed rejoining his unit in December 1916.
The next year brought about another change in Brenner’s role as well as responsibilities. From the 13th to the 31st of March, he acted as temporary Corporal at the 15th Infantry Brigade headquarters, detatching from his duty beforehand.. In July 1917, his hard work earned him yet another step up – a temporary Acting Sergeant role working under Director of Medical Services. This role, held until June 1918, showcased Brenner’s growing responsibility within the military. Brenner was stationed in France, and by November 1918 the war had finally come to an end.
He stayed on leave for a few more months before eventually returning to Australia at the end of August, 1919. In recognition of his service, he received the Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Following the war he returned to England rejoining with his wife Juliet Antill.