Staff Sergeant George Albert Brazier
Survivor of WW2
Date of Death:
Service Biography
George Albert Brazier was born at Montreal, Quebec, on 3 February 1908. Before the war he worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway in its Foreign Freight Department. He enlisted at Montreal on 19 April 1940 as D-82045 and served with the 1st Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada. He served overseas in the United Kingdom and Northwest Europe, was wounded in action on 25 August 1944 while remaining on duty, and was Mentioned in Despatches. He returned to Canada in 1945 and was discharged as a Staff Sergeant at Montreal South on 8 September 1945. George Albert Brazier died on 15 January 1974 and was interred at the Field of Honour, Pointe-Claire, Quebec.
General Information
Conflict:
WW2
Regimental No.:
D-82045
Cause of Death (in war):
Survived
Branch:
Army
Regiment:
The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada
Battalion:
1st Battalion / Headquarters, 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade
Company:
Date of Birth :
Place of Birth:
Montreal, Quebec
Date of Enlistment:
Age at Enlistment:
32 years 2 months
Date of Discharge:
Age at Discharge:
37 years 7 months
Date of Death:
Age at Death:
65 years 11 months
Country Born:
Canada
Trade or Calling:
Clerk
Next of Kin:
Mrs. Bertha Brazier, wife, 7237 St-Denis Street, Montreal, Quebec
Address at Enlistment:
7237 St-Denis Street, Montreal, Quebec
Religion:
Church of England
Place of Enlistment:
Montreal, Quebec
Was a Prisoner of War:
No
Height:
5 ft 5.5 in / 166 cm
Weight:
154 lbs / 70 kg
Chest:
35.0 in / 89 cm
Expansion:
3.0 in / 8 cm
Marital Status:
Married
Prior Military Experience:
No
Saw Service in:
Europe
Place of Discharge:
Montreal South, Quebec
Discharge Type:
Regular/End of Service
Discharge Notes:
Battle Died/Wounded:
Wounded in action 25 August 1944; remained on duty.
Length of Service:
1968 days in service
Buried at:
National Field of Honour, Pointe-Claire, Quebec
Links
Ranks
| Conflict |
Rank |
Regiment |
Branch |
Unit |
Company |
Date From |
Date To |
| WW2 |
Staff Sergeant |
The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada |
Army |
1st Battalion / Headquarters, 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Acting Staff Sergeant |
The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada |
Army |
Headquarters, 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Sergeant |
The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada |
Army |
Headquarters, 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Corporal |
The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada |
Army |
Headquarters, 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Acting Sergeant |
The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada |
Army |
Headquarters, 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Acting Corporal |
The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada |
Army |
Headquarters, 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Private |
The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada |
Army |
1st Battalion |
|
|
|
Awards
| Conflict |
Award |
Action |
Date of Award |
Date of Citation |
Source |
| WW2 |
Mention in Despatches |
Awarded |
|
|
Authority references on pp. 82, 113 |
| London Gazette / Canadian Army awards record |
| WW2 |
1939–45 Star |
Awarded |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
France and Germany Star |
Awarded |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Defence Medal |
Awarded |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp |
Awarded |
|
|
|
| WW2 |
War Medal 1939–45 |
Awarded |
|
|
|
Service Chronology
1908-02-03 — Born
1940-04-19 — Enlisted in the Canadian Active Service Force as Private D-82045
1940-04-25 — Posted to duty with 1st Battalion
1940-08 — Proceeded overseas with unit
1941-04-03 — Began fourteen days privilege leave
1941-06-04 — Qualified as clerk and authorized Trade Group C pay
1941-08 — Temporary attachment/training entry recorded
1941-10-06 to 1941-10-13 — Privilege leave
1942-01-12 — Temporary posting/attachment entry recorded
1942-04-01 — Attached to Headquarters, 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade, for administrative duties
1942-04-15 — Ceased drawing Trade Group C clerk pay
1942-04-16 — Recommenced Trade Group C clerk pay
1942-05-13 — Ceased Trade Group C clerk pay; reverted to Private and was struck off strength to Headquarters, 5th Canadian Infantry Brigade
1942-05-14 — Taken on strength from 1st Battalion; authorized Trade Group C clerk pay and appointed Acting Corporal
1942-07-06 to 1942-07-13 — Privilege leave
1942-08-01 — Appointed Acting Sergeant
1942-08-15 — Confirmed substantive Corporal
1942-10-16 to 1942-10-23 — Privilege leave
1942-11-02 — Confirmed Sergeant
1943-01-12 — Admitted for common cold
1943-01-14 — Discharged from 18th Canadian Field Ambulance and returned to unit
1943-04-21 to 1943-04-30 — Nine days privilege leave with allowance
1943-06-25 — Appointed Acting Staff Sergeant
1943-09-01 to 1943-09-20 — Privilege leave
1943-09-26 — Confirmed Staff Sergeant
1943-11-20 to 1943-11-29 — Nine days privilege leave
1944-01-15 — Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp entitlement recorded
1944-03-13 to 1944-03-22 — Nine days privilege leave
1944-07-06 — Embarked from the United Kingdom and disembarked in France
1944-08-25 — Slightly wounded in action; remained on duty with unit
1945-02-12 — Struck off strength to X-8 List for rotation leave to Canada
1945-02-14 — Taken on strength of X-8 List for rotation-leave movement
1945-02-15 — Struck off X-8 List to draft for Canada
1945-02-27 — Rotation-leave draft processed for Canada
1945-04-20 — Attached from No. 4 District Depot on a supernumerary basis; drew subsistence allowance and continued Trade Group C clerk pay
1945-05-16 — Ceased No. 4 District Depot attachment and subsistence allowance; attached to 34th Base Group and, except for pay, to Farnham Summer Camp
1945-05-17 — Continued Trade Group C clerk employment under the Farnham attachment
1945-06-15 — Ceased the previous Trade Group C clerk pay period
1945-06-16 — Trade Group C clerk pay recommenced; subsistence allowance at half rates authorized during the Farnham period
1945-07 — Continued Farnham Summer Camp attachment and clerk duties
1945-08-07 — Farnham Summer Camp attachment and related half-rate subsistence allowance ceased
1945-08-07 — Attached on a supernumerary basis from No. 4 District Depot and drew subsistence allowance
1945-08-22 to 1945-08-30 — Nine days privilege leave
1945-08-30 — Medical Board assessed back complaints; no treatment indicated at present
1945-09-04 — Ceased No. 4 District Depot attachment, subsistence allowance and attachment to Headquarters, 34th Base Group
1945-09-08 — Discharged on demobilization / return to civil life
1974-01-15 — Died
1974-01-18 — Funeral at D. A. Collins Chapel; interment at Field of Honour
Notes
Completed Grade 12 at high school in Montreal at age 16 and completed a one-year Traffic Management course at the Montreal Board of Trade. Before enlistment he had about 15 years with Canadian Pacific Railway in the Foreign Freight Department as a contracting freight agent, earning about $150 monthly. He was bilingual in English and French. At enlistment he was married to Bertha Brazier; the family form records no children, his father deceased, and his mother Margaret Jane Brazier living at Dorothée, Quebec. The enlistment medical examination recorded height 5 ft 5½ in, weight 154 lb, chest 35 in with 3 in expansion, medium complexion, hazel eyes and auburn hair.
[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]
Mother: Mrs. George Brazier, Chateauguay Heights, Que.
Albert George Brazier BIRTH 3 FEB 1908 • Montreal, Quebec, Canada DEATH 15 JAN 1974 • Montreal, Quebec, Canada
MID: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2471/images/32068_2421400354_0076-00383?pId=67332
Request confirmation number EA2026_0173070
Additional Service Notes
Enlisted at Montreal on 19 April 1940 as D-82045 and served with the 1st Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada. He proceeded overseas in 1940 and served in the United Kingdom. In 1941 he qualified as a clerk and was authorized Trade Group C pay. His rank progression included Acting Corporal effective 14 May 1942, Acting Sergeant effective 1 August 1942, substantive Corporal confirmed effective 15 August 1942, Sergeant confirmed effective 2 November 1942, Acting Staff Sergeant effective 25 June 1943, and Staff Sergeant confirmed effective 26 September 1943. He disembarked in France on 6 July 1944 and was slightly wounded in action on 25 August 1944 while remaining on duty. In February 1945 he returned to Canada on rotation leave. From April through September 1945 he served through temporary attachments involving No. 4 District Depot, 34th Base Group and Farnham Summer Camp, continuing clerk Trade Group C duties and receiving the recorded subsistence allowances and leave. He was Mentioned in Despatches and received the 1939–45 Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, and War Medal 1939–45. A Medical Board on 30 August 1945 found no treatment indicated at present. He was discharged as a Staff Sergeant at Montreal South on 8 September 1945 on demobilization / return to civil life under Routine Order 1029, paragraph 5.
Additional Next of Kin Notes
Wife Bertha Brazier was next of kin throughout the service file, at 7237 St-Denis Street, Montreal. The April 1940 family form states that the couple had no children. His father was deceased and his mother, Margaret Jane Brazier, was living at Dorothée, Quebec. The supplied 1974 obituary identifies his wife as Gaetana (Connie) De Giorgio and names siblings Dorothy, Isabel, Muriel, Myrtle, Margaret, Marion and Lawrence; James, Jean, Chevalier, Gordon and Ashton were already deceased.
Version: 3 Last modified: 2026-09-19 18:52:11
by: marc
