Brand, William

William Brand was born on 15 July 1884 to William and Margaret Brand of Auchterdorran in Fifeshire, Scotland. His father was a railway fireman and William was the third of six children. By 1912, William had married and had two daughters and a son. In September of that year, he left his family and arrived in Quebec City aboard SS Grampian on his way to the United States. Two years later he was joined by his family in Illinois where he worked as a miner, and his second son was born.

In 1917, Brand made his way to Canada and attested to the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) on 2 August. He gave his family’s address as Verden, Illinois, but is seems they followed him shortly afterwards to take up residence in Springmont Avenue, Toronto. Joining the Depot Battalion 1st Central Ontario Regiment, Brand arrived in the United Kingdom on 7 December 1917 aboard SS Scotian. After follow-up training there, he was sent to France at the end of March 1918. He joined his field unit, the 15th Canadian Infantry Battalion. At the time the Division was in reserve in the Arras area. The reinforcements arrived on 4 March 1918 where the unit was moving into the Bonville Cave area. In the process of relieving 2nd Brigade in the area, the Battalion came under fire suffering 3 Other Ranks killed and 5 wounded. It is likely that it was at this time that Brand was wounded, as by 8 March he is in 2/1 London Field Ambulance suffering significant lung complications from shell gas. He was evacuated to Étaples General Hospital and from there to Oxford, Epsom, and eventually to the Canadian Convalescent Hospital at Bramshott. A medical board held in July 1918 put him in medical category D1 (depot employment only). While recovering from this injury, he fell and suffered a severe sprain to his left knee. He was returned to Canada in March 1919 and demobilized in Toronto on 11 April 1919, giving Geary Avenue, Toronto as his address.

By 1921 he was living in Ward 5, Toronto North, with his wife Christine and four children. William Brand died in Toronto on 11 April 1946 and is buried in the Saint John’s Norway Cemetery, The Beaches, Toronto.