Reference
X550/6/156
Title
Records of Leonard Leader Brereton (1895-1917)
Admin/biog history
Leonard Leader Brereton was born on the 12 February 1895 in Pietermaritzburg, Natal. He was the elder son of L Brereton, a Civil Engineer from Cheshire. Leonard's father died relatively young and Leonard and his 3 siblings, Ruth, Eunice and Victor were taken back to the England for their education. His mother, Margaret, was a Hamilton and their family came from Fintra House, Killybegs, Co.Donegal, Ireland.
Leonard was educated at Bedford School, where he was Captain of Running and of the Second Fifteen in 1914. He won the mile trophy two years running as well as winning the sculling fours. His brother, Victor, also attended Bedford School and in his diary Leonard mentions the changes to the school and is wish that V could have stayed at the school until he was 19 instead of leaving at 17. Also from his diary it seems that money was tight at home and there is talk of the family moving from Bedford to London, which Leonard hopes they will not do as London does not feel like home. At the time of the 1911 census the family were living at 112 Gladstone Street, Bedford. The family had moved to 50 Adelaide Square by August 1916. His mother was described as Mrs. Brereton, of 50, Adelaide Square, Bedford.
It appears that after leaving school Leonard went back to Africa to be trained as an engineer, where he worked for the Natal Railways.
He went through German South-West Africa with General Brits' forces as a gunner in the Mounted Machine Gunners until the campaign ended in 1915.
In March 1916 he travelled to England to enrol there and was gazetted to the Bedfordshire Regiment, on June 29th, 1916. He spent a frustrating few months waiting to take part in the war effort, as can be seen in his diary entries. In November he received orders for Egypt arriving there late January. Second Lieutenant Leonard L. Brereton, Bedfordshire Regiment, died of wounds received at the 2nd Battle at Gaza on 29 April 1917 aged 22. He is buried in the Cairo Military Cemetery. After his death his colleagues in Natal, South Africa, named a Railway tunnel after him.
Archival history
Held by family until deposit with Bedfordshire Archives by L L Brereton's great niece in 2023.
Level of description
file