SERJEANT JAMES BREMNER
ROYAL GARRISON ARTILLERY
15TH OCTOBER 1917 AGE 32
BURIED: BUS HOUSE CEMETERY, YPRES, BELGIUM
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
The words of St John Chapter XV verse 13 form one of the most popular of all headstone inscriptions and war memorial dedications, but Serjeant Bremner's sister was much more specific than this, her brother gave his life for his comrades. Comrades - brothers-in-arms.
Comradeship, fellowship with those in your regiment, platoon, section, was one of the defining qualities of the First World War. In his memoir, With a Machine Gun to Cambrai, George Coppard writes:
"Of my memories of life in the trenches, the one thing I cherish more than anything else is the comradeship that grew up between us as a result of the way of life we were compelled to lead - living together under the open sky, night and day, fair weather or foul, witnessing death or injury, helping in matters of urgency, and above all, facing the enemy. Such situations were the solid foundation on which our comradeship was built. It has been said that such comradeship died when the war ended."
It has not been possible to tell whether Bremner's sister, Ina, was referring to a specific incident in his inscription, or just speaking generally about her brother's motivation. Bremner was the only member of the 251st Siege Battery to die on that day.