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Major Cecil Douglas BRENMER (112816) MC
B Company, 5th Battalion East Kent Regiment (Buffs) Date of birth: 5th February 1921 Date of death: 21st April 1945 Died of wounds aged 24 Buried at Ravenna War Cemetery Plot I Row D Grave 12
Cecil Douglas Bremner was born in Kenya on the 5th of February 1921 the elder son of Major Cecil James Bremner MC, Royal Army Service Corps and an Assistant District Commissioner in Kenya, and Gabrielle Caroline Jeanne Bremner of Milton Gate in Sussex. He was educated at Lancing College where he was in Seconds House from May 1935 to 1939. He was a member of the Football XI in 1937 and 1938 being Secretary in the latter year. He was also in the Athletics Team in 1939 and was appointed as a House Captain in the same year. He achieved his School Certificate in 1938 He went on to the Royal Military College Sandhurst, following which he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the East Kent Regiment (Buffs) on the 31st of December 1939 and was promoted to Lieutenant on the 1st of July 1941. He was promoted to temporary Captain on the 7th of May 1942. In 1941 he was married at Bridge in Kent to Elizabeth "Betty" (nee Grieves) of Barham in Kent and they had a daughter, Carol Anne, who was born in October 1942. On the 25th of October 1942 the 5th Battalion East Kent Regiment embarked at Gourock on board the SS Strathaver bound for North Africa where they were to be involved in Operation Torch, the allied landings on the coast of Algeria. When Algiers fell on the 8th of November the battalion transferred to the HMT Awatea in Algiers harbour the following day. From here they sailed up the coast and landed at Bougie. At 6.30am on the 12th of November they moved up the road by lorry to Djidjelli where they were to seize the local airfield and stock it with petrol. By the 18th of November they had moved forward once again to Yusef and on the 20th they reached Tabarka On the night of the 22nd of November Cecil Bremner's B Company along with C Company moved to Gebel Abiod where they were heavily engaged by a large body of Italian paratroopers. In the action which followed one officer and two other ranks were killed with one officer and fifteen other ranks wounded. In return the two companies captured forty of the enemy. By February 1943 the Germans had been pushed back to Tunisia and the battalion was in the area of Robas where there had been a series of minor engagements with the remaining German forces. In the early morning of the 22nd of February Cecil Bremner led his Company in a march of four miles along the slopes of Ragoubet Sidi Amarain order to position themselves for a minor attack. With the enemy positions unknown the Company ran into a machine gun nest at a range of only sixty yards and a fierce fire fight developed. Before long Bremner realised that he was surrounded on three sides and with light breaking his Company was in a very dangerous position. With great skill he managed to effect a withdrawal with only one man killed and six wounded. On the 17th of March 1943 he was on patrol near Sidi el Mdakrene a mile to the north of the Beja-Medjez road when he was wounded during a fire fight with German forces. By April 1945 the battalion was just to the south of Mandriole, near Lake Comacchio in Italy. On the 14th of April the battalion was ordered to form a bridgehead over the River Reno through which No. 2 Commando would pass and take the town of Argenta. By 11.15pm C and D Companies were across the river and Y and B Companies followed. Y Company then pushed forward towards the Scolo Garda Canal where they came under attack from enemy units and, taking heavy casualties, they fell back towards B Company's right. Both Companies came under close range fire from rifles and bazookas and Cecil Bremner was badly wounded during the fight. He died of his wounds a week later. He was awarded the Military Cross for devotion to duty for the period from the 15th of May to the 3rd of July 1944 which was announced by the War Office on the 19th of April 1945 with the citation:- "In recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Italy". The full recommendation for the award read as follows: - "For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during the period 15 May- 3 Jul '44. During the advance from the Rapido to Aquino fro 15-19 May '44 Major Bremner handled the 3" mortars and MMGs with great skill. He was continually up with the leading troops, often under heavy fire, reconnoitring for the best positions for his supporting weapons. The excellent support the Battalion received from these weapons was largely due to this officer's outstanding devotion to duty and complete disregard for his own safety. On 19 Jun '44 the Battalion carried out a successful attack across the Moiano against a strong position held by troops of the 1st Parachute Division. During this attack, a heavy artillery concentration came down on the mortar positions from which the mortars were firing most accurately on the German positions. Major Bremner immediately went to the mortar positions where his conduct under heavy fire was an inspiration to the mortar detachments, and ensured that the Battalion continued to receive the maximum support. On 25 Jun '44 the Battalion carried out an attack across the Pescia capturing two officers and forty four men. This was due to a great extent to the bold handling of MMGs by Major Bremner. He personally led a section of MMGs under heavy fire, to a position well forward on the flank from which the MMGs were able to lay a belt of fire across the Germans' line of withdrawal. Major Bremner landed with the Battalion in North Africa in Nov '42 and, except for a period when wounded, has served continuously with the Battalion. His record is outstanding, particularly during the period in March and April this year when the Battalion was holding Cassino Station and later, Casino Castle." He is commemorated on the memorial at Wilmington in Sussex and on the memorial at the Royal Military College Sandhurst.

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