Alfred A. Brant signature

On this day in 1915 Alfred A. Brant signed up in Picton. He was born in Tyendinaga in July 1879, the son of Peter Brant and Deborah (née Claus), who were Mohawks.

When he signed up, Alfred was described as five feet five inches tall, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. He joined the 80th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force with the regimental number 219956. He was later transferred to the 102nd Battalion. His service record shows that Brant was wounded several times while in France and was discharged in February 1919 as being medically unfit for further service. He returned to Canada on the RMS Olympic (sister ship to the Titanic).

Photograph of RMS Olympic

RMS Olympic

Alfred was married twice: first to Lucy Brant in Tyendinaga on November 2nd, 1899. This marriage does not seem to have lasted very long – Alfred gave his niece, Tissie Brant, as his next of kin on his attestation form. On October 13th, 1924 he married Margaret Brant (née Hill), a widow, in Napanee.