Deseronto Archives

On this day in 1916, Hugh Brant signed up in Deseronto. He was born in Tyendinaga on May 4th, 1876, the son of Jacob Oak Brant and Margaret (née Williams), who were Mohawks.

He joined the 155th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force with the regimental number 636364. He was five feet, nine and three quarter inches tall, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. Hugh Brant’s service record shows that he arrived in England on the SS Northland on October 18th, 1916. He joined the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles at the front on November 29th. He was admitted to hospital in London on June 6th 1917 with a gunshot wound to the left hand, which he received on June 1st, and suffering from granular conjunctivitis [trachoma]. This was a previous eye complaint which had been made worse by being gassed on May 26th. His eye problem was so severe that he was sent home to Canada for treatment. An article in the Intelligencer newspaper describes a welcome-home party put on for him.

Brant arrived back in Halifax on the hospital ship Araguay on November 6th, 1917. He was discharged as medically unfit for further service on February 28th, 1918 at Kingston.

Hugh was living in College Street, Deseronto in 1921, working as a labourer. He died on September 30th, 1956 and was buried in All Saints Cemetery, Tyendinaga.