Includes:
1. Memorial Cross, GRV (841012 Pte. H.V. BRENNAN). Naming is officially engraved. In frosted sterling silver, marked "STERLING" and maker marked with the Roden Brothers of Toronto insignia on the reverse, measuring 32 mm (w) x 35 mm (h) inclusive of its integral ring, frosting wear evident on the reverse, light contact overall, on its original frayed ribbon. Accompanied by its Condolence Card, in its original hardshelled case of issue, black pebbled exterior, inside lid in white cloth, the base with a medal bed in off-white felt, wear evident on the exterior, fraying in the fabric overlying the hinged area, soiling on the interior.
2. 148th Infantry Battalion Cap Badge: in bronze gilt, unmarked, measuring 35.3 mm (w) x 45.5 mm (h), both lugs intact.
3. 24th Infantry Battalion (Victoria Rifles) Collar Badge: in browning copper, unmarked, measuring 27.8 mm (w) x 28 mm (h), both lugs intact but bent back.
4. 148th Infantry Battalion Sweetheart Ring: in sterling silver, marked "STERLING" on the inside, face plate measuring 12 mm (w) x 14 mm (h), the ring measuring 18.5 mm in diameter, exhibiting service wear.
Better than very fine.
Footnote: Harold Vincent Brennan was born on September 30, 1896 in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Brennan. He was a resident of Montreal when he signed his Attestation Paper as a Private (841012) with the 148th Infantry Battalion, on December 11, 1915 in Montreal, at the age of 19, naming his next-of-kin as his father, Patrick Joseph Brennan, stating that he had no previous military service, that he was not married, that his religion was Roman Catholic and that his trade was that of Draughtsman. While at Valcartier Camp, he was hospitalized for five days with a bout of Influenza, from August 21 to 26, 1916.
The 148th Infantry Battalion was raised in the Montreal area of Quebec with mobilization headquarters at Montreal under the authority of G.O. 151, December 22, 1915. The Battalion sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia aboard the S.S. Laconia on September 27, 1916 under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel A.A. McGee with a strength of 32 officers and 953 other ranks, arriving in England on October 6th. Upon arrival in England, the Battalion was absorbed into the 20th Reserve Battalion, with Brennan promoted to Lance Corporal. He was soon transferred to the 24th Infantry Battalion, reverting to the rank of Private, and proceeded overseas to his new unit on December 5, 1916, arriving with them in the field on the 12th.
Brennan was admitted to No. 5 Canadian Field Ambulance, where he was hospitalized for one week from March 12 to 20, 1917, with a case of "Enuresis" (urinary incontinence). Shortly thereafter, he was hospitalized again, from March 26 to April 2, 1917, this time for "Furuncles" (boils, that usually start as reddish or purplish, tender bumps, that eventually rupture, mostly affecting the face, back of the neck, armpits, thighs and buttocks). Private Harold Vincent Brennan was with the 24th Infantry Battalion when he was Killed in Action on April 9, 1917 during the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the first day of the battle.
His remains are buried in Lichfield Crater British Cemetery. Lichfield Crater was one of two mine craters (the other being Zivy Crater) which were used by the Canadian Corps Burial Officer in 1917 for the burial of bodies found on the Vimy battlefield. The numerous groups of graves made about this time by the Canadians were not named as a rule, but serially lettered and numbered; the original name for Lichfield Crater was CB 2 A. The crater is essentially a mass grave and contains 57 First World War burials, 15 of them unidentified. All of the men buried here died on April 9-10, 1917, with one exception, a soldier who died in April 1916, whose grave was found on the edge of the crater after the Armistice and is the only one marked by a headstone.
The names of the rest of those buried in the crater are inscribed on panels fixed to the boundary wall. The cemetery was designed by W/ H. Cowlishaw. There are 40 Canadians buried here from the Battle of Vimy Ridge, including one recipient of the Victoria Cross. In his Military Will, dated November 27, 1916, Private Brennan stated that "In the event of my death, I leave all of my personal effects to my mother, Mrs. C.S. Brennan of Montreal". His Plaque and Scroll were issued to his father, Patrick, now of Outremont, Quebec, his Index Card indicating that he was not eligible for the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal, while his mother received this Memorial Cross.