Bloodiest month for town ends with second tragedy for Brook family

The First World War was the first in several hundred years, if ever, to engage the entire population of the country. The incidence of losses however was not something distributed evenly across the four years and four months of the war.

Research by the Tynemouth project shows 145 men killed or died in the month of July, 1916 - about 8% of the total number recorded on the Roll of Honour printed in 1923. That month stands alone in the severity of the losses borne by the community. However, the impact of an average daily death toll of 4 or 5 of the town’s men was tempered by the fact that many died on a single day - the bloodiest day of losses ever for the British Army - on the First of July, 1916; when 19240 were killed and a further 36000 were wounded. Large numbers of those men (78 died from Tynemouth Borough) would be reported as Missing in Action and their deaths not presumed or confirmed until the spring of 1917.

One of the last casualties of July, 1916 was James Edward Blythe Brook, Killed in Action on the 29^th he was the brother of Nevill Brook (KIA – 27^th April, 1915 - see News Guardian 4^th. April 2013). James was studying for the priesthood at St John’s Church of England Theological College in Perth, Western Australia when he learned of his brother’s death in the Second Battle of Ypres. He determined to ‘take his brother’s place at the front’ and left college to enlist in the Australian Imperial Forces in October, 1915.

The Christ Church Parish Magazine noted that their father had been a Collector of Excises for the government but had returned to London with his family (except Nevill) in 1910 -

“We are also deeply pained to have to record the death of Nevill Brook's brother,

Corporal James E. B. Brook, of the Australian Infantry, who was killed in action on July 29th

and who was studying for the ministry at St. John's, Perth, when he enlisted in order to

take the place of his brother who was killed at Ypres last year.”

A former pupil of Tynemouth High School, James was recorded in the School’s Record of Service, from which the photograph featured here was taken.

The next in our series of talks will be given by me at the Low Lights Tavern and will take place at 730pm on Tuesday 21^st August, 2013, featuring the origins and deployment of the Royal Naval Division - in particular the Collingwood Battalions.

Tickets – Free – are limited, and can be obtained after 1^st. August, 2013 from the Low Lights Tavern, Keel Row Bookshop, Fenwick Terrace, Preston Road and the Project workroom.