Basil Beaufort Brett

Adapted from material supplied to the Longreach Leader for the Centenery celebrations of ANZAC Day, by Basil’s granddaughter, Mary Killeen.

Basil Beaufort Brett was born on 15 August 1892 at “Beaufort” Pine Hill via Alpha, son of Arthur and Matilda Brett (nee Ross.) He enlisted at the start of World War 1, on 3 September 1914, at Randwick giving his previous address as “Eldersley Station” Winton and his occupation as overseer.

He was assigned to G Company, 4th Battalion Australian Light Horse Brigade and departed for Egypt on 20 October 1914. On arrival he and some close friends transferred to the Infantry Division.

Before landing at Gallipoli the troops waited for about two weeks near Limnos Island in Murdos Bay in the Straights of the Dardanelles. On 24 June 1915 he was wounded in the left knee by shrapnel and on 30 June was admitted to hospital at Heliopolis.

In July 1915 he received special mention for acts of conspicuous gallantry or valuable service. He was posted to England and on 18 November was appointed to the rank of Lance Corporal. On 11 March 1916 he was transferred from 4th Battalion to 56th Battalion and promoted to Acting Sergeant Major and on 14 April was promoted to Battery Sergeant Major with the rank of Warrant Officer Class 2. On 5 May he transferred to 5th Division Artillery Column (D.A.C.) as Battery Major.

He left England on 20 June 1916 to join the British Expeditionary Force in Belgium and France. In November he was granted the temporary rank of Regimental Sergeant Major Warrant Officer Class 1 5th D.A.C. On 12 October he was mentioned in Dispatches from General Sir Douglas Haig for gallant and distinguished services in the Field (for action in France). This citation reads “This Warrant Officer throughout the period this unit has been in France has been most zealous in the carrying out of his duties. During the operation 19th/20th July 1916 at Petillon he remained without rest for three days and nights and showed a fine example of endurance. This Warrant Officer was wounded on Gallipoli peninsular on 24th June 1915 and “Mentioned in Despatches.”

On 1 December 1916 he was posted to 5th D.A.C. headquarters and on 2 January 1917 he was again mentioned in dispatches for “distinguished and gallant services and devotion to duty” by General Sir Douglas Haig, for actions in France. On 17 January 1917 he was appointed 2nd Lieutenant and posted to Field Artillery. Following that, on 24 January 1918 he was detached as Lieutenant to Reserve Brigade Australia in London but in October he returned to France and rejoined his unit.  It would appear that this is when he was gassed and he had a six to eight week recuperation period. Some of time was spent in Wales with the Duke of Beaufort who was his cousin and also his God Father.

He returned to Australia aboard the H.M.A.T.”Derbyshire” and was discharged on 4 June 1919.

He married Dorothea Millicent Brabazon on 3 January 1922 at “Elderslie” Winton. She was the daughter of Charles Brabazon and Amy McMillan.  She was born 3 January 1902 at “Maneroo” Longreach, and died 22 July 1973 in Brisbane.

Basil was managing “Walgra” near Cloncurry when their two sons Brab (Basil) and Peter were born.
It is believed that he then drew a selection called “Binyeah” but the drought and depression took their toll and the family was forced off the selection in 1929. During the time at “Binyeah” two of their three daughters were born:  Victoria (Vicky) and Dorothea. He was cutting railway sleepers at Prairie, when their fifth and final child, Susan was born.  Prior to this he conducted a stock and station agency at Prairie, before being forced out by debtors.

In 1931-32 he was a station hand on “Ashton” south of Prairie.  In 1933 he worked on “Zara” south of Hughenden as drought and the depression were taking their toll on the rural industry.  In 1935 he became manager of “Mt Sturgeon” near Hughenden.  In 1939 he was appointed Pastoral Inspector for the Australian Pastoral (AP) Company at “Noondo” at Dirranbandi.  In 1941 he took up the position of manager of “Cubby” station at Dirranbandi and in 1942 he became manager of “Dagworth.”  In 1946 he moved to Townsville for some time.  Basil’s last job was that of manager of “Oorindi Park.” He died at there on 18 November 1959.

“Lest We Forget”

The Brabazons and Countess Markievicz (1867-1927)

By Michael Brabazon

The heroine par excellence of the struggle for Irish independence is undoubtedly Constance Gore-Booth, otherwise known as Countess Markievicz.  She was not only a fighter and Irish politician but also a leading women’s emancipation advocate and the first British woman M.P.  Her role in the founding of the modern Irish State is legendary.

The poet W.B. Yeats was a close family friend of the Gore-Booths and wrote of Constance and her sister Eva as "two girls in silk kimonos, both beautiful, one [Constance] a gazelle".

Constance and Eva were descended from Jane Brabazon (1665-1740), daughter of Edward Brabazon, the 2nd Earl of Meath.  Another branch of the Gore family also had Brabazon ancestry, this time from the Brabazons of Swinford.  John Ellard Gore (1845-1910), an Irish astronomer of note, through his mother Frances Brabazon Ellard, was a descendant of Edward Brabazon, the youngest brother of Sir Anthony Brabazon Bart of Brabazon Park, Swinford.

Once again, we can appreciate and celebrate the importance of the Brabazons in the development of modern Ireland.

Leicestershire Brabazons by Jan Barnes

In the traditional lineages the Brabazon family moved from Surrey to Leicestershire when Thomas le Brabazon of Betchworth married Amicia daughter of John de Mowsley, their marriage taking place in 1236 or before. Their son and heir Roger was knighted in 1268.

Research has revealed that a Thomas le Brabazon sold his town property in Haverberg (Market Harborough) in 1236. The town, situated close to the border with Northamptonshire, originated probably in the mid-eleventh century as a market in Great Bowden parish, and from this a market town gradually evolved.  Traders had shops fronting onto the road or the market place and used the rear of their long narrow sections for their business activity. Perhaps Thomas had a business in the town and was able to move to the country after marrying an heiress. Unfortunately, his wife was not mentioned.

About thirty years later, in 1265, Richard Chase of Little Bowden (near Market Harborough) was pardoned for the death of Thomas Brabazon. Thomas and Richard were both pardoned for killing another man. So far, the relationship of this Thomas Brabazon to the earlier Thomas, or to the Mowsley family is not known.

 Mowsley is a small village about seven miles west of Market Harborough in the southern part of Leicestershire, within the civil parish of the same name. The de Mowsley family, who were tenants of one of the manors there, took their name from the village. Court records show that John de Mowsley had a daughter and sole heir named Avice, who claimed her inheritance in court in 1199. To claim her land she had to be at least fourteen at the time, so would have been born 1185 or before. The records also show that Avice married Amfrid de Medburn before 1203. Perhaps she married Thomas Brabazon later on.

Many years later, in 1268, an inquisition found that Roger Brabazon was a landholder in Mowsley. Records also show that his mother had some land there, and was named Amice, but the lands that they held were not in the manor tenanted by the de Mowsley family. Recently it has been established that Roger’s father was named William, not Thomas. It seems that Amice has been confused with Avice de Mowsley, that heiress of an earlier generation, with a similar name.

The Brabazon family based in Mowsley are reasonably well recorded, mainly because of Sir Roger Brabazon’s high profile as a judge and also because of his landholdings, but in putting together the traditional lineages the genealogists of the time had different opinions about the relationship between Sir Roger Brabazon and Roger Brabazon ‘the younger’ and between either of them and Sir William Brabazon of Sproxton and Garthorpe. Eventually a lineage was traced through every prominent person.