The following data has been compiled using resources available on this site, complemented by information kindly provided by Robert Brew of the Barossa Valley in South Australia. Robert's father was Louis Wilfred Brew and his grandfather Thomas Brew of Great Crosby, England. For further information, please contact Robert directly.
Richard Brew was born in Manchester, England, in 1839 (4th Qtr. 1839, Cert. No. 20 / 462), possibly to to John Brew and Ellen Kelly, and died in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, in 1918, aged 79 (Cert. No. 1918/194). He married Elizabeth, possibly born Elizabeth Cain[e] in Liverpool, England in 1837, to Thomas and Anna Cain[e] (nee Roberts); she died in Ballarat, Victoria, in 1916, aged 79 (Cert. No. 1916/185). Their children were:
Henry Brew, born in Great Crosby, Lancashire, ca. 1864
Richard Brew, born in Great Crosby, Lancashire, ca. 1866
Thomas Brew, born in Great Crosby, Lancashire, ca. 1868
Elizabeth Brew, born in Great Crosby, Lancashire, ca. 1870
George Brew, born in Great Crosby, Lancashire, ca. 1872
John Brew, born in Great Crosby, Lancashire, ca. 1874
Samuel Brew, born in Great Crosby, Lancashire, ca. 1876
The 1881 Lancashire Census (PRO Ref RG11, Piece 3696, Folio 105, pages 43-44) shows the family living in Liverpool Road, Great Crosby, Lancashire, as follows:
| Name | Age | Relation | Profession | Birthplace |
| Richard | 41 | Head | Greengrocer | Manchester, Lancashire |
| Elizabeth | 44 | Wife | - | Liverpool, Lancashire |
| Henry | 17 | Son | Postman | Great Crosby, Lancashire |
| Richard | 15 | Son | - | Great Crosby, Lancashire |
| Thomas | 13 | Son | - | Great Crosby, Lancashire |
| Elizabeth | 11 | Daughter | Scholar | Great Crosby, Lancashire |
| George | 9 | Son | Scholar | Great Crosby, Lancashire |
| John | 7 | Son | Scholar | Great Crosby, Lancashire |
| Samuel | 4 | Son | Scholar | Great Crosby, Lancashire |
Henry emigrated to Australia in 1885, arriving in Melbourne aboard the ship "Iberia", in November that year. Circumstantial evidence shows that Richard followed him in February 1887 aboard "Orient" and then Thomas in April 1890 aboard "Kaiser Wilhelm II". Their parents, Richard and Elizabeth, and two youngest brothers, John and Samuel, followed them to Australia several years later, arriving in Melbourne aboard "Oroya" in January 1899. They all settled in the Ballarat area of the state of Victoria. It is not clear, however, what became of Elizabeth and George, who did not join them in Australia. Both would have been old enough to have been married in 1899, and to have decided to stay in England, but it is also possible they had died by then. Closer research of Richard and Elizabeth's children reveals the following information:
Henry Brew was born in Great Crosby, Lancashire, ca. 1864, and arrived in Australia in November 1885 aboard the ship "Iberia". He enlisted in the Australian Army on 12 January 1917, and finally attained the rank of Captain. He also served overseas for a short time, returning to Australia on 8 April 1917. His service record is held by the National Archives of Australia. Henry died in Ballarat, Victoria, in 1930, aged 67 (Cert. No. 1930/12294). He married Louisa Rebecca Miller (born 1869, died 1965, aged 96, daughter of William and Margaret Miller), ca. 1890, and had at least four children:
Henry jnr., born 13 February 1891 in Sale, Victoria, who died in Ballarat in 1970, aged 79. Henry served in both World Wars and the CMF between the two. When he enlisted in the CMF on 22 November 1929, he described himself as a self-employed bricklayer living at 415 Sturt Street, Ballarat. His CMF record shows he served in HQ Wing (Signals), City of Ballarat Regiment, and indicates he had previously been in the Royal Australian Navy from 1908 to 1918, which included service at Gallipoli. I have been unable to find any data regarding a possible marriage or children
William, born 5 November 1892 in Hawthorn, who died in Elsternwick in 1973, aged 80. It is unclear whether he served in World War I [A William Brew is listed in the Nominal Roll, but there in insufficient conclusive evidence to prove it was him], but records show he definitely served in World War II, at least between April and December 1942, as a Private in the Volunteer Defence Force. In 1919, he married Thelma May Hewett (or Hewitt), who was born in Prahan, Victoria, in 1895 and died in Prahan in 1976, aged 81. Circumstantial evidence indicates they had some, or all, of the following five children, but this needs clarification:
Betty Ruth Brew, born 1921 [?], died 1940 in Melbourne, aged 19
William Noel Brew, born 16 July 1921, served in the AIF (Artillery) in World War II and died 18 July 1947. He is listed on Australia's Roll of Honour as an official war death
Hazel May, born 19 August 1923, served in the Women's Army Service in World War II, from 29 October 1942 to 10 January 1946
John Summers, born 9 May 1924, served in the RAAF in World War II, from 20 August 1942 to 23 February 1946
Lorna Jean, 15 December 1925, served in the RAAF in World War II, from 20 March 1944 to 24 January 1946
- Brynhilda, born in Hawthorn in 1895, who married Frederick John Wilson in Ballarat in 1915, and had the following children:
- John Frederick Wilson, born Ballarat 1916
- Maxwell Henry Wilson, born Ballarat 1918
- Richard, born in Ballarat in 1904, no further details known.
Thomas Brew was born in Great Crosby, Lancashire, ca. 1868, and arrived in Australia in April 1890 aboard the ship "Kaiser Wilhelm II". He married Margarite Higson in Victoria ca. 1892, and the couple had five children, the second of whom died in infancy. The family moved back to England between the births of their second and third children, that is, between 1895 and 1896, but then later returned to Australia, in the early 1900s or 1910s.
The family appears in the 1901 Lancashire, England, census as shown below, living in Litherland, Lancashire. The family is falsely indexed under Brow instead of Brew, but it is not clear whether this error was made by the census-taker or in the transcription to the 1901 UK Census website:
Name Age Birthplace Profession Thomas 33 Lancashire Great Crosby Life Assurance Assessor Margaret 33 Hampshire Southampton - Grace 8 Australia Victoria - Thomas 4 Lancashire Southport - Louis 2 Lancashire Waterloo - Closer research of Thomas and Margaret's children reveals the following information:
Elizabeth Grace was born Hawthorn, Victoria, in 1893. She married a Scot by the name of Inkster and moved to South America for several years. She had three children, of whom one died aged 18.
Harold Leslie was born and died in Hawthorn, Victoria, 1895
Thomas was born in Southport, England, in 1896, and enlisted in the Australian Army in Sydney, NSW, on 8 September 1914. He served in Gallipoli and on the Western Front, and was wounded a few times. Whilst a Sergeant in the 2nd Battalion AIF in France, he was awarded the DCM [Distinguished Conduct Medal] by King George in 1917. The citation reads, For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He assumed command of and gallantly led his company forward in the face of heavy fire. He set a splendid example of courage and initiative." [London Gazette, 15 June 1917]. It should be noted that the DCM was, for NCOs and other ranks, second only to the Victoria Cross.
Tom was promoted to the rank of Second Lieutenant soon after, but was killed in action at Broodseinde, Belgium, on 4 October 1917, aged 21. His grave is located in Oxford Road Cemetery in Belgium, and his epitaph reads, "Sleep well Tom, Until we meet again". The Commonwealth War Graves Commission notes he was the son of Thomas and M. Brew of Harriet Street, Croydon, South Australia, and a native of Southport, England.
His service record is held by the National Australian Archives in Canberra, whilst the Australian War Memorial holds a photograph of him as well as a diary and private letters, dating from 1915-1917. According to the AWM, these show a "detailed account of service on Gallipoli and in France, daily diary entries giving information on movements, engagements and routine duties. Letters about awarding of the DCM and re Brew's death in action."
Louis Wilfred was born in Liverpool, England, in 1899. He served in both World Wars as well as the CMF. He enlisted for service in World War I on 20 June 1916 and, like his older brother Thomas, also served both at Gallipoli and in France, where he was wounded. Unlike Thomas, however, Louis returned to Australia and was discharged on 18 January 1919. His service record is held be the National Australian Archives.
Louis served in the Citizens Military Forces (CMF), the forerunner of today's Army Reserve, and enlisted, according to his record, in Western Australia on 5 July 1940. He gave his profession as salesman and his address as "c/o Amateur Sports Club, King St., Perth, WA". He also noted his previous military service during the Great War in 2 Battalion AIF, 3 yrs 323 days, and 11 Battalion AMF, Machine Gun Company.
The Department of Veterans Affairs' World War II Nominal Roll website confirms that Louis was born in Liverpool, England, on 1 April 1899, and adds that he enlisted in Perth, Western Australia, on 31 October 1940, and gave his next of kin as Jessie Brew; he was discharged on 29 October 1945 with the rank of Sergeant. His World War II service record is held by the National Archives of Australia, together with his World War I record.
The National Archives also hold documentation of several inventions, which Louis made. These include a torpedo net, a device for "retarding landing speed of aeroplanes on aircraft carrier's deck", an anti-aircraft dazzle device, and an "improved durable ordinance map".
Dolly, who was probably born in Victoria after the family's arrival in Australia
Elizabeth Brew was born in Great Crosby, Lancashire, ca. 1870. She did not join the rest of the family in Australia and, currently, nothing further is known about Elizabeth, except her entry in the 1881 Census, above.
George Brew was born in Great Crosby, Lancashire, ca. 1872. He did not join the rest of the family in Australia and, currently, nothing further is known about George, except his entry in the 1881 Census, above.
John Brew was born in Great Crosby, Lancashire, ca. 1874, and attended the National School in Crosby. Besides this and his above entry in the 1881 UK census, little is known about John's life prior to his emigration to Australia in January 1899, when he arrived with his parents and younger brother Samuel aboard the ship "Oroya", aged 25. John was working for the Ballarat Courier when he enlisted in the Australian Army on 26 September 1916. He served as a Private in the 39th Battalion AIF, and was killed in action just 8½ months later on Messines Ridge, Belgium, on 8 June 1917, aged 43. His name now appears on the Menin Gate Memorial in nearby Ypres. His service record, which is held by the National Archives of Australia, shows his father listed as next of kin, implying he probably did not marry. Further information on John is also held by the Australian War Memorial.
Samuel Brew was born in Great Crosby, Lancashire, ca. 1876, and attended the National School in Crosby. Besides this and his above entry in the 1881 UK census, little is known about Samuel's life prior to his emigration to Australia in January 1899, when he arrived with his parents and older brother John aboard the ship "Oroya", aged 23. Samuel was working as a gardener when he enlisted in the Australian Army on 11 September 1915. He served as a Private in 6th Field Ambulance, Australian Army Medical Corps, and died of wounds received on 16 August 1918, aged 42, while recovering a wounded enemy soldier. His grave is located in Daours Communal Cemetery Extension, Daours, Somme, France (Grave IV, C5), and the inscription on his headstone reads, "Died to Save an Enemy". His service record , which is held by the National Archives of Australia, shows his mother listed as next of kin, implying he probably he did not marry. Further information on Samuel is also held by the Australian War Memorial.