Alexander Picton Brereton

One enemy machine-gun post stood between a Canadian platoon and destruction. Alexander Picton Brereton did not wait for someone else to act. On 9 August 1918, under devastating German fire during the Battle of Amiens, he charged forward alone. What followed earned this Manitoba soldier the Victoria Cross and placed his name among Canada's most remarkable heroes of the First World War.

Alexander Picton Brereton was born at Oak River, Manitoba, on 13 November 1892. The son of a farming family, he worked as a farm labourer and later as a barber before enlisting in the 144th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, in January 1916. He sailed for Britain later that year, reached France in January 1917, and joined the 8th Battalion, Manitoba Regiment, part of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade of the 1st Canadian Division. By August 1918, the Canadian Corps was driving eastward during the Battle of Amiens. On 9 August, near Warvillers in France, Brereton's platoon suddenly came under fire from a line of six German machine guns while caught in an exposed position with virtually no cover. The danger was immediate. Unless the guns were silenced, the platoon risked being wiped out.

Brereton, then a corporal, acted without hesitation. On his own initiative he rushed one of the machine-gun positions alone. He shot the gunner, bayoneted another enemy soldier who attempted to take over the weapon, and forced nine German soldiers to surrender. His extraordinary attack changed the momentum of the fight. Inspired by his example, the rest of the platoon surged forward and captured the five remaining machine-gun posts.

His Victoria Cross citation described his conduct as "most conspicuous bravery" and called his action a "splendid example of resource and bravery." The citation emphasized that Brereton had undoubtedly saved the lives of many of his comrades and inspired his platoon to complete the assault. His Victoria Cross was officially announced in The London Gazette, Issue 30922, in September 1918.

The honour was personally presented to Brereton by King George V at Buckingham Palace on 24 October 1918. Fellow 8th Battalion soldier Frederick George Coppins, who also earned the Victoria Cross during the fighting of 9 August, was present at the same investiture.

Brereton returned to Canada after the First World War and was discharged from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1919. He settled near Elnora, Alberta, where he became a farmer and eventually worked a 640-acre property. In 1925 he married Mary McPhee, and they raised a son and two daughters. Yet Brereton's military service was not finished.

Following the outbreak of the Second World War, Brereton returned to uniform at the age of 46. He served as a Company Quartermaster Sergeant at Red Deer Training Camp, Alberta, remaining in service until his discharge in 1944. His two periods of military service were reflected in an impressive medal entitlement that included the British War Medal, Victory Medal, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and War Medal 1939-1945. He also received the King George VI Coronation Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal and Canadian Centennial Medal during his lifetime. These service and commemorative awards did not carry individual gallantry citations like his Victoria Cross. Lord Ashcroft Brereton continued to be associated with Canada's community of Victoria Cross recipients long after the wars had ended. He attended the Victoria Cross and George Cross Review in London in 1956 and was photographed with holders of the Victoria Cross and George Cross at Government House during Canada's centennial year in 1967. His medal group later became part of the Lord Ashcroft Collection, preserving the story of his courage for future generations.

Alexander Picton Brereton died in Calgary on 11 June 1976, aged 83, and was buried at Elnora Cemetery. His legacy rests above all on a few extraordinary moments in August 1918, when one Canadian soldier saw his comrades trapped by machine-gun fire and chose to charge alone. His courage did more than silence a weapon. It saved lives, inspired an entire platoon, and earned him Canada's highest recognition for battlefield valour.