Huron Eldon Brant

Huron Eldon Brant, MM (30 December 1909 – 14 October 1944) was a Canadian soldier of Mohawk heritage from the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte community at Tyendinaga, near Deseronto, Ontario. He served as a private with The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment of the 1st Canadian Infantry Division during the Second World War and became a decorated Indigenous soldier remembered for his exceptional gallantry. His official service number was C/5569.

Brant served in Sicily with the 1st Canadian Division during Operation Husky. At Grammichele on 14 July 1943, he launched a prompt and courageous attack with his Bren light machine gun against an enemy force of approximately 30 men. Despite very heavy enemy fire, he inflicted severe casualties and helped make possible the killing or capture of the opposing force. For this act of gallantry, he was awarded the Military Medal, which was formally announced in The London Gazette on 23 September 1943.

He continued to serve with the Hasty Ps throughout the hard-fought Italian Campaign. On 14 October 1944, during an attack near Rimini in northern Italy, Brant was killed in action at the age of 34. He is buried in Cesena War Cemetery, grave III.F.16, where he is commemorated among the Canadians who gave their lives during the liberation of Italy.

Huron Eldon Brant’s story is especially significant because he volunteered to serve at a time when most Status First Nations people did not possess the unconditional right to vote in federal elections without relinquishing their legal status. First Nations men and women serving in the armed forces during the Second World War were granted wartime federal voting rights without surrendering their status, but broader unconditional voting rights were not extended to First Nations people until 1960. Today, Brant is remembered not only for his remarkable bravery in combat but also as one of the many Indigenous Canadians whose wartime service drew greater attention to inequality at home and strengthened demands for equal citizenship.