Frank Howard Brenton was born December 11, 1892, in Middle Stewiacke, Colchester County, Nova Scotia, Canada, and was one of the four sons of Alexander and Annie E. Brenton of that place. Fie left home at the age of eighteen to serve as carpenter’s apprentice in Massachusetts, where he worked out the summer, and then returned
home for the winter.

The following spring (1912) he set out for McGill, Nevada, to take a position with the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company. With the exception of one year spent in California during slack time, he remained thereafter continuously with the Copper Company until he was called to the Colors on October 5th, 1917. Then he went to Camp Lewis, Washington, with other boys from White Pine County and became a member of the 166th Depot Brigade.

On November 8th, 1917, he was transferred to Headquarters Company, 161st Infantry, 41st Division, and on December 13th, sailed for France. Almost immediately after the arrival of the 41st overseas, heavy drafts began to be made upon it for men to replace gaps in the lines of the combat divisions, for the 41st had become a depot division which received replacements from the States and distributed them to the divisions at the front. In one of these drafts (June 26th, 1918), Corporal Brenton was sent to Company B, 26th Infantry of the 1st Division, which had lost men at Cantigny toward the last of May and which was still holding its captured ground against the enemy.

On the 7th of July the division left its sector to take up a position on the Marns-Front where the enemy was preparing for his last desperate offensive. On the 1 5th the storm broke furiously, but the allied lines strained, swayed and held, and on the 18th their great counter-offensive started the Germans on their last retreat. In this battle the 1st Division attacked from the 18th to the 22d with such spirit that the town of Brezy-le
Sec and the heights above Soissons were taken. The enemy was everywhere falling
back before our blows.Between August 7th and 24th the First held front line trenches east of St. Mihiel.

On September 12th it took a leading part in the battle which wiped out the St. Mihiel Sector; on September 30th it relieved the 35th Division west of Eclisfontaine in the Argonne. The First advanced northward with the line on October 4th and reached the town of Exermont. It was the first day of what General Pershing has called the Second Phase of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Continuing their advance, they left the town in their rear and drove the enemy northward toward Landres et St. George, which brought the line on October 9th well through Le Petit Bois. This was the date and place of the death of Corporal Brenton. His service record shows that he was killed in action at that
time but all details are lacking. At any rate, we know that he fell in the ranks of one of our best divisions during the hardest battle of American History, and that he made the supreme sacrifice like a valiant soldier.

He left to mourn his death his parents in Nova Scotia; his sister, Mrs. Harry Blaisdell, Swampcolt, Massachusetts; and three brothers, Harold P. Brenton, Hopewell, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, and Bayard F. and Fred C. Brenton, both of Middle Stewiacke, one of who was also in the war. Fraternally he was an Odd Fellow, being a member of Steptoe Lodge. A host of friends in Nevada mourn his loss as that of a brother.