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William Thompson Bremner 141856 v
25.8.1901 – 1.12.1941
William Bremner was a fitter on the S.A. Railways before he enlisted and joined the
Technical Services Corps. He saw service in east Africa during January – June 1941 and
on 17 June 1941 disembarked at Suez and was posted to Libya. He held the rank of
th
Sergeant in No. 3 Mobile and General Workshop in the 5 South African Brigade which
was part of Eighth Army.
The main action at this time was Operation Crusader which opened on 18 November. Its
main objective was to defeat Rommel, who had arrived in North Africa with the Afrika
Korps on 12 February 1941 and achieved a string of successes in his march towards Egypt,
except the taking of the vital port of Tobruk. The Allied relief of the besieged Australians
in Tobruk, an advance westwards to Tripoli, and the removal of the enemy threat to Egypt
were the objectives of Operation Crusader. The ridge at the Tomb of Sidi Rezeg was
regarded as the key to the relief of Tobruk and it was here, during 22 – 25 November (First
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