Jean Baptiste Arthur Brillant (15 March 1890 – 10 August 1918) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to

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and Commonwealth forces.

Background

Brillant was born on 15 March 1890 in Assemetquagan, Routhierville, Quebec, the son of Joseph Brillant,Brillant, John
Commonwealth War Graves Commission a railway maintenance worker, and Rose-de-Lima Raiche. Brillant studied at the College of Saint Joseph in

Memramcook, New Brunswick Memramcook, sometimes also spelled Memramcouke or Memramkouke, is a village in Westmorland County, New Brunswick, Canada. Located in south-eastern New Brunswick, the community is predominantly people of Acadian descent who speak the Chiac deri ...

, and then at the Séminaire de Rimouski in 1904–5. He later worked as a telegraph operator for a railway.Brillant, Jean
''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''

World War I

Brillant volunteered for service with the 89th (Temiscouata and Rimouski) Regiment (from 1920 the Fusiliers du S^t-Laurent) and held the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

. In 1916, eager to join the Canadian Expeditionary Force, he declared 13 years' service with this unit. On 20 March 1916 Brillant left his job as a telegrapher. After about six months’ training in Valcartier, he embarked for England with the 189th on 27 September 1916; on disembarking at Liverpool on 6 October, he was assigned to the 69th Infantry Battalion. He left for France on 27 October and joined the 22e Battalion (Canadien Francais) at Bully-Grenay. During the night of 27/28 May 1918, in the vicinity of Boiry-Becquerelle, Brillant was called to lead a group of volunteers to help silence an outpost defended by about 50 men. Troops charged the enemy position, cut through the barbed wire protecting it, and took it. He was injured in the attack, yet captured enemy soldiers who had "valuable information". Remaining in action that day despite his wounds, Brillant would be awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

on 16 September 1918. He was awarded the VC for his actions on 8/9 August east of Meharicourt,

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the first and second days of the Battle of Amiens. He died the next day on 10 August 1918.

VC citation

Grave

Brillant is buried at

Villers-Bretonneux Villers-Bretonneux () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Villers-Bretonneux is situated some 19 km due east of Amiens, on the D1029 road and the A29 motorway. Villers-Bretonneux bord ...

Military Cemetery, Fouilloy, France located 15 km (9 miles) east of

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

. (Plot VIa, Row B, Grave 20). His gravestone bears the inscription:
FILS DE JOSEPH BRILLANT
ENROLE VOLONTAIREMENT A RIMOUSKI, PROVINCE DE QUEBEC
TOMBE GLORIEUSEMENT SUR LE SOL DE SES AIEUX
BON SANG NE PEUT MENTIR.
which (roughly) translates to:
SON OF JOSEPH BRILLANT
VOLUNTARILY ENLISTED IN RIMOUSKI, PROVINCE OF QUEBEC
FELL GLORIOUSLY ON THE SOIL OF HIS FOREFATHERS
GOOD BLOOD DOES NOT LIE (a French expression meaning that he bore the positive traits of his ancestors) His medals are held at the Royal 22^e Regiment Museum in Quebec City. A monument to Jean Brillant was erected in 1970 in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

, located in the park which also bears his name.

References

External links