Marine James A Brander

As a farm worker Sandy would have been in a protected occupation but volunteered to join The Royal Marines some time before reporting for duty at Glasgow on 30th October 1939. He then travelled by train to begin squad training at Portsmouth ( probably Eastney Barracks). He was posted to Chatham Barracks on 4th December 1939 where he was passed for duty on 11th May 1940 as a member of 375th King's Squad. The names Kings Squad, National Service and Hostilities Only were terms used to define the squads origin. Kings Squad were regular Marines.

He was assigned to Portsmouth Division from 17th May to 6th September 1940. On 7th September he was posted to the battleship HMS Ramillies in the Mediterranean. It is known that Sandy was home on leave once during his service.

Sometime after 7th September he would have left the UK on a troopship or transport which would have been part of a convoy of other vessels heading for the port of Alexandria in Egypt where he could join Ramillies. Depending on the speed of the ships making up the convoy this journey may have taken four to six weeks. It is known that Sandy died due to illness and pneumonia and it seems certain he became ill on the cramped troopship and never set foot on Ramillies.

On the day of his death in 19th General Hospital, Alexandria HMS Ramillies was involved in an action off the coast of Sardinia over 1200 miles away.