It all started when we had family parties back in the 1950s at my home. There was much talk about Annie during these occasions.
Apparently my great aunt was a nurse in WW1 and, as a 10-year-old boy I was curious to know more.
Annie Brewer, fifth from right in the back row, with nurses in France during WW1
I was told that great aunt Annie had died in 1921. Postcards sent home by Annie were a regular talking point at these functions as she had travelled widely on the continent.
Annie Elizabeth Brewer was my grandfather's sister and she was often known as Nancy. On one occasion my grandfather produced a photograph album at one of our parties. There were about 150 photos taken during the war years. As a young boy, I was shocked by some of the photographs.
My great aunt Edith was a sister to Annie, and I regularly visited her. It was here that I saw a picture hanging on the wall. It caught my eye because it was an angel flying over an army of soldiers and there were flames in the background. All the writing was in French but my aunt told me it was awarded to Annie for bravery. It was the Angel of Mons citation to accompany the Croix de Guerre medal.
Annie Brewer was wounded when treating a soldier, and was awarded the Croix de Guerre
After my grandfather died in 1952 all of Annie's personal belongings were passed to her sister Edith. When Edith died in the 1970s all of Annie's possessions were passed to her niece, Nancy. I was shown various certificates and medals which intrigued me and I felt that I had to find out more about great aunt Annie.
For the last 35 years I have been working on her history and this has involved a great deal of detective work. I could not locate her grave as she had not been buried under the name of Brewer but a bereavement card was unearthed which showed that she was buried under the name of Mistrick.
Annie Brewer with a group of medical and military personnel in France during WW1
Finding a marriage certificate has so far proved impossible. My next quest was to obtain her death certificate. Success! My luck was changing. This document stated that she was the widow of Daniel Mistrick, which ties in with the bereavement card. Answers were needed. Who was Daniel Mistrick? When did he die and where did he die?
Many unanswered questions remain. Earlier this year I visited France in the hope of finding some answers. It has long been my ambition to ensure that nurse Annie Elizabeth Brewer gets the recognition she so richly deserves.
Ian Brewer in France during production of the programme
You can watch Annie's War: A Welsh nurse on the Western Front on Monday 8 September, BBC One Wales, 10.35pm. Plus see more archive photos of Annie during WW1 in our Facebook gallery.
Discover World War One At Home stories from Wales.
