Sergeant Elijah Legrand

Male

Birth date: 2.9.1893 y.

Cabin: General Duties Medical Officers-75

Biography:

Mr. Elijah "Eli " Legrand

General Info:
D.O.B: September 2nd, 1893
Military Role: Royal Marines Sergeant
Stateroom: G. D. Medical Officers; B-75


Elijah Legrand was born on September 2th, 1893 to parents Scott Schwenk & Catherine Hughes in the city of Devonshire. He was the middle child of the family, having an older brother, Samuel (1890) and a younger brother, David (1897) to look after. Out of the three young boys, Samuel was naturally the 'class leader'- this showed itself prominently when his parents did anything for him in mind. The slight feeling of being second-best always seemed to linger between the first two, but regardless, Elijah was fond of him, and looked up to his older brother. It was all he could do given he was the middle child. However this wasn't without its flaws. In his spare time, he often pestered Samuel about a great deal of things: Whether from asking him how intelligent he was, all the way to the two boys play fighting. While Elijah and David didn't mind their harmless banter too much, it all came to a head in 1901 when a letter was discovered on the edge of Samuel's bed: Confirming that the 11-year old had run away to Bristol by train, leaving the Legrand residence behind until further notice. The adjustment was rather sudden, as Elijah now became the man of the house whenever his parents weren't home- tending to David on more than one occasion. But whenever they were present in the house, he always asked if they could take him and David to the seaside town of Dartmouth for the day. It was these sole visits alone that made Elijah fall in love with the sea...

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The years went by, and as Elijah got older, his interest in naval affairs only continued to grow as he made his way out of primary school and into secondary. While he tended to his academic grades alongside David, he would sometimes visit the library after school to read up on books that were on the subject of historical battles of the past- on both land and sea alike. Though there was one other thing that also continued to grow overtime; The unintentional resentment towards his older brother. Samuel's leave from their home resonated through the family like a gunshot. The more it was thought about, the more it didn't sit well with him overtime. Eventually his graduation from Secondary school came and went, and just months later in the Summer of 1910, Elijah found himself within the Royal Marines branch- passing the rigorous training to become an N.C.O.

(This was a change on Eli's part- as he originally wanted to join the Royal Navy. Though the Marines was picked instead, not wanting to be like his older brother in the case of directly copying the former's own career path...)

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By the year 1914, Elijah held the rank of 'Corporal', and a full two years had passed since the tragic loss of the R.M.S. Titanic on her maiden voyage. The world's environment was rapidly changing around him and his family, he could feel it- though the worst was yet to come. In late-July of that year, tensions finally reached their peak when war had erupted shortly after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife; Sophie, The Duchess of Hohenberg. England was quick to join in the fight alongside its allies as they rivaled against the Central Powers. From the bloody meat grinder that was the Gallipoli Campaign, all the way to up to the Western Fronts which spanned into early-1916. The war which was thought to be over in one year was quickly going out of control as the casualty numbers continued to mount. Instead of the British Admiralty sending more men in, they now needed to evacuate them out, and with many of the worlds greatest steamships serving as troop transports (the likes of Mauretania, Aquitania and Olympic), it was clear they needed more hospital ships. It was at this time where Elijah became more active in his service, having been assigned to White Star Line's newest and largest ocean liner 'BRITANNIC', but was re-assigned last minute to another naval vessel. Now it was November, 1916. Thanksgiving was just around the corner and the new year was only two months away. Elijah was back in the city of Southampton alongside his soon-to-be shipmates. As fate may have it, he once again came face to face with their ship-of-choice, the very hospital ship he was reassigned from earlier in the year: The H.M.H.S. Britannic.

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