The son of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Brown of 31 Dufferin Avenue, Chatham, ON., Married [to whom and when unknown], the couple were reported visiting the Sub-Lieut parents in July 1942. CDN 30/07/42.

His younger brother Sgt.-Pilot Harold enlisted in the RCAF and was killed on an operational flight.  Prior to his enlistment he travelled for an Ontario drug company. His father was active with the Victory Loan since the first day of the campaign and the first in the country to reach his individual objective.

Victory Loans were Canadian government appeals for money to finance … of $150 million, 5.5% 5, 10 and 20 year gold bonds (some as small as $50), … In WWII, following the slow-moving second war loan of 1940. the Victory. 

The CDN 11/04/43 reported that gunnery officer serving on a Canadian corvette was on his annual furlough with his parents at their Dufferin St. residence. John had enlisted in Hamilton, ON. in 1942.

He took his officers course at Hamilton Naval training School. Following his graduation he was attached to a Canadian corvette on the east coast. Since January 1923 he had been on convoy duty along the Atlantic coast. At the time that German submarines were not very active. The name of his ship was not to be released it was in fact named after a western city.  

Lieut. Brown described two attacks on his corvette by German guided bombs while in a Northern Ireland port. CDN 17/03/44(P)

Lieut. and Mrs. Brown with their son Peter were reported to have arrived in Chatham to spend a twenty day leave with his parents of Riverside. CDN 23/03/45  

They were spending a week with Russell’s parents in Chatham. The CDN 25/05/44, “Naval Officer See Action”, where Lieut. Brown was interviewed about his service. This include “exciting and dangerous encounters with submarines and enemy aircraft, convoy work and rescuing survivors from the HMCS Valleyfield recently sunk two  enemy U-boats with depth charges and gun fire.” 

The gunnery officer, he had been promoted to Lieut. 7 December 1943. He had enlisted in 1942. Training at Hamilton, ON. and Halifax NS., from there he had gone to sea as a Sub- Lieut. While at sea “his ship had been attacked a number of times by enemy bombers and that his ship was one of a group which bagged a couple of subs.”

Lieut. Brown did share some insight on a encounter his ship had in the Bay of Biscay. “They had an encounter with 16 enemy aircraft which used glider bombers.” The corvette was the only ships that could manoeuver quickly enough to avoid the guided bomb’s, ship received no damage during the action. 

He was the only Chatham aboard his ship. It was good to get home, the first time in almost a year. Beside the joy of seeing his parents and wife he was “having his hands full acquainted with his son who was born while he was at sea.

Lieut. and Mrs. Brown with their son Peter were reported to have arrived in Chatham to spend a twenty day leave with his parents. CDN 23/03/45

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Sources

KCFA, CDN (26/07/45)

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