Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Ivo BROWN, (Service Number 5664) was born on 29 November 1896 at Tumbarumba. He had worked as a temporary shop boy at Eveleigh Locomotive Depot from 11 August 1913, had become permanent on 9 February 1914, and progressed to junior foreman’s clerk on 12 February. It was from this position that he was released from duty to join the Expeditionary Forces on 1 November 1915 though he had in fact enlisted on the 14 September some six weeks earlier. He gave his mother Agnes, still living in Tumbarumba as his next of kin, and somewhat exaggerated his career to claim to be a timekeeper.
Allotted to the 18th Reinforcements to the 1st Battalion Brown embarked HMAT ‘Kyarra’ at Sydney on 3 June 1916. The ship travelled via the Cape of Good Hope and stopped in Durban, where Brown had shore leave, but failed to re-embark on 1 July 1917. No details are given, but he must have followed in another ship as he did not reach England until 1 September. He had little time in England as he proceeded overseas to France on 16 September and reported to the 1st Division Base Depot at Etaples on 17 September and joined the 1st Battalion in the field on 1 October 1916.
In September 1916 he was disciplined for being out of bounds, attempting to travel on a train without a pass, and not being in possession of a pay book or identification disc. For this he was awarded 168 hours detention and the forfeiture of seven days’ pay.
In December he was hospitalised with Trench Fever and passed though the 5th Australian Field Ambulance, a Casualty Clearing Station to the 3rd Stationary Hospital at Rouen with Debility. He was evacuated to England on the Hospital Ship ‘St. Patrick’ and admitted to the County of Middlesex War Hospital with Debility. He recovered and was discharged at the end of January 1917 and proceeded overseas to France again to Etaples on 16 February and the 1st Battalion on 11 March 1917.
He was reported wounded in action on 9 April, but this was changed to killed in action on 20 April. Contemporary reports show that he was buried ‘in the vicinity of Hermies’, or ‘near the place of casualty – Doignes Hermies’.
Pte. A Williams (5790) reported:
‘I saw him killed at Demicourt. He was caught directly by a shell before it hit the ground and which took his head clean off. I knew him very well and I was talking to him a few minutes before the casualty. He was my mate and came from Sydney N.S.Wales. We held the ground but I do not know place of burial and cannot refer to anyone for particulars.’
Brown’s family were assured that:
‘The surface of the whole battlefield area has been searched six times and some places twenty times since the Armistice, but it is possible that bodies will continue to be found for years as the work of reconstruction progresses.
Identification Officers will be posted in each District in which reclamation work is proceeding. In addition to Identification work the officers will search the areas for likely graves and will mark these spots for attention of the reclamation parties. In this way every inch of the ground will be covered.’
Brown’s body was never found, and he has no grave. He in remembered on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.
(NAA B2455-1798309)