Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

John Godber BROWN

Military Medal

'On the afternoon of 21st June, 1917, at MESSINES, the 16th Battery was heavily shelled and all ranks were ordered to leave the gun pits and seek cover, five casualties having previously occurred. At 3.30 p.m. the camouflage on No. 1 pit caught fire and burnt fiercely endangering about 300 rounds of Shrapnel and H.E. stores in the pit alongside the gun. B.S.M. CR...... called for volunteers to assist him to put out the fire. No. 7967, Bdr BROWN J.B., No. 7980 Driver BISHOP R.G., No. 8003 A/Cpl McSWEENEY J., and No. 9470 Gnr BAKER T.C.R. immediately volunteered, and these other ranks at great personal risk succeeded in putting the fire out by throwing buckets of water over it, the water being obtained from shell holes and a well nearby. The whole of the camouflage was destroyed and many sandbags set alight also a few rounds of ammunition were charged. All the above took place under very heavy shell fire from the enemy.'

John Brown worked as a ‘Bush contractor’ in Bendigo, lived with his parents in Forest Street, Bendigo and was twenty-nine years of age when he enlisted.

By enlisting in Melbourne in August 1915, he ensured he would become a ‘Gunner’ in the Field Artillery Brigade of the AIF. A ‘Gunner’ was the equivalent to a Private and paid at 5 shillings a day. He would commence training just 4 days after enlisting with the 16th battery of the 6th Field Artillery Brigade at their depot in North Essendon. His Brigade embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A34 Persic on 22 November 1915.

Arriving in France, John is promoted to an Assistant Bombardier in March and a full Bombardier by the September 1916. John would spend the winter of 1916-17 in Belgium in the service of the Artillery attached to the Third Australian Division led by John Monash. In early summer on the opening day of the planned attack at Messines he and three others of more senior ranks would risk their lives to save the 16th Battery and their ammunition stocks. 

John was awarded two weeks leave to the UK and promoted to Corporal the Sergeant by May 1918 following his heroics. Three months later he is seconded to join the Artillery cadet School in England where is this service he would learn of the signing of the Armistice in November.

John is promoted to second Lieutenant in January and with training duties no longer required returns to France in February 1919 to rejoin his old unit. In early April he is promoted to Lieutenant. He would be repatriated back to Australia landing in Melbourne July 22, 1919.   

No individual photo of John Godber Brown has been identified by the author as yet.

Above photo – John Godber Brown was a member of the 16th Battery, 6th Brigade, Australian Field Artillery. This group portrait of thirty-eight soldiers shows the remnants of the original battery of 200 men who left Australia in 1915-11 on SS Persic. Taken in Boussu-lez-Walcourt, Belgium 1919 prior to the battery’s repatriation to Australia.AWM Collection P01885.001 (Photo Donor P. Maxwell)

SERVICE DETAILS: 

Born: Melbourne 

Address on Enlistment: 124 Forest Street, Bendigo

Age at Enlistment: 28

Occupation: Bush Contractor 

Embarked: HMAT A34 Persic on 22 November 1915

Served: Western Front.

Unit: 16th Battery, 6th Field Artillery Brigade 

Final Rank: Lieutenant

Fate: Returned to Australia- July 22, 1919

Died: 6th March 1945, Age 58. Buried Box Hill Cemetery

Medal Source: Source: 'Commonwealth Gazette' No. 219 Date: 20 December 1917

On the afternoon of 21st June, 1917, at MESSINES.

 "Gentlemen, we may not write history tomorrow, but we are certainly going to change the geography".  With those prophetic words, British General Sir Herbert "Daddy" Plumer's orders for his Second Army's attack on Messines Ridge began.

After the Canadians at Vimy Ridge in April 1917, Messines was the second large-scale victory wrought by British and Commonwealth forces on the Western Front.  It was the 3rd Australian Division's first major operation and marked the successful application of underground mine warfare and

Messines heralded the start of what has become known as the Third Ypres Campaign. [1]

[1] Virtual War Memorial Australia  https://vwma.org.au/explore/campaigns/7

John Godber Brown was born in Melbourne, the son of Daniel Brown, who later lived at “Polmont”, 124 Forest St, Bendigo.    John Godber Brown worked as a Bush Contractor.    He enlisted in Melbourne on 9.8.15, aged 29 years and 1 month.   He was described as being 5’ 6½“ in height, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and dark hair.   

His Service commenced on 13.8.15 when he entered the Depot Battalion.   On 27.9.15 he was appointed to the 16th Battery, 6th Field Artillery Brigade, as a Gunner and allotted Service No. 7976.     He embarked for overseas on 22.11.15.         

He was appointed acting Bombardier on 13.3.16 at Ismailia in Egypt, and promoted Provisional Bombardier on 14.9.16 in France.    

On 23 June, 1917, his unit was at Messines, in Belgium.     John Godber Brown was one of three men of the 16th Battery, 6th Field Artillery Brigade, to be recommended for the Military Medal. 

“On the afternoon of the 21st June, 1917, at Messines, the 16th Battery was heavily shelled and all ranks were ordered to leave the gun pits, and seek cover, five casualties having previously occurred.   At 3.30 pm the camouflage on No. 1 pit caught fire and burnt fiercely endangering about 300 rounds of Shrapnel and H.E. stores in the pit alongside the gun.   BSM Crooke called for volunteers to assist him to put out the fire.    No 7976 Bdr Brown, J. G, (and 3 others) immediately volunteered, and these other ranks at great personal risk, succeeded in putting the fire out by throwing buckets of water over it, the water being obtained from shell holes and a well near by.   The whole of the camouflage was destroyed and many sandbags set alight also a few rounds of ammunition were charred.   All the above took place under very heavy shell fire from the enemy S.G.s".  [awm   Recommendation for Honours and Awards.]

He was subsequently awarded the Military Medal.

He received further promotion, Temp Corporal (30.9.17), Corporal  (12.11.17) Temp Sergeant (25.1.18) and Sergeant (3.5.18), and on 24.8.18 was detached to join the Artillery Cadet School in England.    He was attached to No 2 Brigade Royal Field Artillery to qualify for a commission (6.9.18), then joined No 1 Brigade Field Artillery Cadet School where he was appointed a Cadet (11.10.18).

Following the Armistice he returned to France and was appointed to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant (5.1.19) and Lieutenant (5.4.19).   He embarked for Australia on 29.5.19.   

“The Men Listed on the Roll of Honour, St John’s Presbyterian Church, Bendigo”: Larna Malone