BROWN, Herbert Basil
| Service Number: | 15 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 September 1914, Roeshill, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | 13th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Banstead, Surrey, England, 23 June 1893 |
| Home Town: | Arncliffe, Rockdale, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Tuberculosis, Waratah Hospital, New South Wales, Australia, 23 September 1938, aged 45 years |
| Cemetery: |
Sandgate General Cemetery, Newcastle, NSW Anglican_2; Section 149; Plot 43 Inscription HIS DUTY NOBLY DONE |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 15, 13th Infantry Battalion, Roeshill, NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked Private, 15, 13th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ulysses, Melbourne | |
| 22 Dec 1914: | Involvement Private, 15, 13th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ulysses embarkation_ship_number: A38 public_note: '' | |
| 27 Aug 1915: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 15, 13th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, GSW scalp | |
| 24 Aug 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 13th Infantry Battalion | |
| 24 Oct 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 13th Infantry Battalion | |
| 19 Apr 1917: | Honoured Military Medal, Battle for Pozières , 29/8/1916 NW Pozieres He led the vanguard of his company with dash and determination, bringing up a Lewis gun and dealing with all opposition and snipers, so that the way was cleared for the main guard. Also, made several excursions into No Man's Land and carried in wounded men under heavy artillery and trench mortar fire." | |
| 14 May 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 13th Infantry Battalion | |
| 4 Jul 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, 15, 13th Infantry Battalion, GSW right thigh, Belgium | |
| 21 Jul 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 13th Infantry Battalion | |
| 16 Nov 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 13th Infantry Battalion | |
| 20 Dec 1917: | Honoured Distinguished Conduct Medal, Battle of Messines, On the 12/6/1917 at Messines: 'For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in taking charge of his platoon when the officer was killed, and encouraging and cheering the men under very heavy shell fire and during a very trying time. On being relieved he guided his men to safety through a sudden barrage, afterwards returning and carrying two wounded men out of action. He set a splendid example.' | |
| 4 Feb 1919: | Honoured Military Cross, 26/3/1918 Heberne He led the vanguard of his company with dash and determination, bringing up a Lewis gun and ealing with all opposition and snipers, so that the way was cleared for the main guard. Though suffering from illness, he refused relief, and led a successful bombing attack.' | |
| 15 Mar 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 15, 13th Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Herbert Basil Brown's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Gary Mitchell, Sandgate Cemetery
An Original Anzac who served bravely and suffered during The Great War, now resting at Sandgate Cemetery.
83 years ago today, on the Saturday afternoon of the 24th September 1938 (3 funerals on this day), Lieutenant Herbert Basil Brown, (M.C., D.C.M., M.M.), 13th Battalion (Reg No-15), brickyard labourer and storeman from Arncliffe, New South Wales and Newcastle? N.S.W., father of one (Basil George Brown), was laid to rest at Sandgate Cemetery, age 45. ANGLICAN 2-149. 43.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article133136682 - funeral notice states service (buried as Richard Long).
Born at Banstead, Surrey, England on the 23rd June 1893 to George and Ellen Brown nee Felce of 1 Beechlands Cottage, Lower Kingswood, Reigate, Surrey, England; husband of Teresa May Brown nee Cox (married 28.5.1921, divorced 12.2.1931, died 1972?) of 14 Blenheim Street, Enfield, N.S.W., Herbert enlisted September 1914 at Rosehill, N.S.W.
Wounded in action - 15.5.1915 (not stated), 27.8.1915, (GSW scalp), 14.8.1916 (SW forehead), 3.7.1917 (GSW right thigh).
Herbert was granted 1914 Special Leave, and returned home November 1918, being discharged on the 23rd January 1919.
Mr. Brown’s name has been inscribed on The Capt. Clarence Smith Jeffries (V.C.) and Pte. William Matthew Currey (V.C.) Memorial Wall. Name not inscribed on the Arncliffe RSL Memorial and Honour Roll or any known War Memorial or Roll of Honour.
Unknown why he used the name of Richard Herbert Long.
He migrated to New South Wales shortly before World War I and was working as a labourer in an Arncliffe brickyard when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 26 September 1914.
He was posted to the 13th Battalion and sailed for Egypt in December 1914.
Brown first saw action at Gallipoli when his battalion was sent into Monash Valley on 25 April 1915. He was wounded in action on the 15th May and again on the 27th August but remained at Anzac until the evacuation.
He was promoted Lance Corporal August 1916 and Corporal October 1916, and December 1916 was awarded the Military Medal.
He fought at Bullecourt April 1917 and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for gallantry in the Battle of Messines on the 7th June 1917.
He was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant on the 21st July 1917 and promoted Lieutenant November 1917.
On the 5th April 1918 he led a bombing attack on a nest of machine-guns, destroying the guns and taking prisoners. For these services he was awarded the Military Cross.
'Hard Boiled' Brown, as he was affectionately known in his battalion, was one of the very few men in the A.I.F. to receive the D.C.M., M.C. and M.M.
His A.I.F. appointment ended in January 1919 and he began work as a storeman in the Sydney suburb of Surry Hills. On the 28th May 1921 he married Teresa May Cox at St Peter's Catholic Church, Surry Hills.
There was one son of the marriage which was dissolved in February 1931. For some years before his death Brown used the name of Richard Herbert Long.
He died of tuberculosis on the 23th September 1938 at Waratah Hospital for Infectious Diseases and was buried in Sandgate cemetery with Anglican rites.
Service record states Died after Discharge 23.9.1938.
I have placed poppies on Herbert’s brown granite headstone in remembrance of his outstanding bravery and service for God, King and Country.
Any contact with descendants of this WW1 Hero would be greatly appreciated.
Lest We Forget.
Click images to start slideshow.