Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Herbert Henry Brown - Acting Corporal 67828

Herbert Henry Brown was born in “North Balmain, New South Wales, Australia” to William Henry John Brown and Phoebe Sarah Whitbread on “18 December 1898”. (1) Shortly after his birth, his three brothers were born, Raymond Robert Brown in 1901, Vernon Victor Brown in 1904 and Ernest Edward Brown in 1907, deeming him the oldest son. (2) He was born into a Christian religion, influenced by his parents’ current religion in the Church of England. (3) For the majority of his childhood, he resided in his hometown, Drummoyne, Canada Bay, New South Wales, and attended the primary school of Drummoyne SPS before attending high school at Sydney Technical High School. (4) During his education at Sydney Technical High School, he was a part of the class of 1913 in class 1A, with an overall substantial result of 619 marks out of 900 in December. (5) During this period, he also served a year in both the senior cadets and the 2nd Battalion of the 36th Infantry and apprenticed for three years at Colonial Sugar Refining Coy.(6) After completing his education, he worked as an electrical fitter o(6)

Herbert Henry Brown enlisted into the AIF on 13 May 1918 (7) Brown was accepted into the AIF with the regimental number of 67828 and went into training locally. (8) He was assigned the role of a private in the 16th to 27th reinforcements by the corporal and was assigned to board the H.M.A.T. A7 Medic. (9) Brown was mentioned in an STHS journal on the 3rd of November named, ‘OLD BOYS AT THE FRONT’, in which Leslie Mackay reported “being in a camp with Brown and several other former STHS students”, which conveys how other classmates also signed up for war.

Brown embarked on the  H.M.A.T. A7 Medic on 2nd November 1918 aged of 19 (10) and was promoted to Acting Corporal on the same day, suggesting that Brown was a trustworthy and responsible leader. (11)  (13) However, after a very short period, Brown caught an extremely severe case of influenza and had to quarantine from the 23rd of November. (14) Due to the end of the war, the troopship was recalled arriving back in Sydney 12th December 1918. Brown was transferred to a Quarantine Hospital at Crurabubala for intensive care which lasted until the 26th of December when he was finally deemed free of influenza. (16) Brown then was discharged on the 9th of January 1919, allowing him to leave military service and return home. (17)

After the war, Herbert Henry Brown lived to the age of 70. (18) (19) On 16 May 1924, Brown married Pearl T. Thorssell in Manly, New South Wales, Australia. (20) This followed the birth of their children, a daughter, Delle Olive Brown, born in 1925, a son, Don Allyne Brown in 1928 and twins, Barry Edward Brown and Don Allyne Brown. (21) Brown continued his regular occupation of working as an electrical fitter until his death. He passed away on the 11th of June in 1969 in Beacon Hill, aged 70 years and 7 months due to unknown circumstances. (22)

Endnotes

Anonymous, ‘Attestation Paper of Persons Enlisted for Service Abroad’. (Herbert Henry BROWN, Balmain, Sydney, NSW. 11 May, 1918)
Ken Stevenson, ‘Research on Google Drive’ 
Ibid
Ibid
Anonymous, ‘THS 1913 Class 1A December examined’, Google Drive (12th December, 1913)
Ken Stevenson, ‘Research on Google Drive’ 
Ibid
Anonymous, ‘Attestation Paper of Persons Enlisted for Service Abroad’. (Herbert Henry BROWN, Balmain, Sydney, NSW. 11 May, 1918)
Anonymous, ‘Statement of Service of No. 67828’. (BROWN Herbert Henry, 2 November 1918)
Ibid
Ibid
Anonymous, ‘Virtual War Memorial Australia, Herbert Henry BROWN’ 
Ken Stevenson, ‘Research on Google Drive’ 
Anonymous, ‘Table II. - Only for Admissions to the Hospital’, National Archives of Australia (Herbert Henry BROWN, 29th October, 1918)
Ibid
Ibid
Anonymous, ‘Transferred to AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE - DISCHARGED SECTION’, Google Drive (Herbert Henry BROWN, 9th January 1919)
Ken Stevenson, ‘Research on Google Drive’ 
Anonymous, ‘Transferred to AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE - DISCHARGED SECTION’. (Herbert Henry BROWN, 9th January 1919)
Ibid
Ibid
Ibid

Bibliography

Anonymous, ‘Attestation Paper of Persons Enlisted for Service Abroad’. (Herbert Henry BROWN, Balmain, Sydney, NSW. 11 May, 1918), Ken Stevenson, ‘Research on Google Drive’, Anonymous, ‘THS 1913 Class 1A December examined’, Google Drive (12th December, 1913), Anonymous, ‘Statement of Service of No. 67828’. (BROWN Herbert Henry, 2 November 1918), Anonymous, ‘Virtual War Memorial Australia, Herbert Henry BROWN’, Anonymous, ‘Table II. - Only for Admissions to the Hospital’, National Archives of Australia (Herbert Henry BROWN, 29th October, 1918), Anonymous, ‘Transferred to AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE - DISCHARGED SECTION’, Google Drive (Herbert Henry BROWN, 9th January 1919)