BROWN, James Wood
| Service Number: | 1677 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Gunner |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Field Artillery Brigade |
| Born: | Clydebank, Scotland, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 30 January 1970, cause of death not yet discovered, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Aug 1914: | Enlisted Australian Army (Post WW2), Gunner, 1677, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Sep 1914: | Involvement Gunner, 1677, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '3' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Rangatira embarkation_ship_number: A22 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Sep 1914: | Embarked Gunner, 1677, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade , HMAT Rangatira, Brisbane | |
| 8 Mar 1916: | Discharged Australian Army (Post WW2), Gunner, 1677, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by John Phelan
Gunner James Wood Brown 1677
Gunner James Wood Brown joined the Australian Imperial Force just a few short days after the start of World War 1 in the first rush of volunteers to join up. Brown was born in Clydebank, Scotland and stated his age as 28 years and 8 months on enlistment on 21 August 1914. At the time he was living in a house called ‘Balgownie’ in Abbortsford Rd, Mayne Junction, Brisbane. This area is now the suburb of Bowen Hills.
James Brown was 5 ft 6 and 3/4 inches and weighed 141 pounds on enlistment and his occupation as a wheelwright. His wife, Mrs J Brown (Catherine), was given as his next of kin and his mother was Catherine Brown.
Along with the other members of his unit, James Brown embarked upon the Rangatira in Brisbane bound for Egypt. This photo shows men of the 7th Battery of the 3rd Field Artillery Brigade waiting to board the Rangatira. James was a member of 7th Battery and quite probably in this photo.
He came ashore at Gallipoli with the 7th Battery on 26th April 1915. As a gunner in the Field Artillery, his job was to assist with the firing of field guns that supported the infantry attacks against the Turks. The soldiers of his battery worked through the night to dig pits for the guns to provide some protection for the soldiers from enemy machine gun and artillery fire. The Battery Commander was not happy with the position as the guns were too close to the infantry. Normally the gun positions are behind the infantry but as the infantry were unable to advance on Gallipoli, the artillery and the infantry were almost mixed in together. This photo is believed to show members of the 7th Battery, 3d Field Artillery, along with their guns, preparing to come ashore at Gallipoli. During the remainder of April and May the 7th Battery established their gun positions by digging trenches from which they could effectively fire at the enemy but have a degree of protection from enemy fire. During the time his position was shelled on several occassions.
James Brown remained on the Gallipoli Peninsula until 28 July 1915 when he was transferred to hospital due to illness. It’s not clear from the records what he was suffering from but at the time disease was rife as the bodies of dead soldiers lying in no-man’s-land could not be retrieved to be buried. Also, there was very little in the way of personal hygiene facilities at Gallipoli and diseases such as dysentery spread quickly. On 9 October 1915 he was transferred to the Australian General Hospital at Heliopolis. He embarked on the hospital ship Kanowna at Port Said for Australia on 20 October 1915. On the 17th November 1915, his mother wrote to the military authorities from Sydney requesting information about when her son would be passing through Sydney on his way to Brisbane so that she might be able to see him. On the 23rd of November, she received a letter back indicating that they didn’t have any information on the movement of that ship.
Gunner James Wood Brown was discharged from the AIF on the 8th March 1916. He was awarded the 1914-1918 Star, The British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his service in the First World War.