Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of John William BROWN, & Elizabeth Johnstone BROWN.

Next of Kin-Wife:  Yvonne BROWN, of Wollongong, New South Wales.

Pilot Officer JH Brown was a member of 20 Squadron which was formed at Port Moresby in New Guinea on 1 August 1941. Equipped with the PBY Catalina and Empire flying boats, the unit's first task was to conduct extensive seaward patrols and clear three Japanese vessels from Australian waters.
The squadron relocated to Bowen in Queensland in May 1942 and in September 1944 the squadron moved from Cairns to Darwin and for the next month flew sorties over Bangka Strait, the Celebes, and Java. Later in the year the unit helped mine Manila Harbour in preparation for the American advance on Mindanao. In 1945 missions were also flown to lay mines off the coast of China and drop and extract special agents behind enemy lines.

P/O Brown was one of 9 crew in Catalina aircraft A.24-204, along with five other aircraft, which took off on an operational flight from Darwin on 27 January 1945. After refuelling, the aircraft proceeded on a mine dropping mission in the Laoet Straits. Just after midnight on 28 January, the Catalina reported the sighting of a ship, which was confirmed by the other aircraft. At the time there were violent electrical storms in the vicinity near Roti Island over which the aircraft would normally return. Unfortunately the Catalina did not return to base nor was any further communication received from the aircraft. A search was undertaken the following morning but failed to find any sign of the Catalina, nor was any wreckage found in later searches.

In January 1947 P/O Brown and his fellow crew members were officially declared missing, presumed dead, date of presumed death being 28 January 1945.