BROWN, Allan
| Service Numbers: | 121, Commissioned Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 25 August 1914, Toowoomba, Queensland |
| Last Rank: | Captain |
| Last Unit: | North Russian Expeditionary Force / Relief Force |
| Born: | Manchester, England, 1891 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Onega River, Russia, 20 July 1919 |
| Cemetery: |
Archangel Allied Cemetery Special Memorial B13. Buried Kleshevo Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 25 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 121, Toowoomba, Queensland | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Sep 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 121, 2nd Light Horse Regiment, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Star of England embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: '' | |
| 24 Sep 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 121, 2nd Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Star of England, Brisbane | |
| 9 May 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 121, 2nd Light Horse Regiment, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 14 Jul 1915: | Wounded Private, 121, 2nd Light Horse Regiment, ANZAC / Gallipoli, GSW (foot) | |
| 28 Mar 1916: | Promoted AIF WW1, Corporal, 2nd Light Horse Regiment | |
| 21 Jan 1917: | Transferred AIF WW1, Corporal, 49th Infantry Battalion | |
| 8 Feb 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Second Lieutenant, 49th Infantry Battalion | |
| 14 Jun 1917: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 49th Infantry Battalion | |
| 15 Jul 1917: | Wounded Lieutenant, 49th Infantry Battalion, Warneton, 2nd occasion - GSW (elbow and buttock) | |
| 20 Jul 1919: | Involvement AIF WW1, Captain, Commissioned Officer, North Russian Expeditionary Force / Relief Force , North Russia 1918-19 |
Captain Allan Brown in Russia
When the Russian Civil War broke out in late 1917 the Allied decided to send across to Russia a force of about 500 men that formed the North Russian Expeditionary Force (NREF). This orginal force had nine Australian – 6 sergeants and 3 officers. The force was broken into two group’s code named ‘Syren Force’ which would serve in the Murmansk area and ‘Elope Force’ sent to the Archangel area.
The Australian personal had been selected by AIF Headquarters in April 1918. All of them were experienced soldiers, with three having served at Gallipoli. Sailing on the SS City of Marseilles on 17 June 1918 the Australians arrived in Murmansk and were immediately sent out on patrol. Later on, they were switched to the Archangel section.
The men were broken into small advisory groups and attached to White Russian and White Finnish units, being engaged in a range of administrative, instructional and advisory tasks. Captain Allan Brown was attached to the North Russian Rifles based at Onega—a White Russian battalion and was responsible for training the men.
However, on 20 July 1919 he was killed when the Russian’s in his battalion mutinied. When this had occurred Captain Brown had being close to the action and he managed to kill two Russian soldiers before he too was shot and stabbed multiple times by several soldiers.
Captain Allan Brown was one of only 2 Australia’s to be killed in the Northern Russian conflict with the other – Sergeant Samuel George Pearce, VC, MM, (part of the North Russian Relief Force (NRRF)) receiving a posthumous Victoria Cross.
Submitted 2 August 2015
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