Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Robert Ewen Brown was born 1885 in Manchester, Lancashire, the only son of James William Brown 1861 of Hawthorn, Easington, County Durham a joiner and cartwright by trade and Elizabeth Ann Bartley 1860 native of Manchester. His parents were married October 26th 1884 in the parish of St Philip’s, Manchester.
Elizabeth Ann died during the 3rd Quarter of 1896 in Wigan, Robert’s father returned to the north east and both he and Robert, now 6 years old, in 1896 were living with his parents Thompson and Mary Ann Brown at Hawthorn Church, Easington. James William remarried in June 1891 to Elizabeth Stonehouse, ten years his senior, born 1851 at Hawthorn, Robert, now aged 26, worked along with his father as a joiner, for their own account, from their home at Hawthorn, in 1911, address unspecified.
Robert Ewen Brown enlisted at Seaham Harbour in 1914 and was assigned as Sapper 154916 to the 126th Field Coy of the Royal Engineers. After his initial training he departed for the front after January 1916 as part of the Fifth New Army attached to the 21st Division. Along with the 21st Division the 126th participated during the Battles of the Somme 1916, the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, the Arras Offensive, the Third Battles of Ypres and the Cambrai Operations 1917, St Quentin and Bapaume phases of the First Battles of the Somme, during phases of the Battle of the Lys, Second Battles of the Somme and the Battle of Cambrai in 1918.
Sapper 154916 Robert Ewen Brown Royal Engineers was killed in action 5 days before the declaration of Armistice, November 6th 1918, whilst the Division could be found in the area around Berlaimont, he was 33 years old and single.
Robert Brown is interred at Berlaimont Communal Cemetery Extension, Nord, France, grave A. 10. His father paid the sum of 1 shilling and 9 pence for the additional inscription of the words, At Rest, to be added to his military headstone and received all monies due to him along with his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal as his sole beneficiary.
The Communal Cemetery was begun by the Germans for their dead and of Allied prisoners of war. The present extension was begun in 1918 by the 21st and 33rd Divisions. After Armistice the German graves were removed and the graves of the deceased prisoners of war were moved to the Extension which contains a total of 49 identified casualties.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Robert Ewen Brown is remembered at Hawthorn on H119.01
