Gale and Polden Ltd

Medal Index Card

Brothers Oliver and Edmund No 12 & 25 Pipers

Newcastle Journal Monday 05/06/1978

Oliver can be traced with his family, including his brother Edmund, through the Census returns of 1901 and 1911 prior to the start of WW1.

Edmund and Oliver as brothers enlisted together as their names appear simultaneously in the local newspapers of the time and their army numbers are very close. Oliver’s date of enlistment is given as 29th October 1914 and he would have been only 16 years old.

Oliver enlisted into the 24th Battalion (1st Tyneside Irish) Northumberland Fusiliers, serving with 'B' Company and his service number was 24/349, on the 29th October 1914. The two brothers would have followed the same course through enlistment, training and billeting and may also piped their own company into battle together at the Battle of the Somme.

Oliver was wounded on the 1st July 1916, the same day his brother was killed.

The date of August 1916 (which is given in John Sheen’s book) refers to the month the casualty was recorded in the Saint George’s Gazette. Casualties recorded between July and November 1916 are nearly all from the 1st July at the Somme.

He is also recorded in the casualties list for the Northumberland Fusiliers printed in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle 21/07/1916.

After recovering from his wounds, he was transferred into the Yorkshire Light Infantry and allocated a new service number of 33840, he eventually was posted to the Royal Engineers, 214358.

Oliver survived the war and married in 1918 Mary Manning (born 26th March 1899) in Castle Ward, Northumberland.

He can be found in the 1939 Register living at 3, Severs Terrace, Callerton, with his wife and family. He was employed as a coal cutter (below ground/heavy work) at this time.

Daughter Annie was born in 1920, and son Edmund Alexander Brown was born on 10th August 1922. Another son Oliver was born in 1924 and all births were registered in Castle Ward.

Oliver Brown died on the 4th June 1978, aged 80.

Research: Jean Atkinson; James Pasby