Lieutenant William Henry Brown was a Canadian World War I flying ace credited with nine aerial victories.
Early life William Henry Brown was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada on 12 March 1894. He joined the 1st Canadian Signal Corps of the Canadian Expeditionary Force to serve in World War I. After two years with Signals, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in early 1917.The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/canada/brown7.php Retrieved 30 June 2011.Shores, et al, p. 90.
World War I By August 1917, Brown was posted to 84 Squadron as a fighter pilot. He scored his first aerial victory with them on 26 November 1917, and would continue to score with them until 3 April 1918. Five days later, he was transferred off combat duty and returned to Home Establishment in England. He won a Military Cross for his valour. As the award citation makes clear, his bravery in dogfights was not the only reason for his medal; ground attacks against enemy troops were also prized.
Brown's Military Cross was gazetted on 22 June 1918:
Post World War I Lt. W.H. Brown, M.C., married Marjorie Hirst of Victoria B.C. on March 26, 1921 at St. Mary's Church, Oak Bay. After their honeymoon in the Seattle area, he took up his job as air-navigator at Jericho Beach Air Station in Vancouver, B.C. (The Daily Colonist, 1921/03/07)
Their subsequent life is a mystery until his death on 28 February 1969 in Steilacoom, Washington, USA.
List of aerial victories
No.Date/timeAircraftFoeResultLocationNotes 1 28 November 1917 @ 0800 hours Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a serial number B559 Albatros D.V Driven down out of control Between Fonsommes and Mont-d'Origny 2 23 December 1917 @ 1300 hours Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n B559 German reconnaissance plane Driven down out of control North of Saint-Quentin Victory shared with Edward Pennell 3 10 March 1918 @ 1420 hours Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C5384 German reconnaissance plane Driven down out of control Bellicourt 4 17 March 1918 @ 1730 hours Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9263 Fokker Triplane Driven down out of control Crevecoeur 5 18 March 1918 @ 1130 hours Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9263 Albatros D.V Driven down out of control Saint-Souplet 6 18 March 1918 @ 1130 hours Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9263 Albatros D.V Driven down out of control Saint-Souplet 7 25 March 1918 @ 0920 hours Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9267 German reconnaissance plane Destroyed Flers 8 25 March 1918 @ 0930 hours Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9267 German reconnaissance plane Set on fire; destroyed Flers Victory shared with Robert Grosvenor 9 3 April 1918 @ 1200 hours Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a s/n C9263 Albatros D.V Driven down out of control West of Villers-Bretonneux
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