Lieutenant Clifford Le Brun Brown, MC
11th Light Horse Regiment AIF
1st Squadron Australian Flying Corps
By Robert Simpson
Clifford Le Brun Brown was born in Paterson, New South Wales on 14th September 1891. He was one of two children to William Le Brun Brown and Eleanor Maud Suttor, the other being a daughter, Gladys Le Brun born on 4th February 1887. William worked at the Attorney-General’s office and rose to be a stipendiary magistrate. Clifford attended Barker College in Hornsby, Sydney from 1905 until 1908. Not many records were kept but he did fill out an Old Boys register in the 1930’s. Strangely he gives his birth year as 1893 and stated he was in the 1st 11 for football in 1907 and 1908 and the 2nd 11 for cricket in 1906 and 7 and the 1st 11 for 1908. But according to the College he did not appear on their lists for those sports and he was not in the team photographs.
Clifford enlisted in Brisbane on 30th June 1915 as part of the 4th Reinforcements, 11th Light Horse as Private 996A. (It looks like some service numbers were duplicated, hence the A). His previous occupation was as a Station overseer and he gave his next-of-kin as his father, a police magistrate in Inverell. He had previous service with the A. L. Horse at Inverell. His description listed his height as 5 feet 7.5 inches, weight 152 pounds, chest measurement 37 to 38.5 inches, dark complexion, blue eyes and dark brown hair. His religion was listed as English? He had 4 vaccination marks on the left arm and a scar behind the left elbow. He was appointed as a Lance Corporal on 5th July 1915. The reinforcements embarked on 17th September 1915 from Brisbane on HMAT Hymettus (A1). He already had a will done at Avern and McIntyre Solicitors in Inverell. This was stated on an army form that was dated 7th January 1918 and his address and occupation were listed as Tweed Heads and engineer.
He was taken on strength with the Composite Light Horse Regiment on 20th November 1915 at Heliopolis. On 13th December 1915 he was to be a temporary Corporal. He was admitted to the 1st Field Ambulance with a gun shot wound to the right foot which was a slight wound on 27th December 1915 and reverted back to Lance Corporal. Then he was sent to the 15th General Hospital at Alexandria on the 31st and was discharged to the 15th General Convalescent Hospital at Ras-El-Tin on 6th January 1916. He returned to the 11th Light Horse on 9th March 1916. His Father received a notice about him being wounded in January 1916.
On 5th January 1917 he was detached from the 11th Light Horse to 68th Australian Squadron Royal Flying Corps and returned to duty on the 11th. He was then marched out to the School of Instruction Infantry course on the 26th. He was transferred to the 68th Australian RFC on 17th March 1917. Still as a Lance Corporal he went to a series of training where he was attached to the No. 3 School of Military Aeronautics on the 10th, to the 21st Reserve Squadron on 12thApril, the school of aerial gunnery on 2nd May, transferred to the 22nd Reserve Squadron for instruction on the 10th and joined the 23rd Reserve Squadron on the 17th. On 8th June he was graded as a Flying Officer, subject to War Office approval, and was posted to 5th Wing 67th Squadron AFC and qualified to wear wings as a 2nd Lieutenant. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 7th September 1917.
He was awarded the Military Cross on 1st January 1918 as a Lieutenant and it was promulgated in the London Gazette on 11th April 1918. At Port Said in Egypt he was admitted to the 14th Australian General Hospital with debility and nervous breakdown on 31st March 1918. A letter from Captain John Harris on 10th March asks to refer him to a medical board to obtain for him a four month leave of absence. It refers to him being wounded then being involved in actions at Romani, Mageibra, Bayud and Maghara while in the 11th Light Horse (a total of 20 months). The letter then states he was transferred to the Flying Corps and qualified as a pilot, where he had done 300 hours in the air and was involved in 3 crashes, all due to engine failure. With his last crash he landed in the hills near Jerusalem and was unconscious for two hours. It was stated he did not feel fit since and was in a depressed nervous condition. His heart was showing the effects of the strain. The Captain remarked in his opinion Clifford needed complete rest and a change of scene to recover. The proceedings of the Medical Board found he was unfit for general service and would be so for 6 months, but he could do light duty at home after 3 months (on review). So he was invalided to Australia. He was sent home on HMAT Tofua which arrived in Sydney, where he disembarked, on 16th June 1918. In September he received a letter from the Base Records Officer stating that in the London Gazette on 9th April 1918 he was noted as being awarded the Military Cross for distinguished services in the field in connection with military operations, culminating in the capture of Jerusalem. He was mentioned in the Brisbane Courier on 26th April 1918 as being injured and of Inverell NSW. His appointment was terminated on 30th November as medically unfit.
A series of correspondence is sent from the Base Records Officer and his Father about him being admitted into a London hospital in March 1918, but it turns out to be the wrong Lieutenant Brown as he was in Egypt and about to be sent home.
A letter on 7th May 1918 from a Miss M King of Marion St Guilford asking the Base Records Officer when Clifford was returning, was replied to stating that he was returning but that no particulars could be disclosed. Another letter in 1920 to the Base Records Officer is from a Lieutenant P McBain in Victoria, who was looking for him, to which the reply states the last known address was Commercial Bank Inverell. Lieutenant Percy Alexander McBain was awarded an MBE and Mentioned in Despatches and served with the AFC. He obviously knew Clifford and wanted to catch up with him.
From 1920 to 1922 he was employed in New Caledonia by the Steel Corporation of America as engineer in charge of all diesel installations and power house control.
In 1925 on Noumea, New Caledonia he was married to Suzanne Marthe Cacot. They had a daughter, Anita Eleanor Therese Brown on 17th September 1927 in Noumea. Anita married Roy Henry Jones in 1948, with notice of their engagement being made in February 1947. On 22 July 1929 at Circular Quay the steamer La Perouse left with Suzanne and Anita as passengers, bound for Noumea. They all must have returned to Australia before then, but Clifford stayed in Australia.
In the 1930 Electoral Roll he is listed as living at 10 Shirley Rd Roseville, Sydney and his occupation was a salesman. In late 1932 or early 1933, Clifford (as the pilot) and Maurice Rolland purchased the last Genairco airplane to be built (VH-UOS c/n 19) from that company. It was completed as a seaplane and fitted with a Siemens-Halske radial engine and was used for inter-island service in New Caledonia. At that time his marriage must have been a bit shaky. He met Evangeline Finneran, who was 22 years younger; had a relationship with her and she gave birth to a child, Noelene in late 1933 in Sydney. Evangeline later married Emil Morf in 1937. Noelene married Bernie Bale and they lived in Tin Can Bay, where she was heavily involved with the community.
In the Old Boys of Barker College form mentioned above he had his present address as C/o Euro Gold Development Ltd. Tennants Creek, Northern Territory and occupation as Engineer, so he must have been working there in the late 1930’s. This ties in with newspaper articles dated 9th February 1935 which was to do with his bankruptcy. In 1932 he had purchased a half-share in a tyre re-treading business at Orange. He had supplied some capital, but had also borrowed 250 pounds from his Father and 750 pounds from a finance company. His partner had absconded and was believed to be in Northern Queensland. Clifford had asked to be excused from further attendance as he had accepted a position in Central Australia with a mining company and he was prepared to pay 10 shillings a week to the estate. He had a motor truck waiting to convey him and five men to Tennants Creek and he was most anxious not to be delayed. He stated he would have to leave his wife and child behind. The Registrar stated that due to his circumstances, if he supplied the required statement he did not have to wait to sign his depositions and the matter was adjourned. A previous note in January stated he had been an engine driver and lately was carrying on business in Orange. Further meetings in September and November led to an unconditional order of discharge to be granted.
An article in he (Broken Hill) Barrier Miner on 12th February 1935 states Clifford left the Grand Hotel there with four miners in a truck bound for Alice Springs. There they were to pick up another 35 men who had traveled by steamer to Adelaide and train to Alice Springs. They were heading to Tennants Creek on behalf of the Euro Gold Development Company of Sydney. Mining equipment was also being taken including air compressors. Clifford stated that it was a big undertaking and the company proposed to institute an aeroplane service between Tennants Creek and Sydney next month. An article in 1952 states he was employed by Cuthberts Miseria Gold Mines Ltd. in Papua from 1933 to 1940 in the duplication of its diesel plant. He was mentioned in Who’s Who in Australia in 1935 and 1938 as a recipient of the Military Cross as Lieut. C. Le B Brown.
In 1941 he was living at 1 Thomas St, Chatswood according to his Record of Service, but that and his year of birth look to be altered. His educational qualifications as listed on his record were Bankers and Junior exams, 1st class engineers certificate NSW and Queensland, 1st class electrical certificate AC and DC and mine managers certificate. He resumed his military career during World War 2 as Flight Officer 263282, signing up on 10th October 1941 and posted to 5 Recruiting Centre. He gave his year of birth as 1893 and it notes a birth certificate was not sighted, but it was later produced and showed the year to be 1891. He was approved for service on 20th September 1941 and advised to report at his earliest opportunity. An application for a commission in the RAAF was dated 3rd July 1941 and states his postal address as Misima Island Papua and his next-of-kin as his Father at 10 Shirley Rd. It states his current occupation was a Mine Manager, a position he had held for 14 years. He was manager of Alpha and Fantoche mines in New Caledonia for The mutual Chemical Co. of New York for about 12 years. He was them employed by Cuthberts Misima Gold Mine as OS superintendent and was now manager of the Kulumalia mine at Misima. He held 1st class certificates for all types of mining engines and electrical equipment. It seems he first applied for a commission in the RAAF General Duties Branch in the Citizens Air Force on 18th December 1939 where he stated he could receive and send Morse, he had operated internal combustion engines and electrical equipment and all types of motor boats. He listed his Flying experience as 340 hours in RE8, Martinsyde and Bristol Fighters on active service. He had also done 2700 hours of post war flying in D.H. 50, Puss Moth, Avro and Genairco machines of which 1900 hours was compiled in New Caledonia under French licence. He played cricket and tennis. His medical classification was A4B and his religion was Church of England on his records sheet, but it stated the address to be 10 Shirley Rd Roseville Sydney where his wife and daughter were living. He did No 16 Administration & S. D. Course from 18th October 1941 until 5th December 1941, which he failed. The remarks stated “Failed on Course, experienced difficulty in absorbing instruction.” He was posted to 2 ITS on the 18th. He terminated his appointment on 6th December 1941 but was reappointed on the 18th. A report done on 6th October 1942 states that the officer writing it had been impressed with Clifford “as a valuable officer who could well be given a position of greater responsibility.” Another officer agreed stating how he had adapted himself and done good work and he was well fitted for his area. On 7th October 1942 he was posted to Administration in Maintenance Section of 1 Rad. Instr. M. U. He was appointed chief instructor to operated diesel electric units for radar up until 1943, then he was mechanical engineer in charge of Australian fitter and turners in American workshops in Papua. He proceeded on temporary duty to 19 Radar Station on 30th October 1943 and returned on the next day. Again he proceeded there on the 5th November and returned on the 6th. He was promoted to a Flight Lieutenant on 1st April 1943. At a promotion conference in June 1944 he was given a C by the C.O. and A.O.C. The confidential report also grades him midrange in most things, but as Officer In Command of Power Generators (repair and testing) he was very good and competent and as Officer In Command of Fig Tree Detachment, he was not very good at all. His Assessing Officers statement includes “This officer has been with this unit since 7/10/42 and has been in charge of power generators – maintenance, repair and testing section. He has had a long civil experience with diesels and his knowledge of this phase of his work is superior and the work of this section has been very capably carried out. His appointment is A&SD not technical and not Engineer branch. He was for some 11 months and instructor at 2 I.T.S.” It goes on to say “well fitted for an appointment as O.I.C. of a diesel school for Fitters D.M.T. or could be better placed (aged 53) with RM7 at Air Board. He was commended by RAAF Headquarters and also No. 5 (Main) Group for splendid work in preparation of Spares Schedules for Diesel and Petrol Electrical Generator Sets (and) also instructions for maintenance of respective radar power units for D.R.S. This officer is desirous of a posting having been with this unit since 22/10/42.” He went on to say that with his appointment to Fig Tree Detachment, it was hard to set up but he worked hard to make it function but administration and discipline was taxing him. The Officer felt he would be better suited to a position on the engineering side and training and he would give a better and untroubled service relieved of this burden. The Headquarter Officer noted this but did not recommend the change. On 14th September 1944 he was posted to 2 P.D. On 6th October 1944 he terminated his appointment at his own request to resume his civil occupation. His service records have a great photo of him sitting in civilian clothes in Papua New Guinea with some natives standing behind him and a dog. On 15th December 1944 the RAAF sent him a Certificate of Service to his address stating he was doing administrative and special duties for the period he was enlisted and noted his ranks.
After the war he still moved around a bit with him being listed in the following Electoral Rolls:-
1949, 1 Thomas St. Gordon, New South Wales and occupation engineer
1954, 108 Wicks St. Broken Hill, New South Wales and a mechanical engineer
1958, 4/9 Thomas St. Chatswood, New South Wales still a mechanical engineer.
He must have retired after then as the next Rolls show no occupation:-
1963, 12 Urara Rd. Pittwater, New South Wales
1968, 20 Laurel Chase, Forestville, French’s Forest, New South Wales.
In 1950 they were living in South Australia as The Advertiser said that visitors were spending a week with them at Renmark. In 1951 he was fined 40 shillings with the charge being he was riding a motor cycle with a passenger in Nelson place on 17th January, but he had not been licensed for twelve months. The 1953 Barrier Miner newspaper has an article on 16th April saying his parents were celebrating their 67th wedding anniversary but as Clifford was the superintendent at the Galena St Power Station at Broken Hill he could not attend the party. They moved there in 1952 as the newspaper states his wife had just joined the C.W.A. It appears that mid 1952 he was offered the position of powerhouse superintendent by the Broken Hill City Council, which he accepted and would take it up within five weeks. The article notes him being a returned serviceman and he was in the employ of the Irrigation Trust, Renmark. He had wide experience with diesel and generating plants and had held that position previously. In September 1953 he was a witness in a negligent driving charge and his address was given as Wicks St. The same address was given when they entertained Mr. and Mrs. Meredith prior to their returning to Perth. His Father passed away in 1954 at the age of 93 and was cremated at the Northern Suburbs Crematorium.
He passed away on 15th November 1972 in Newton, New South Wales according to the government records. His death certificate states he died in Hirondelle Private Hospital Chatswood. The causes of death were (a) Congestive Cardiac Failure for many months, (b) Hypertension for 25 years and (c) Chronic Nephritis for 40 years. Roy Jones was noted as the informant. He was cremated at the Northern Suburbs Crematorium on the 17th. His ashes are in AIF niche 214QI. The Sydney Morning Herald had a notice on the 18th which said “died at Chatswood, late of Roseville”.
His medals are Military Cross, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal, 1939-45 War Medal and Australian Service Medal.
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