John Brown
He was a credit clerk (tobacco) employed by John Player & Sons.
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
- Photographs
He was the son of Victoria Brown and the brother of Lewis, Irene and Kenneth Brown of 6, Landseer Street, Radford, Nottingham.
John Brown and Kathleen Margaret Coad were married at her birth place Croydon, Surrey A/M/J 1943. She returned there to live at some point after his death and the birth of their son Anthony at Nottingham J/A/S/1944. Anthony John Brown, obviously, never knew his father.
REICHSWALD FOREST WAR CEMETERY 17. C. 9.
John Brown lost his life taking part in a 321 aircraft raid (162 Halifaxes, 147 Lancasters & 12 Mosquitoes 0f 1,4,6 & 8 Groups on the Sterkrade synthetic oil plant.
The weather was poor making acurate bombing difficult. Some damage was caused but production of the plant was not interrupted. 21 Germans and 6 foreigners were killed and 18 houses in the vicinity were destroyed.
The bomber stream passed close to a German night fighter beam at Bocholt only 30 miles from the target. 21 bombers were shot down by fighters + a further 10 by flak (3.9% of the bomber force on this op.). 576 Sqdn's ORB (TNA Air 27-2047) noted 'There was an intense barrage of moderate to heavy predicited flak in the target area' but it is not clear how Brown's ac was lost. It was one of two from 576 Sqdn's contingent of 21 not to return from this operation. (Middlebrook & Everitt, The Bomber Command War Diaries, p.530)
John Brown was the air bomber aboard Lancaster III PA997. There were 5 fatalities: Brown + P/O Alec Lenard Puttock (P), F/S Thomas Jefferson (N), F/S Herbert Edgar Lillicrap (AG), F/S Charles Philp (A/G).
Two men survived as POWs:
F/S Leslie Ronald Stephen Templeton (F/E) & F/S Desmond Wilfred George Warr (W/Op).
(rafcommands)
Unknown
John Brown
Nottingham Evening Post 31/8/1944