Lieutenant James K Brown

James Kidd Brown was born on the 28 May 1911. The son of James Kidd Brown and Mary Ronaldson Brown; husband of Catherine Brown, of Kirkcaldy,Fife. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Royal Engineers on the 2 May 1942.

Having volunteered for Airborne Forces, Second Lieut. Brown was posted to the 1st Parachute Squadron, RE in September 1942. At this time it was based at Bulford Camp and was preparing for service overseas.

He completed Parachute Course 34 at RAF Ringway, 12 to 27 October 1942. This was a Long Course of seven descents of reinforcements for the Airborne Division. James became a member of A Troop, 1st Parachute Squadron, RE.

James, along with four other Officers and forty five Other Ranks arrived at Algiers (North Africa), on a troopship, on the 23 November 1942, and then joined the Squadron Base the next day. However, they were held back at the Base for a month, before joining the Main Body of the Squadron in Tunisia, in the front-line on the 25 December 1942, where he was assigned to ‘A’ Troop, as a Section Commander.

One of his first assignments was on the 30 January 1943:

‘C’ Troop under command of 38 Bde for patrol purposes and laying of booby traps and minefields. (Lt TJ Livesey, MC) Lt. Brown and two left to join 3 Bn Parachute Regt to make mine laying patrol in the Bou Arada area. Weather good.

On the 31 January 1943:
Lt. JK Brown and his party managed to lay some mines (21 Hawkins Grenades) on a road near the 3 Bn positions. They saw enemy vehicles using this road before laying the mines.

On the 1 February 1943:
Lt. Brown returned from patrol after encountering heavy enemy machine gun fire.

By the end of February 1943 the squadron was deployed in the Bou Arada area, still in support of the 1st Parachute Brigade. See Appendix ‘E’ of the 1st Parachute Squadron, RE War Diary for February 1943, for an account of an action by ‘A’ Troop on the 26 February 1943, in which Lieut. Brown was mortally wounded. He was 31 years old when he died

He now lies at rest in Massicault War Cemetery III. J. 16, Tunisia.