Private William Brown

Private William Brown was the son of William and Mary Brown, of Kirbuster, Orkney.

He was enlisted into the 7th Battalion The Cameron Highlanders during World War II shortly before it was turned over to airborne forces, and redesignated as the 5th (Scottish) Parachute Battalion. He qualified as a military parachutist on course 26 which ran at RAF Ringway in September 1942. The course intake included 19 officers and 275 other ranks from the battalion. 

The battalion took part in seaborne landings of Italy in September 1943 and the subsequent campaign to remove the Germans. During the first quarter of 1944 the battalion was involved in offensive infantry actions on the Sangro front, when William Brown was killed while serving in B Company.

Private Brown died on 27 January 1944, aged 20 years old, and is now buried at Sangro River War Cemetery, near Taranto, Italy.

Cemetery photograph courtesy of CWGC.