William Reginald Harold Brown (M.C.)

William Reginald Harold Brown (M.C.)

William Reginald Harold Brown (M.C.) was born in Oxford. He lived in Botley Road and then Abbey Road and then the family moved to Hillview Road. He joined the Territorial Army when he was 17.5 years old. Before the War he worked at Oxford Times as a printer, then joined the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry before the Somerset Light Infantry.
He has described his war experience in his memoirs, which he printed himself (being a printer). The document includes the story of how he was awarded the M.C. During a stint in Somerset Light Infantry, he was leading group of 3-4 men forwards when they stumbled upon a German machine gun post. Under fire he dragged one of his men back 100 yards under fire.
A shell blast in the War made him deaf. He wasn’t invalided out but was in until the end but he couldn’t work with machines afterwards, so he changed jobs to be a proof reader. He had a big ear trumpet that his grand-son remembers - would shout into it to get him to hear.
He retired before WWII, quite young, thanks to his war pension. The family had several houses and had an income from rent. His mother didn’t like the idea of him cycling around the Plain. He was from Morrell Avenue off the bottom of Headington Hill by South Park. Newspaper and printers used to be a New Inn Hall, Shoe Lane. He was married to a woman whose maiden name was Rogers. They were the maternal grandparents of the contributor.
When Mr Brown died, of old age, the only known existing copy of his memoirs was his own; not certain if he had given it to other people. There are no changes/margin notes.

(This story and material was shared at the Oxford at War 1914-1918 Roadshow on 12 Nov 2016)

Raymond Andrew Barson

CC BY-SA Raymond Andrew Barson