Home Page

Major
AUSTIN HANBURY BROWN, D.S.O., M.C.
Royal Engineers 

by 

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Edward De Santis, MSCE, P.E., MinstRE
(February 2024)

Figure 1. Major Austin Hanbury Brown, D.S.O., M.C., R.E.
(Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum) 

1. INTRODUCTION  

            As with many officers who served during the Great War of 1914 to 1918, Austin Hanbury Brown came from a family with a military background.  His brother also served in the Army and his father was a prominent officer in the Royal Engineers, not for his military prowess, but for his distinguished work with irrigation in Egypt for which he was knighted (K.C.M.G.) in 1902.  

2.  FAMILY INFORMATION AND EARLY LIFE

Family Information

            Austin Hanbury Brown was the son of Robert Hanbury Brown (1849-1926) of “Newlands,” Crawley Down, Sussex and Marian Brown, née Meyrick (1852-1934).[1]  Robert Hanbury Brown was commissioned in the Royal Engineers on 8 January 1870 from the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.  He served in the Afghanistan Campaign of 1878-1880 as an Assistant Field Engineer with the Madras Sappers and Miners.[2]  Following his service in Afghanistan and India, Major Robert Hanbury Brown was posted to Egypt where he served as the Inspector-General of Irrigation in lower Egypt until his retirement in 1903.  For his service in Egypt he was awarded the Egyptian Order of Osmanieh and the Order of Medjidie[3] as well as being honored as a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George.[4] 

            Robert and Marian had another son, Basil Hanbury Brown (1879-1951), who was born in Bengal, India.[5]  Basil was raised in India and appears to have been commissioned in the Royal Artillery.  He worked for the Indian Ordnance Department, rising to the rank of Major.[6] 

Early Life

            Austin Hanbury Brown was born in Cairo, Egypt on 13 January 1887.  He spent the early years of his childhood with his parents in Egypt until his father retired from service with the Egyptian government.  It was then that they moved to “Newlands” in Crawley Down, Sussex.[7]

Figure 2.  “Newland House,” Crawley Down, West Sussex.
(Image courtesy of Experience West Sussex) 

            Following his primary education, Austin, like his father, attended the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. 

3.  COMMISSIONING AND TRAINING

Commissioning 

            Gentleman Cadet Austin Hanbury Brown was commissioned from the Royal Military Academy as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers on 25 July 1906.[8]  Following his commissioning he was posted to the School of Military Engineering at Chatham, Kent for further training as an engineer officer. 

Training 

Brown’s military training at Chatham included courses in field fortifications, construction, surveying, telegraphy, electric lighting, submarine mining, photography, chemistry, military law and tactics.  The Field Fortifications course lasted for 4 months and 23 days.  This  course consisted of field and siege engineering, field defence, attack of fortresses, mining construction, demolition of railways and water supply.  The Construction course was 6 months and covered building materials, engineering construction, hydraulics, construction of barracks, drainage, manufacture of iron and steel, mining, quarrying and machinery.  Next came the Surveying course consisting of  five months of technical training in geodesy, astronomy, meteorology, trigonometrical chain and road surveys and use of surveying instruments.  One to two months of military topography followed, which included military surveying and sketching and elementary reconnaissance.  In the School of Telegraphy, Electric Lighting and Submarine Mining he studied the theory of electricity, use of telegraph instruments, bracing and connecting instruments, making of batteries, firing mines and testing tubes.  All of this was accomplished in two months with an additional one month devoted to electric lighting, signalling by flag, lamps and heliograph.  The School of Chemistry was a short course of varying length that generally covered practical chemistry, especially relating to limes, concrete and other building materials.  Finally, the School of Military Law and Tactics, also a course of varying length, consisted of special lectures in law and tactics as dictated by current military situations.  This training at the School of Military Engineering lasted for just under 24 months.[9]

4.  POSTINGS AND CAMPAIGN SERVICE

Egypt (1908-1914)

            Following the completion of his training at Chatham, Brown was posted to Egypt where he was assigned to the 2^nd Field Company in Cairo.  On 22 November 1908 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.[10] He remained in Egypt until October 1914 when his company was moved to Hursley Park in Winchester and was posted to the 8th Division following the outbreak of the Great War.  The 8th Division was formed in England during October 1914 by bringing together (mainly) regular army units which had been stationed at various points around the British Empire.  The division’s other engineer units, under the Commander Royal Engineers (C.R.E.), consisted of the following:[11] 

• 15^th Field Company

• 1/1^st (Home Counties) Field Company (which joined in February 1915 and was later renamed the 490^th Field Company

• 8^th Divisional Signal Company  

            In addition to the field companies, the division also had a pioneer battalion for needed field engineering work.  The 1/5^th Battalion of the Black Watch, which joined from the division’s 24^th Infantry Brigade was the original divisional pioneer battalion.  This unit left the 8^th Division in January 1916 for the 51^st (Highland) Division.  The 22^nd Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry joined as the divisional pioneer battalion in July 1916; hence, the division was without a pioneer battalion for about seven months.[12]

            Pioneer Battalions were essentially infantry with light military combat engineer skills and equipment,  located at the very forward edge of the battle area.  They were used to develop and enhance protection and mobility for supported troops and to deny it to the enemy.  They constructed defensive positions, command posts and dugouts, prepared barbed wire defences and on occasion breached those of the enemy using devices like the Bangalore Torpedo.  Their skills and capability were broad from building, construction and maintenance to road and track preparation and maintenance. They could also, and did quite often, fight as infantry.  These battalions were used on a large scale on the Western Front. Because of its largely static nature, there was a much heavier reliance on field defences and the provision of mobility support to get troops, weapons, ammunition, rations and stores up to the front and casualties out.  Roads and railways needed to be built maintained and repaired.  While these were also engineer tasks, engineers alone could not meet the heavy demand, while riflemen were always needed at the front. Therefore, Pioneer Battalions were raised to meet the needs of both and trained to support both engineers and infantry.

France and Flanders (1914-1918)

            On 30 October 1914 Brown was promoted to Captain[13] and on 7 November 1914 the 8^th Division moved to France, a badly-needed reinforcement to the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F.).  In the spring of 1915 the 2^nd Field Company took part in its first action of the war followed by numerous other battles which are listed below.[14] 

            The following is from the War Diary of the 2^nd Field Company during March 1918:

25/3/18: Coy moved forward in support of W.YORKS under Bde orders to the line of VILLER CARBONNELLES – BARLEUX Rd.  Transport moves back to point south of MARCOURT. 

26/3/18:  Coy fell back arriving at SOYECOURT at 1.0 am.  At 10.0 am Coy ordered back to man front line at ROSIERES holding line near Rly Stn.  Transport moved back to CAIX attached to 23^rd Bde transport. Casualty. 1 Spr killed. 

27/3/18: Coy attacked on both flanks at about 3.0 am. Withdrew to line of railway. Fighting continued throughout day. Casualties. Loss of all officers including O.C. and sixty O.R.’s. Coy broken up and scattered but remained fighting with other units till next morning.  Transport moved at [4.5] am to CAYEUX and from there on to IGNAUCOURT where it stayed the night.  

            Although the War Diary entry above states that all officers and sixty Other Ranks were lost during the battle, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists only one officer and four Other Ranks killed.  The remaining losses were either wounded, taken prisoner or temporarily missing.  

            Major Brown’s remains were not found for burial and he is commemorated on Bay 1 of the Arras Memorial[24] and on a family monument (see Annex A). 

            An analysis of the fatal casualties suffered by the 2^nd Field Company, R.E. from 1914 to 1920 indicates that a total of 103 men, all ranks, where killed or died of wounds or disease.  These losses include 1 Major, 2 Lieutenants, 4 Second Lieutenants, 3 Sergeants, 6 Corporals, 2 Second Corporals, 10 Lance Corporals, 70 Sappers and 5 Drivers.  

5. MEDALS, AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

            In addition to the Military Cross, Major Brown was made a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order.  No record of this award could be found in the London Gazette.  It is likely that the award was made in the latter part of 1917 or early in 1918, perhaps for his actions during the Battle of St. Quentin or Rosieres.  According to research done by Hazel Hewitt, the D.S.O. was awarded in December 1917.  In addition to these awards, Brown also was awarded the 1914 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal with Mention in Despatches oak leaf.[25] 

            On 29 January 1919, Mrs. Brown applied to the War Office for her husband’s 1914 Star.  Major Brown had previously applied for this medal through 8^th Division Headquarters.  The Commander Royal Engineers forwarded his application for the 1914 Star on 23 December 1917.  See Brown’s Medal Index Card in Figures 6 and 7 below.

Figures 3, 4 and 5. The Distinguished Service Order, Military Cross, 1914 Star and bar, British War Medal and Victory Medal with Mention in Despatches Oak Leaf.
(Images from the author’s collection) 

NOTE: The medals shown above are not those of Major Brown.  They are included here for illustrative purposes only. 

Figure 6.  The Medal Index Card of Major A.H. Brown, D.S.O., M.C., R.E.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com) 

            The front side of the Medal Index Card shows that his British War Medal and Victory Medal were authorized on 26 August 1921.  The medal roll for these two medals indicates that they were issued on 9 December 1922.  It is of interest to note that neither the 1914 Star nor the 1914-15 Star are shown in the box on the left-hand side of the form.  The reverse of the Medal Index Card, shown in Figure 7 indicates that Mrs. Brown, with the help of the C.R.E. of the 8^th Division, had to specifically apply for his 1914 Star. 

Figure 7.  The Reverse of the Medal Index Card.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com) 

            Probate of the Will of Austin Hanbury Brown took place in London on 7 May 1919.  His effects were bequeathed to his widow, Charity Hampton Brown in the amount of £3,551, 17 shillings and 11 pence (approximately $261,000 US in 2024 currency). 

Basil Hanbury Brown (1879-1951) 

            Austin Hanbury Brown’s brother Basil was born in Bengal, India on 6 August 1879.[26]  Basil was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Garrison Artillery on 25 June 1899, on 16 February 1901 he was promoted to Lieutenant and on 5 May 1904 he received his promotion to Captain.[27] Basil is shown as a Major in the October 1915 Army List and on the Medal Index Card shown below. 

            A search for Medal Index Cards for Basil Hanbury Brown or for B.H. Brown produced the card shown in the Figure below.  It was the only card showing an officer by the name of Brown, with the initials B.H. and Royal Artillery as his corps.  The card shows that he served in the Indian Ordnance Department.  His family tree shows that he was living in Aruvankadu, India in 1916, so it seems logical that an officer of the Royal Artillery living in India during the war could be posted to the Indian Ordnance Department.  The card also shows that he reached the rank of Major.  Apparently he did not serve in any active theater of the war, as he was not authorized any service medals for the Great War. 

Figure 8.  The Assumed Medal Index Card of Major Basil Hanbury Brown, R.A.
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com) 

            Basil Hanbury Brown died on 9 February 1951 at the Shorncliffe Military Hospital.[28]

ANNEX A
Brown Family Commemorative Monument 

Figures 9 and 10. The Brown Family Commemorative Monument.
(Image courtesy of Find A Grave) 

Figure 11. Commemorative Photograph of Major A.H. Brown, D.S.O., M.C., R.E.
(Courtesy of the Imperial War Museum)

 ANNEX B
Wedding Announcement for Major Austing Hanbury Brown and Charity Weekes.
(From the Westminster & Pimlico News, Friday, January 18, 1918) 

            “In St. Gabriel’s Church, Warwick-square, on Friday, Major Austin Hanbury Brown, D.S.O., M.C., Royal Engineers, son of Sir Robert Hanbury Brown, K.C.M.G., of Newlands, Sussex, married Charity, daughter of the late Mr. Arthur Weekes and Mrs. Weekes, of the Mansion House, Hurstpierpoint, Sussex.  The officiating clergy were the Rev. C. Hampton Weekes, Vicar of Brading, Isle of Wight, cousin of the bride, and the Rev. M. Waller of Hurstpierpoint, and the bride was given away by her uncle, Mr. Nelson Ward, in the absence of her brothers on active service.  Lieutenant Paul Wilkins, M.C, R.E. acted as best man, and the bride wore a simple gown of ivory charmeuse with an embroidered silver chiffon tunic.  Her Court train was lined with pale pink chiffon and she had tulle veil.”

Lieutenant Paul Burgman Wilkins, O.B.E., M.C., D.F.C. 

            The best man is believed to have been Lieutenant Paul Burgman Wilkins, O.B.E., M.C., D.F.C., who had previously served as 108080 Corporal in the 124^th Field Company and then as a Lieutenant in the 2^nd Field Company with Brown.  Wilkins later went on to become a Lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force.   

            Paul Burgman Wilkins was born in Carmarthenshire in August 1896.  He was educated at  Swansea Grammar School and South Wales School of Mines. He enlisted in the Royal Engineers in May 1915 and went to France on 3 December 1915 with the 124th Field Company, R.E., 36th (Welsh) Division. He was wounded in July 1916 when attached to the 1st Army Topographical Section, a gunshot wound to the left foot, and was evacuated to the U.K in March 1917. Wilkins saw further active service with the 2^nd Field Company, R.E. with Austin Hanbury Brown and he was wounded again and awarded the Military Cross in August 1917.  He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in October 1917 and served as a Observer with 100^th Squadron, R.F.C. in May 1918. 

            Wilkins flew 23 operational sorties and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. D.FC.  He was placed on the Unemployed List in May 1919 and joined the Indian Police in November 1923. Wilkins was awarded the King’s Police Medal in February 1931 and the OBE in June 1942 as the District Superintendent, Poona. His complete array of decorations and medals include the following:  OBE (Civil)(GVIR), Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross (George V (1910-1935), King’s Police Medal (K.P.M.) (George V (1910-1935), Indian Police Service Medal, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal(RAF), Jubilee Medal 1935 (Indian Police) and Coronation Medal 1937. 

Figure 12. The Medal Index Card of Lieutenant Paul W. Wilkins, R.E (front side)
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)

Figure 13.  The Medal Index Card of Lieutenant Paul W. Wilkins, R.E. (reverse side).
(Image courtesy of Ancestry.com)

Figure 14.  The Medals of Lieutenant Paul W. Wilkins.
(Image courtesy of Noble Numismatics Pty Ltd)

REFERENCES: 

Army Lists 

1. Hart’s Annual Army List, 1908.

2. Hart’s Annual Army List, 1915.  

Books 

1. MARLBOROUGH COLLEGE, The Bursar.  Marlborough College Register, 1843-1933.  Marlborough, Wilts, 1936.

2. SANDES, E.W.C.  The Indian Sappers and Miners.  The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, 1948.

3. SHADBOLT, S.H.  The Afghan Campaigns of 1878-1880.  J.B. Hayward & Son, London, 197?.

4. WATSON, C.M.  The History of the Corps of Royal Engineers, Volume III.  The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, 1959.  

Civil Documents 

1. Probate Calendar, 1919, p. 415.

2. Summary of the Brown family by Hazel Hewitt, 19 July 2015.  

Family Trees 

1. Austin Hanbury Brown (by Geoffrey Emslie).

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/55578792/person/220166173138/facts

2. Sir Robert Hanbury Brown (by Lachlan Hanbury-Brown).

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/168071830/person/142180430347/facts

3. Captain Basil Hanbury Brown (by Lachlan Hanbury-Brown).

https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/168071830/person/142180430262/facts 

Internet Web Sites 

1. Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/742398/austin-hanbury-brown/

2. Pounds Sterling to Dollars: Historical Conversion of Currency by Eric Nye, Department of English, University of Wyoming.

https://www.uwyo.edu/numimage/currency.htm

3. Experience West Sussex.

https://www.experiencewestsussex.com/newlands-house-gallery/

4. The Long, Long Trail: The History of the 8^th Division.

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/order-of-battle-of-divisions/8th-division/

5. Noble Numismatics.

https://noble.com.au/auctions/lot?id=248867&ret=1 

London and Edinburgh Gazettes 

1. The London Gazette, 28 August 1906, p. 5869.

2. The London Gazette, 12 January 1915, pp. 380 and 381.

3. Supplement to The London Gazette, 1 January 1916, pp. 1 and 23.

4. Supplement to The London Gazette, 14 January 1916, pp. 576 and 577.

5. Supplement to The London Gazette, 3 June 1916, p. 5565.

6. The London Gazette, 1 September 1916, p. 8608.

7. Supplement to The London Gazette, 19 March 1917, p. 2741.

8. Supplement to The London Gazette, 4 May 1918, p. 5438.

9. Supplement to The London Gazette, 30 July 1918, p. 8996.

10. Supplement to The London Gazette, 5 September 1919, p. 11321.  

Military Documents 

1. Arras Memorial Index, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Part III, p. 162.

2. Medal Index Card (A.H. Brown).

3. Medal Index Card (B.H. Brown).

4. Royal Engineers Medal Roll: British War Medal and Victory Medal (A.H. Brown).

5. Royal Engineers Medal Roll: British War Medal and Victory Medal (B.H. Brown).

6. War Diary, 2^nd Field Company, R.E., September 1917 – March 1919.  

Periodicals 

1. The Royal Engineers Journal.  Battle Honours of the Royal Engineers.  The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, 1925-1932.

2. The Royal Engineers Journal.  Memoir – Sir Robert Hanbury Brown, K.C.M.G.  The Institution of Royal Engineers, Chatham, September 1926.

3. Westminster & Pimlico News, Friday, January 18, 1918.

 ENDNOTES: