No.270059, Lance Corporal, David BROWN
Aged 23
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David Brown was born in Isleham (Newmarket Q2-1894 3B:522), the son of Elijah and Eliza BROWN (née DRAYTON).
1901 census...Aged 6 he was at Fen Bank, Isleham with his father Elijah BROWN [48] a farmer born Hilgay, Norfolk; his mother Eliza [36]; step brother Henry [23] and brothers Victor D [16], Robert [3] and Percy [1],and sisters Harriet D [14] and Ethel [10]. Another sister Violet Clementina DRAYTON was visiting the BUTCHER family at The Travellers Rest, Mildenhall. His father had first been married to Harriet BUTCHER in 1875, they had 3 children, John William (1876), Henry (1878) and Priscilla (1881). Mother Eliza had three children Dolphus Victor DRAYTON (1884), Harriet DRAYTON (1887) and Clementina Violet DRAYTON (1888). Harriet Brown died in Q2-1899 and Elijah BROWN married Eliza DRAYTON in Q4-1889 1911 census... Aged 16, a farm labourer, David was still at Fen Bank with stepfather Elijah, mother Eliza, half brother (recorded as Victor Drayton BROWN, sisters Ethel and Dulcie [3] and brothers Robert,Percy and new brother Archie [7].Like the rest of the family the new siblings were born in Isleham. His half brother, Dolphus Victor H. DRAYTON died in France just 5 months before David.. see here Yet another David Brown, son of David Brown of West Street, Isleham survived wounding and saw the war out, having first been discharged in June 1915 after just 4 days service. That was how long it took to realise he was only 16 yrs 5 months old. He eventually joined up in 1917 and was demobbed in 1919. |
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He enlisted in Newmarket. So far it has proved difficult to establish where the 2nd/6th (Service) Battalion of the Manchesters was at around September/October 1917. Even then with David dying of his wounds there is no telling, wthout his Army records, when and where he was wounded. Le Treport is near the French coast, just south of Dieppe and would have been a General Hospital where the more serious cases were treated, often before repatriation to England. |
photo- Commonwealth War Graves Commission
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