Brown, James
Rifleman
No. 6389, 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Rifles
Died of wounds on Friday 1 October 1915 (aged 26)
Buried:
Le Touquet-Paris Plage Communal Cemetery, France (Grave II. A. 30)
Commemorated:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Newtownards and District War Memorial
Bangor and District War Memorial
Strean Presbyterian Church Newtownards
Royal British Legion (Bangor Branch) Memorial Plaque
Comrades of the Great War (Bangor Branch) Album in North Down Museum
BIOGRAPHY
James Brown was born on 25 April 1889 in East Street, Newtownards (from church records) and he was baptised in First Newtownards Presbyterian Church. He was a son of William and Jane (Jennie, sometimes Jeannie) Brown (nee Robinson) who were married on 21 June 1876 in Ballyfrenis United Presbyterian Church. William Brown (aged 26), a bread server from Court Square, Newtownards was a son of William Brown, a clothier. Jeannie Robinson (aged 24) from Ballyfrenis, Donaghadee was a daughter of Robert Robinson, a farmer.
William Brown worked as a bread server and farm labourer and he and Jennie had at least eight children:
Robert Robinson (born 2 September 1877 in Court Street, Newtownards)
Agnes (born 21 September 1878 in Court Street, Newtownards)
Anne (born 12 July 1880 in Movilla Street, Newtownards)
William John (born 9 February 1882 in East Street, Newtownards)
Charles (born 7 July 1885 in East Street, Newtownards)
Samuel (born 9 January 1887 in East Street, Newtownards)
James (born 25 April 1889 in East Street, Newtownards)
Jane (born 24 May 1891 in Mill Street, Newtownards)
The Brown family lived at 1 Price’s Lane, Newtownards and in Frances Street, Newtownards before moving to 68 Abbey Street, Bangor.
James Brown was a Reservist who was recalled at the outbreak of the Great War. Before that he worked in Morrow’s posting establishment in Bangor.
Rifleman James Brown served with the 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Rifles and he was wounded in action on 25 September 1915.
Both of his legs were badly injured, the right leg so seriously that it had to be amputated.
Rifleman James Brown (No. 6389) was 26 when he died in Hooge Hospital on 1 October 1916 and in his will he had bequeathed all of his property and effects to his widowed mother Jennie.
Rifleman James Brown (No. 6389) was buried in Le Touquet-Paris Plage Communal Cemetery in France and he is commemorated on Newtownards and District War Memorial; on Bangor and District War Memorial; in Strean Presbyterian Church Newtownards; on the Royal British Legion (Bangor Branch) Memorial Plaque and in the Comrades of the Great War (Bangor Branch) Album in North Down Museum.