Pilot Officer Ernest (Boyd) Brown
- Rank
- Pilot Officer
- Service number
- 415612
- Unit
- Royal Australian Air Force Attached 166 Squadron Royal Air Force
- Cause of death
- Killed in Action
- Place of death
- Reuden, Germany
- Date of death
- 24 March 1944
- Age
- 22
- Plaque number
- L208
- Dedicated by
- Family on 20 August 2011
- More information
Biography presented during plaque dedication:
Pilot Officer Ernest Brown of 166 Squadron, or 'Boyd' as he was nicknamed, was born at Burwood, New South Wales in July 1921. His mother was Winifred Brown.
They came to Western Australia and lived with his grandparents, Edward and Clara Brown at Ascot Road, Victoria Park. Later they moved to Ashburton Street.
He attended school at Victoria Park and after leaving became a refrigeration engineer.
Ernest enlisted in Perth December 1941 and after training in Australia embarked from Melbourne for England in March 1943.
He trained at Boddington, England with 81 Operational Training Unit from July and then in December transferred to Royal Air Force 166 Squadron at Kermington, flying Lancaster B1 and B3 heavy bombers.
On the night of 24 March he was captain of Lancaster ME635 which took off to raid Berlin. The aircraft was one of twenty-three from the squadron.
Pilot Officer Ernest Brown, service number 415612, attached to RAF 166 Squadron was killed in action on 24 March 1943 near Reuden in Germany. He was 22 years of age.