Lance Corporal Richard Gaffney Brown
- Rank
- Lance Corporal
- Service number
- 521
- Unit
- 44 Battalion
- Cause of death
- Killed in Action
- Place of death
- Sailly-Laurette, France
- Date of death
- 28 March 1918
- Age
- 21
- Plaque number
- M327A
- Co-located plaques
- M327 - CPL Stanley Tuke
- Dedicated by
- Family on 12 November 2016
- More information
Biography presented during plaque dedication:
Lance Corporal Richard Gaffney Brown of 44 Battalion was born in Fremantle in July 1896.
He was the son of Richard and Clara Brown of Solomon Street, Palmyra. There were four other sons and two daughters in the family.
He attended North Fremantle and Perth Boys schools and was further educated at Stott’s Business College at Fremantle before finding employment as a clerk.
Prior to his enlistment, he served with 86 Infantry Militia in the Karrakatta guards.
Richard enlisted in January 1916 at Perth and after training at Blackboy Hill Military Camp was posted to ‘C’ company of 44 Battalion.
This battalion was raised at Claremont in February 1916 and formed part of 11 Brigade of 3 Division.
In June 1916, after a period of training they boarded HMAT Suevic at Fremantle and sailed for the United Kingdom.
Richard had further training at Salisbury Plains before crossing the English Channel for France.
In June 1917, Richard was wounded and returned to hospital in England. He re-joined the battalion in September and was promoted to lance corporal.
In January 1918, he was again admitted to hospital suffering from trench fever and then returned to his unit in early March.
Lance Corporal Richard Gaffney Brown, service number 521 of 44 Battalion, was killed in action at Sailly-Laurette on 28 March 1918. He was 28 years of age.
His name is recorded at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France.