BROWN, Frank Andrew Reynolds
(Service number 3/3486)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank | Private |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 10 January 1896 | Place of Birth | Dunedin |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 2 March 1917 | Age | 21 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Geraldine | ||
| Occupation | Bank clerk (Bank NSW) | ||
| Previous Military Experience | No. 2 Field Ambulance Corps & Signalling Corps | ||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs H. C. BROWN (mother), Bank of New South Wales, Naseby, Otago | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | (1) 29th Reinforcements, New Zealand Medical Corps; (2) HMHA Marama | ||
| Date | 15 August 1917 | ||
| Transport | (1) Ruahine; (2) Hospital Ship Marama | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | ||
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | NZ Medical Corps | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Western European; HS Marama | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | British War Medal; Victory Medal | ||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 6 November 1981 | Age | 85 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Dunedin | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Cremated at Salisbury Park Crematorium, Timaru; ashes interred at Oamaru Lawn Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Frank Andrew Reynolds Brown was born (Francis Andrew Reynolds Brown) on 10 January 1896 at Dunedin, the only son of William and Helena Catherine Rebecca (née Field) Brown. William who hailed from Belfast, Ireland and Catherine who was born at Arrowtown, New Zealand, married in 1892. They had a daughter Kathleen born in 1893 and son Frank in 1896. Fran and Kathleen were educated at St Bathans School (Central Otago), Kaikorai (Dunedin) and Naseby (Central Otago). Having followed his father into banking, Frank was a bank clerk with the Bank of New South Wales at Geraldine when he was medically examined there on 28 February 1917. He enlisted at Timaru on 2 March 1917. Single and Presbyterian, he named his mother as next-of-kin – Mrs H. C. Brown, Bank of New South Wales, Naseby.
Serving with the New Zealand Medical Corps, Private F. A. R Brown embarked twice – firstly with the 29th Reinforcements on 15 August 1917 per the “Ruahine”, and secondly with the Hospital Ship “Marama” on her 6th Voyage. He had returned to New Zealand on duty per the “Ruahine”, embarking at Liverpool on 16 November 1917; then he returned again per the “Remuera”, embarking at Plymouth on 12 September 1919 and disembarking at Auckland on 26 October. He was discharged on 25 November 1919, on the termination of his period of engagement, and was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Frank married Mary Campbell McKay (known as May) in 1937. Frank Andrew Reynolds Brown died on 6 November 1981 at Dunedin, aged 85 years. He was survived by his wife, three sons and five granddaughters. After a funeral at Oamaru, he was cremated at Salisbury Park Crematorium, Timaru, his ashes being interred at Oamaru Lawn Cemetery on 14 November. Mary Campbell Brown died on 2 June 2005, and her ashes were interred with Frank’s on 8 June 2005. A services plaque marks their plot.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [20 April 2025]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [21 April 2025]; School Admission records [21 April 2025]; Oamaru Cemetery records (Oamaru District Council) [21 April 2025]; Oamaru Cemetery plaque image (Find a Grave) [21 April 2025]; Salisbury Park Crematorium record [21 April 2025]; Press, 9 November 1981 (Papers Past) [21 April 2025]
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC Genealogy Society
Currently Assigned to
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Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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