Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Charles Henry Jeffries Brown DSO (8 May 1872 – 8 June 1917) was a New Zealand Military Forces officer who served in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, firstly in the Gallipoli campaign and then on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

. He was commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade from February 1917 until he was killed by artillery fire on 8 June 1917, one of three New Zealand brigadier generals who died during the war.

Early life

Brown was born in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, New Zealand on 8 May 1872. He joined the Denniston Rifle Volunteers in 1900. Promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1904, he remained a volunteer until transferring to the New Zealand Staff Corps in 1911 as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

. He was group commander of military forces in

Rangiora Rangiora is the largest town and seat of the Waimakariri District, in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is north of Christchurch, and is part of the Christchurch metropolitan area. With an estimated population of Rangiora is the 30th largest urba ...

and Greymouth.

First World War

On the outbreak of the First World War, Brown was seconded to the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

(NZEF) and embarked with the Headquarters Staff of the NZEF from Wellington in October 1914 for Suez, Egypt. Last Post at Funeral of Charles Brown, 1917

Last Post at Funeral of Charles Brown, 1917

In Egypt, the infantry brigade of the NZEF was combined with an Australian infantry brigade to form the New Zealand and Australian Division, intended for service in the Gallipoli campaign. During the landings at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, Brown, now a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

, served as the divisional

Provost Marshal Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French ''prévost'' (Modern French ''prévôt''). While a provost marshal i ...

. On 5 May 1915, he was appointed commander of the Canterbury Battalion but was severely wounded a month later during a sortie from Quinn's Post as part as a diversionary attack to draw potential Turkish reinforcements away from the

Third Battle of Krithia The Third Battle of Krithia (Turkish: ''Üçüncü Kirte Muharebesi''), fought on the Gallipoli peninsula during World War I, was the last in a series of Allied attacks against the Ottoman defences aimed at achieving the original objectives of 25 ...

. Initially evacuated to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, he was transferred to England in July to convalesce. He was appointed a Companion of the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

and

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

for his service during the Gallipoli campaign. After recovering from his wounds, Brown was appointed commandant of the New Zealand base depot at

Hornchurch Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London, England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed ...

for convalescing New Zealand soldiers. In June 1916, he was promoted to

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

and placed in command of the 2nd Auckland Battalion, 2nd Infantry Brigade of the

New Zealand Division The New Zealand Division was an infantry division of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force raised for service in the First World War. It was formed in Egypt in early 1916 when the New Zealand and Australian Division was renamed after the detachmen ...

, then serving in France. He was again mentioned in despatches for his leadership during the

Battle of Flers-Courcelette A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, which itself was part of the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

. In February 1917, Brown was promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

and given command of the 1st Infantry Brigade. He led the brigade during the

Battle of Messines Battle of Messines may refer to: *Battle of Messines (1914) *Battle of Messines (1917) The Battle of Messines (7–14 June 1917) was an attack by the British Second Army (General Sir Herbert Plumer), on the Western Front, near the village of ...

, for which he was mentioned in despatches for a third time. While visiting the Le Moulin de l'Hospice on 8 June 1917, he was killed during an artillery barrage as he stood talking with Major General Andrew Russell, the commander of the New Zealand Division. Brown is buried on the edge of Bailleul, in the Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension. His grave is close to that of Brigadier General

Francis Earl Johnston Brigadier General Francis Earl Johnston, (1 October 1871 – 7 August 1917) was a New Zealand-born British Army officer of the First World War, who served in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) at Gallipoli and on the Western Front. Bo ...

, Brown's predecessor as commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade.

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Charles Henry 1872 births 1917 deaths Burials in France Military personnel from Christchurch People from Christchurch New Zealand generals New Zealand Army personnel New Zealand military personnel killed in World War I New Zealand Companions of the Distinguished Service Order