Vice-Admiral Francis Clifton Brown C.B., C.M.G., (10 July 1874 – 6 September 1963) was an officer of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

Early life

Brown was born 10 July 1874 in

Lower Beeding Lower Beeding is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. The village lies on the B2110, B2115 and A281 roads southeast from Horsham, and is centred on Holy Trinity Church and The Plough public house, where the ...

in the

Horsham Horsham is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

District of

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...

, England. He was the son of James Clifton Brown and Amelia Rowe and during his childhood the family lived in Holmbush House. He was educated at

Cheam School Cheam School is a mixed preparatory school located in Headley, in the civil parish of Ashford Hill with Headley in Hampshire. Originally a boys school, Cheam was founded in 1645 by George Aldrich. History The school started in Cheam, Surrey. ...

Navy career

Brown trained at the Britannia Royal Naval College and was appointed to

HMS Dreadnought Several ships and one submarine of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Dreadnought'' in the expectation that they would "dread nought", i.e. "fear nothing". The 1906 ship, which revolutionized battleship design, became one of the Royal Navy' ...

in 1890. On 23 April 1895 he was promoted to

Sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

and then 14 October 1894 to

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 ...

. In April 1900 he was posted as gunnery lieutenant on the cruiser HMS ''Argonaut'', commissioned for service on the China station. Four years later on 31 December 1904, he was promoted to the rank of

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

. In January 1910, he was appointed to command the 2nd class protected cruiser HMS Thetis. On 1 July 1912, he was promoted to the

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 ...

. During

World War I 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 ...

Brown commanded HMS Skirmisher and

HMS Edgar There are eight ships of the British Royal Navy that have been named HMS ''Edgar''. * , a 70-gun third rate launched in 1668, rebuilt in 1700, and destroyed in an accidental fire 1711. * , a 60-gun fourth rate launched in 1758 and sunk as a break ...

and was mentioned in despatches for his work. From 1917 to 1919 he was appointment as Head of the Naval Mission to Greece. On 1 July 1922 he was promoted to

Rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

and then later promoted to the rank of Vice admiral (retired) on 3 August 1927. Brown received the C.M.G., the

Order of the Redeemer The Order of the Redeemer ( el, Τάγμα του Σωτήρος, translit=Tágma tou Sotíros), also known as the Order of the Saviour, is an order of merit of Greece. The Order of the Redeemer is the oldest and highest decoration awarded by the ...

and C.B.

Retirement

In retirement Brown remained active in public life. During 1931, he served as the High Sheriff of Berkshire and was on the governing body of

Abingdon School Abingdon School is a day and boarding independent school for boys in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. The twentieth oldest independent British school, it celebrated its 750th anniversary in 2006. The school was described as "highly ...

from 1929 and was the Chairman of the Governors from 1944 to 1958.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Francis Clifton 1874 births 1963 deaths Royal Navy vice admirals Governors of Abingdon School Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George