John Mecalfe Brown (1898-1918)
Sunderland miner served in the Royal Navy on HMS Narbrough
John Metcalfe Brown was born on 26 October 1898 in Sunderland. His father Thomas Brown (1866-1938) was a native of Sunderland, who worked as a barman and then as a publican. His mother was Edith Brown nee Cooper, a brass finisher’s daughter born in Sunderland in 1870. They are recorded as having had six children, five of whom were surviving at the time of the 1911 census. The surviving children gave John two sisters and two brothers. In 1901 the Brown family lived at 44 Laverick Street, Sunderland. In 1911 they lived at the Marsden Grotto Inn near South Shields.
John was working as a coal miner in 1917 when he joined the Royal Navy on 8 May 1917 to serve for the duration of hostilities. He was rated as an ordinary seaman with the service number J70184 and spent his first six months in service at HMS Victory I, the naval shore based establishment at Portsmouth. John joined the crew of the destroyer HMS Narbrough on 31 October 1917. On the night of 12 January 1918 the destroyers HMS Narbrough and HMS Opal were on night patrol east of Orkney, Scotland looking for German ships and submarines laying mines. In near zero visibility Nabrough hit rocks at speed off the coast of South Ronaldsway. She rapidly sank with the loss of her entire crew. John’s body was not recovered for burial and he is honoured on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. He is remembered in the Book of Remembrance 1914-18, Holy Trinity Church, Sunderland.
John Metcalfe Brown was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal for his service during the First World War.
Civil Parish: Whitburn
Birth date: 26-Oct-1898
Death date: 12-Jan-1918
Armed force/civilian: Navy
Residence: 44 Laverick Street, Sunderland (1901 census)
Marsden Grotto Inn, South Shields (1911 census)
Employment: Coal miner (1917 service record)
Family: Parents: Thomas Brown (1866-1938), Edith Brown nee Cooper (1870)
Siblings: Thomas Metcalfe Brown (1890), William Cooper Brown (1892), Nora Brown (1896), Margaret Hannah Brown (1898)
Military service:
J70184
Royal Navy
Ordinary seaman, 8 May 1917
HMS Narbrough, 31 October 1917
Medal(s): British War Medal
Victory Medal
Memorial(s): Portsmouth Naval Memorial
Book of Remembrance 1914-18, Holy Trinity Church, Sunderland
Gender: Male
Contributed by David D, Stanley, Co Durham
