Dougal Brown was born in Blairgowrie in Perthshire, Scotland, on 16 January 1902, the son of Alex Brown and Jemima Brown (née Philip). He joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Servant at HMS PEMBROKE on 18 July 1919. After training he served as an Officer’s Steward in HMS ACTAEON, HMS PEMBROKE, HMS COLUMBINE ‘for Destroyers’, the battlecruiser HMS HOOD (1 January 1925 to 9 November 1925) and the aircraft carrier HMS ARGUS (10 May 1928 to 31 December 1928).

He was drafted to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS MEDWAY on 3 July 1929 and to HMS DOLPHIN ‘for Submarine Training’ on 31 March 1930. On 18 June 1930, Dougal Brown joined HMS PANDORA ‘standing by whilst building’ at the Vickers Yard in Barrow in Furness. After Commissioning PANDORA was sent to the Far East to join the 4th Submarine Flotilla at Hong Kong (1 July 1930 to 30 April 1931). Dougal Brown was drafted to the cruiser HMS VINDICTIVE on 1 May 1931 and, having returned home, he rejoined HMS DOLPHIN ‘for Reserve Group V Submarines’ on 25 July 1931. From 3 October 1931 to 13 January  1932 he served in HMS DOLPHIN ‘for the Spare Crew’ before being drafted to HMS M2 on 14 January 1932.

M2 was lost with all hands on 26 January 1932. The submarine had been carrying out exercises in West Bay off the Dorset coast and is believed to have been accidentally flooded through the aircraft hangar and an open access hatch whilst in the act of surfacing to fly off the Parnall PETO aircraft. Dougal Brown was the husband of Isabella R Brown.