Able Seaman
Alec
"Buster"
BROWN
Royal Navy
30
Alec Brown was born in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales on 28 April 1910, the youngest of the eight children of George Brown (a dry dock labourer) and Annie Brown of 101, Ferry Road, Grangetown, Cardiff. After leaving school he was employed as a rivet heater.
He joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class at HMS IMPREGNABLE on 19 August 1926. After training he was drafted to the battleship HMS BENBOW on 4 June 1927 and, after ten months in that ship, he was drafted to the battle cruiser HMS HOOD on 28 April 1928. On 25 August 1928 he was drafted to HMS VIVID (the Royal Naval Barracks at Devonport) for the destroyer HMS WESTCOTT. Alec Brown next joined the battleship HMS RODNEY on 30 April 1929. His naval service after that date is not known as his records were transferred to a new recording system.
He joined the Submarine Service and trained at HMS DOLPHIN. In July 1940 he was serving as an Able Seaman in the minelaying submarine HMS NARWHAL On 22 July 1940 the submarine left the submarine base at Blyth in Northumberland with orders to lay a minefield off Kristiansund in Norway. NARWHAL was lost with all hands after an attack by a Dornier aircraft near Fro Havlet off Norway on 23 July 1940. Alec Brown is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial on Panel 37 Column 2.
One Response
Alec Brown was my father’s brother, my uncle. He was born in Cardiff.
I have some pictures and information about him and I’m very interested in any information you’re able to give me.