Brown, Richard Gaffney

No.521 – Lance Corporal Richard Gaffney Brown – 44^th Battalion AIF

Richard Gaffney Brown was born in 1896 to Richard and Clara Brown of Solomon Street East Fremantle. He was educated firstly at North Fremantle primary school and then at Fremantle Boys School. After leaving school he became a clerk and attended Stotts Business College in Fremantle. In 1911 he was employed for a few months with the WA Government Railways but failed a vision test so was released from employment. During his time at Fremantle Boys School he joined the 86A Cadets and then joined the 86^th Militia.

At the outbreak of war Richard was too young to enlist but being part of the 86^th Militia he was put on the Karrakatta Guard as part of the Home Defence. On the 8^th January 1916 aged 19 he presented himself at the Perth Barracks to enlist in the AIF. As he was under 21 years of age he had the signed consent form from his parents and he was successfully enlisted. The medical examiner found Richard to be 5 feet 9 inches in height; weight of 156 lbs; chest measurement of 33-36 inches; fresh complexion; grey eyes and brown hair. His religious denomination was Church of England.

Initially assigned to No.46 Depot, on the 1^st February 1916 he was transferred to form a part of the original C Company of the 44^th Battalion with the regimental number 521. The 44^th Battalion trained in WA until the 6^th June 1916 when they embarked from Fremantle aboard the H.M.A.T. “Suevic”. After arriving at Plymouth England on the 21^st July 1916, the men were sent to the 3^rd Division training camp on the Salisbury Plains. They stayed in camp until late November 1916. On the 25^th November the 44^th Battalion made their way to Southampton where they embarked for France.

The 3^rd Division was sent to the region around Armentieres where they learnt the ropes of trench warfare, the 44^th Battalion taking up position here in late December 1916. The 44^th stayed here for a few months before they were transferred to the Ploegsteert sector. While in this sector they trained for their part in the Battle of Messines which was due to be launched on the 7^th June 1917. However before this battle was launched the 44^th Battalion were tasked with a trench raid on the 4^th June during which Richard was wounded in the left shoulder. Evacuated back to 8^th Stationary Hospital at Wimereux on the French Coast, he was sent back to England where he was admitted to Brook War Hospital in Woolwich. Richard recovered quite quickly and on the 1^st July 1917 was transferred to No.2 Convalescent Depot at Weymouth. On the 12^th August 1917 Richard was sent to the overseas training brigade at Perham Downs. He stayed here till the 5^th September when he was transferred to France. He arrived at the 3^rd Australian Division Base Depot at Rouelles on the 6^th September 1917, rejoining the 44^th Battalion on the 17^th September. The 44^th Battalion soon participated in the Third Battle of Ypres, their main actions being on the 4^th & 12^th October. Their casualties were high though Richard came through unscathed. On the 27^th October he was appointed Lance Corporal and on the 1^st November temporary Corporal though he soon reverted back to Lance Corporal.

On the 26^th January 1918 Richard was sent to hospital sick with a pyrexia of unknown origin which was later diagnosed as trench fever. Initially at No.1 Australian Casualty Clearing Station, then the 2^nd Australian Casualty Clearing Station, Richard was sent to No.55 General Hospital at Boulogne and on the 14^th February to the 12^th Convalescent Depot. Eight days later he was transferred to the 10^th Convalescent Depot. On the 28^th February 1918 Richard joined the 3^rd Australian Division Base Depot at Roulles and rejoined the 44^th Battalion on the 9^th March 1918.

On the 21^st March 1918 the Germans launched their large offensive which broke through the Third & Fifth British Armies. The 44^th Battalion as part of the 3^rd Division was sent down to the Somme to try and stem the German advance. On the night of 28^th March 1918, the men of the 44^th Battalion were advancing in the rain, their gas capes glistening wet, on the left of road between Sailly-le-Sec & Sailly Laurette when they ran into the German advance guard. The Germans launched machine gun fire into the 44^th resulting in the death of 1 Officer and 20 men. Unfortunately Richard was one of the men lost. Richard’s body was not recovered and therefore he is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial.