John Maitland Brown was born on 26 July 1912 in the Huntingdon-Godmanchester area of Quebec. He attended Huntingdon Academy and later completed an engine-and-airframe course at Van Hoffman Air College in St. Louis, Missouri. Before the war he worked as a mechanic and loom fixer and also serviced automobiles. Brown married Clarissa Margaret Cameron at St. Malachi de Ormstown on 8 April 1936. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force at Montreal on 10 June 1940 as an aero-engine mechanic. During more than five years of service he advanced through the non-commissioned ranks to Sergeant. His wartime service was entirely in Canada, including long service at No. 1 Wireless School in Montreal and later postings in Ontario. He was honourably released on 1 October 1945 and intended to settle at Mount Hope, Ontario. He died on 17 May 1984.
Conflict:
WW2
Regimental No.:
R66542
Cause of Death (in war):
Survived
Branch:
Air Force
Regiment:
Royal Canadian Air Force
Battalion:
Company:
Date of Birth :
Place of Birth:
Huntingdon, Quebec
Date of Enlistment:
Age at Enlistment:
27 years 10 months
Date of Discharge:
Age at Discharge:
33 years 2 months
Date of Death:
Age at Death:
71 years 9 months
Country Born:
Canada
Trade or Calling:
Motor Mechanic
Next of Kin:
Clarissa Margaret Brown (wife), Huntingdon, Quebec
Address at Enlistment:
Huntingdon, Quebec
Religion:
United Church of Canada
Place of Enlistment:
Montreal, Quebec
Was a Prisoner of War:
Height:
5 ft 9.0 in / 175 cm
Weight:
135 lbs / 61 kg
Chest:
36.5 in / 93 cm
Expansion:
2.5 in / 6 cm
Marital Status:
Married
Prior Military Experience:
No
Saw Service in:
Canada
Place of Discharge:
Toronto, Ontario
Discharge Type:
Regular/End of Service
Discharge Notes:
Honourably released from active RCAF service effective 1 October 1945 and transferred to the Reserve, General Section, Class E, on completion of voluntary service during the emergency. Final paid rank was Sergeant; release address Mount Hope, Ontario.
Battle Died/Wounded:
Length of Service:
1939 days in service
Buried at:
Links
Ranks
| Conflict |
Rank |
Regiment |
Branch |
Unit |
Company |
Date From |
Date To |
| WW2 |
Aircraftman Second Class |
Royal Canadian Air Force |
Air Force |
|
|
|
|
| Initial classification. |
| WW2 |
Sergeant |
Royal Canadian Air Force |
Air Force |
No. 1 Wireless School |
|
|
|
| Formal record shows Acting Sergeant (paid) and Temporary Sergeant (paid) effective 1 Sep 1943. Final/release rank Sergeant. |
| WW2 |
Corporal |
Royal Canadian Air Force |
Air Force |
No. 1 Wireless School |
|
|
|
| Formal record shows Acting Corporal (paid) and Temporary Corporal (paid) effective the same date, 1 Apr 1943. |
| WW2 |
Acting Corporal |
Royal Canadian Air Force |
Air Force |
No. 1 Wireless School |
|
|
|
| Formal record specifies Acting Corporal (unpaid). |
| WW2 |
Leading Aircraftman |
Royal Canadian Air Force |
Air Force |
No. 1 Wireless School |
|
|
|
| AEM Group B effective 1 Apr 1941; Group A qualification effective 1 Jul 1941. |
| WW2 |
Aircraftman First Class |
Royal Canadian Air Force |
Air Force |
|
|
|
|
Awards
| Conflict |
Award |
Action |
Date of Award |
Date of Citation |
Source |
| WW2 |
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal |
|
|
|
|
| WW2 |
War Service Badge, General Service Class |
|
|
|
|
Service Chronology
1912-07-26 — Born
1936-04-08 — Married Clarissa Margaret Cameron
1938-02-16 — Son John Cameron Brown born
1940-06-10 — Enlisted in the RCAF as AC2 / Aero Engine Mechanic
1940-06-10 to 1940-06-11 — Travelled by rail to No. 1 Manning Depot
1940-11-09 — Reclassified/promoted Aircraftman First Class
1941-01-29 — Daughter Janet Margaret Brown born
1941-04-01 — Promoted Leading Aircraftman; AEM Group B effective
1941-04-07 to 1941-04-10 — Hospitalized for left-arm swelling after inoculation
1941-07-01 — Qualified Aero Engine Mechanic Group A, 81%
1942-09-10 — Passed drill and ceremonial qualification for LAC to Corporal, 81%
1942-09-11 — Daughter Susan Elizabeth Brown born
1942-09-15 — Appointed Acting Corporal (unpaid)
1943-04-01 — Acting Corporal (paid) and Temporary Corporal (paid) effective
1943-06-16 — Fractured right fifth metacarpal playing authorized softball/baseball
1943-09-01 — Acting Sergeant (paid) and Temporary Sergeant (paid) effective
1943-10-19 — Subscribed to Fifth Victory Loan
1943-11-23 — X-ray after blow to left chest; no rib fracture found
1944-04-26 — Sixth Victory Loan bond purchase documented
1945-04-23 — Eighth Victory Loan bond purchase documented
1945-08-28 to 1945-09-19 — Special annual leave before release
1945-09-19 — Posted from No. 16 S.F.T.S. Hagersville for release
1945-09-20 — Reported to No. 4 Release Centre
1945-09-29 — Release Medical Board completed
1945-10-01 — Honourably released; transferred to Reserve General Section Class E
1945-10-01 — Release counselling recorded plans for postwar auto-mechanics training
1957-07-04 — Veterans Land Act account reviewed
1984-05-17 — Died
Notes
Brown had deep Huntingdon-area ties. He attended Huntingdon Academy, worked locally before enlistment, and supplied a 1940 reference from the Shell Service Station in Huntingdon. His wife and children connect the family to Huntingdon and Ormstown. At release he intended to reside at Mount Hope, Ontario. His RCAF records consistently describe him as an aero-engine mechanic and NCO with strong trade proficiency and generally favourable character assessments.
[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]
Born Huntingdon. Reported for duty Sept. 5. 1939. accepted June 1940.
Next of Kin: Mrs. J. M. Brown., St. Thomas, Ontario
BIRTH 26 JUL 1912 • Godmanchester, Huntingdon, Québec DEATH 17 MAY 1984 • Hamilton, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
ATIP Request confirmation number EA2026_0171018
Additional Service Notes
Enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force on 10 June 1940 as an Aero Engine Mechanic. He served entirely in Canada. His formal Record of Service shows AC2 from enlistment, AC1 from 9 November 1940, Leading Aircraftman from 1 April 1941, Acting Corporal (unpaid) from 15 September 1942, Acting Corporal (paid) and Temporary Corporal (paid) from 1 April 1943, and Acting Sergeant (paid) and Temporary Sergeant (paid) from 1 September 1943. He served principally at No. 1 Wireless School, Montreal, with later Ontario postings including No. 16 S.F.T.S. Hagersville and No. 4 Release Centre, Toronto. He was honourably released on 1 October 1945 on completion of voluntary service during the emergency.
[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]
Additional Next of Kin Notes
Wife: Clarissa Margaret Brown, née Cameron; married 8 April 1936 at the Parish of St. Malachi de Ormstown, Quebec. Children: John Cameron Brown (16 Feb 1938, Huntingdon), Janet Margaret Brown (29 Jan 1941, Ormstown), Susan Elizabeth Brown (11 Sep 1942, Montreal). Father: William Henry Brown, Huntingdon; mother: Janet Maitland Gilbert, deceased by enlistment.
[Previous notes - manual reconciliation required]
Research Notes
Education and civilian employment: Huntingdon Academy; eight-month engine-and-airframe course at Van Hoffman Air College, St. Louis, Missouri; approximately five years as a loom fixer/mechanic with Leach Textile Co.; summer work at a Shell service station and part-time automotive servicing. A 1940 Shell Service Station reference described him as honest, industrious and efficient in car servicing. His postwar goal was garage manager, and he planned an auto-mechanics course at the Hamilton Rehabilitation School. Family: married Clarissa Margaret Cameron at St. Malachi de Ormstown on 8 April 1936. Children documented include John Cameron Brown (16 Feb 1938, Huntingdon), Janet Margaret Brown (29 Jan 1941, Ormstown), and Susan Elizabeth Brown (11 Sep 1942, Montreal). A later copied birth extract gives John Cameron Brown's year as 1937, but the original attestation and another certified birth extract both give 1938; use 1938. Father William Henry Brown was alive in 1940; mother Janet Maitland Gilbert was deceased. Medical history includes appendectomy in 1925, a 1941 left-arm post-inoculation reaction requiring hospitalization at St. Anne's Hospital, a service-related fracture of the right fifth metacarpal while playing authorized softball/baseball on 16 June 1943, and a November 1943 blow to the left chest with suspected rib fracture; x-ray found no fracture. A 1957 Veterans Land Act record at Mount Hope documents earned conditional-grant benefits.
