BROWN, Samuel Henry

NAME:                                BROWN                       Samuel Henry   
RANK:                                Private
DIVISIONAL UNIT:        2nd Canadian Infantry Division
                                             4th Infantry Brigade
                                             4th Machine Gun Company
                                             Canadian Machine Gun Corps
SERVICE NO:                   654009
RESIDENCE:                    Clinton – Ontario 
DATE OF BIRTH:            March 1, 1891
                                             Clinton - Goderich Township – County of Huron - Ontario
DATE OF DEATH:           August 20, 1917                   26 years     5 months
CEMETERY:                     Etaples Military Cemetery – Etaples –
                                             Pas de Calais – France
                                             XXII     R     16A
PARENTS:                         Mr. John and Mary Ann Brown – Clinton - Ontario                     
Occupation:                        Labourer                               Religion:     Baptist / Congregational
Enlistment:                         Clinton – December 6, 1915 – 161st Huron Battalion
Enlistment Age:                  24 years     9 months

Private Brown and the 161st departed Halifax on November 1st and arrived in England on November 11, 1916.
Private Brown on January 11, 1917 while at Witley Camp – Surrey, transferred to the Canadian Machine Gun Corps based in Crowborough – Sussex. He then joined the 4th Machine Gun Company in the field on April 2, 1917. 
At 12:35 pm the enemy began to shell and shortly the enemy fire was coming in on Chicory Trench and this was followed by a more intense barrage at 3 pm which fell between Combat and Chicory Trenches along to Conductor and Chicory trenches. This appeared to be a practice artillery shoot by the enemy. 
At 3:15 pm the Brigade artillery bombarded the enemy positions in Aloof, Cotton and Colza trenches. The Brigade machine guns also took part in this shoot. At 3:30 pm the enemy replied with his own artillery bombardment into the Brigade positions.
At 5 pm the 4th Machine Gun Company asked to be relieved as they had been in the front-line position for a week and at the same time 4th Brigade is notified that they will be conducting an operation down Combat, Conductor and Nabob Alley trenches. At 5:45 pm the enemy began shelling the front with very large calibre shells that were thought to be coming from enemy guns on rail cars. At 7:45 pm the enemy is shelling the front from concealed positions behind a railway embankment and this is followed by another enemy bombardment at 8:15 pm that was gas shells.
Sections 2 & 3 of the 4th Machine –gun Company then moved into support positions at Maroc.
Private Brown suffered severe gunshot wounds to his face on August 16th and was taken to No. 6 Casualty Clearing  Station - Bruay. He was then moved to No. 7 Canadian General Hospital located at Etaples. He had earlier been reported very ill. 
On August 20, 1917, Private Brown succumbed to his wounds.