54841: Photograph and details of Guardsman James Edgar Brown
James Edgar Brown - A Soldier of the Great War 1914 - 1918
James Edgar Brown, was born on 3.3.1898, the second of three sons of Samuel Brown, a builder, and Martha Brown, nee Peters.
He attended the Board Primary School, Buckley, Flintshire, North Wales until he was 14 years old, then went to work as a delivery boy, driving a horse and delivery cart for a local baker.
During the First World War he joined in the British Army as a Private, he was always interested in working with horses, and tried to join the Army Service Corps, but was directed to the Infantry. He became a private soldier with the Welsh Guards, and after training at Caterham saw active service on the Western Front in France. He was wounded on two separate occasions, he was present at the battle of Loos in 1915 where he was trapped in front of the German trenches - caught by his clothing on the barbed wire and was gassed. After a period of recuperation he was allowed home on leave after which he seemed to recover.
He returned to France and was again soon in action, he was trapped behind enemy lines with a colleague and stayed quiet with for days until rescued by a British counter attack.
He was present at the battle of Cambrai, in 1917, which was the first one where there were large scale use of tanks, and there he was badly wounded in his right leg by shell fire. He was evacuated to a U.K. hospital and eventually to a recuperation home in Truro. His family had received notification he had been killed, but it was a mistake, another man of the same name from his village was the one killed. Edgar's mother never forgave him over this, saying it was his fault because he had not been writing letters home to let them know where he was, but this was unfair because he was not allowed to disclose any information by letter at all.
His older brother, Arnold, who had also joined up, suffered from tuberculosis which he contracted whilst on the Western Front, but recovered after a long period of convalescence in a French Hospital.
During the Second World War he was too old for military service and was directed to work for the Ministry of Defence at a secret factory in Rhydymwyn, nr. Mold. He also joined the Home Guard.
After the war ended he worked for the Flintshire County Council Highways department as a lorry driver.
He died on 4th April,1972, aged 74 years.
Editor's Comment:
Pte. 3891 James Edgar Brown, Welsh Guards.
