Public Contributions:

Private Everard Onslow Brown 54726 was born 24th December 1890 to Robert & Mary Brown of Matakana. They were farmers and prior to enlisting Everard farmed in the Whangaripo valley. In 1916 on the... 5th of September he married a local girl called Ellen Maud Anderson and soon after in January 1917 he enlisted. Having previously been a soldier in the Auckland Mounted Rifles he ended up with the Auckland Infantry Regiment A Company shipping out in November 1917 for Liverpool destined for France. Unfortunately upon arrival in England he became seriously ill with Rubella (Measles) and on 6th of February 1918 was admitted to the Brimstone Bottom Military Isolation Hospital in Tidworth where died on 13th February 1918. Private Everard Onslow Brown is buried at the Tidworth Military Cemetery, Tidworth Military Cemetery Wiltshire, England - Grave NO 261 Plot C. [Record since amended - NZWGT] Read More

Submitted by: Adrienne Miller

Relationship to casualty: Researcher

Everard was born 24th December, 1890 at Tara, the family farm in Mangawhai. He is a descendent of early settlers John & Jessie Brown who farmed in Te Ari from 1860. By September 1916, Everard is ...farming in the Whangaripo Valley when he marries a young woman from Matakana, Ellen Maud Anderson. Their child Molly Ellen Brown is born a year later, and Everard is given leave from Military training camp to visit his daughter just a few weeks before he sails for France. He embarks for war mid November with the knowledge that his cousin and best man Kenneth Robson Brown had been killed in France on 17th of October. Assigned to the Auckland Infantry Regiment, A Company - 31st Reinforcements, he travels aboard the RMS Tahiti as the ship’s Baker helping to feed over 1,000 NZ Troopers destined for the battle fields of France. Unfortunately while on this journey he contracts measles and upon arrival in England he is seriously ill and in early February 1918 is admitted to the Tidworth Military Hospital. Private Everard Onslow Brown dies at the Brimstone Bottom Isolation Hospital, Tidworth of Rubella (Measles) complicated by Bronchial Pneumonia. He is buried at the Tidworth Military Cemetery, Wiltshire, England and remembered on the Matakana War Memorial. “Lest We Forget” Read More

Submitted by: Leonie McLeod

Relationship to casualty: Great Niece.

A correction to the story above: Everard was descended from John and Bessie Brown who farmed at Te Arai.