Lt Colonel James Harvey (McKenzie) Brown, DSO OBE, RE (IWT)

[leibregiment]

James McKenzie Brown was born in Mount Vernon, Kentucky to a prominent family. “His father was the youngest county attorney ever elected in the State, chosen by the voters at the age of 21, and his uncle, Judge R. G. Williams, was the youngest County Judge ever elected in Kentucky.  He [was] a cousin of Francis Scott Key, author of “The Star-Spangled Banner”, nephew of the fifth generation of Jack McKenzie, who fought in the Battle of New Orleans, and a cousin of the late Robert B. Crow, who fought in the Spanish-American War.

 

James McKenzie matriculated at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in 1904 and attended for a year as a Private in D Company.  He returned to Kentucky to attend Centre College under the sponsorship of his Uncle who was the valedictorian of his law school class there.  James McKenzie’s father James Harvey Brown “Lawyer” drowned in the Dix River 14 august 1891, I suspect the Uncle was a surrogate father to him.

 

It is yet unclear what Brown did before 1914, but it seems he spent time in Texas as a cowboy, California (where he earned a fortune in shipping – and lost it), and London (although we mention of work in Russia & Persia).

 

In 1906 James McKenzie joined the Kentucky Phi Delta Theta (ΦΔΘ), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international social fraternity.

 

James Harvey Brown married Cleopatra "Cleo" Williams. Cleo (Cleopatra “Cleo” Williams Brown Taylor) who later remarried and died on 22 Jun 1941 (aged 75) she is buried at Elmwood Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Rockcastle County, Kentucky, USA

 

His Father is buried at Lancaster Cemetery, Lancaster, Garrard County, Kentucky, USA

[leibregiment]

We next come across James McKenzie who appears to have changed his middle name to “Harvey” (the same as his father) as the second officer on the Lynch Brothers Tigris river steamer "Mejidieh" or "Medijidieh"

 

In 1914 the British military forces commissioned all Lynch Brothers ships sailing under the Euphrates and Tigris Steam Navigation Company flag and in September 1915 all the civilian crews were conscripted a Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves.(My guess is primary to protect them if they were captured as well as to have better command and control).

James Harvey was commissioned as a temporary Sub Lieutenant in the RNVR on the 27 September 1915

 

Honorary Temporary Sub-Lt RNVR James "Hardy" Brown was mentioned in dispatches (MID) for his services during the advance on Kut-el-Amara in 1915 and again in 1916:

 

He is next mentioned in the London Gazette 1917;

His Majesty the KING (is) pleased to approve of the appointments of the undermentioned Officers to be Companions of the Distinguished Service Order in recognition of their gallantry and devotion to duty in the Field:

 

(He was invested with the DSO by the Duke of York 20/07/1920).

 

“Temp. Sub-Lt. James Hardy Brown, R.N.V.R. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty throughout the campaign. He has navigated his ship at high speed, night and day, in all weathers, with marked zeal and determination. He has at all times set a magnificent example of courage and initiative”.

 

In 1917 He was transferred to the army with a note that his middle name was "Harvey" to the Inland Water Transport as a Lieutenant temporary Captain (DSO).

 

We find him next in 1918 as shipping controller, Caspian Sea noted in the Naval review;

" On the reoccupation of the city in November, 1918, the majority of companies owning ships formed a pool under the guidance of Lieutenant-Colonel J. H. Brown, D.S.O., I.W.T., and almost the entire financial and other business of the pool, including storing, fueling, wages of crews, freight charges, etc., was controlled by his office.

 

To eliminate one among the numberless obstacles to the running of the pool, the Shipping Controller (Lieutenant-Colonel Brown, I.W.T.) employed one steamer, known locally as the Green Alexander to supply mazoot to any ship that needed it at Baku".

 

VOL. VIII. NO. 2. THE NAVAL REVIEW 1920

 

“Bicherakov evacuated Petrovsk and reached Enzali on November 12th. A conference was then held between General Thomson, Bicherakov, and representatives from Baku as to the re-occupation of that town by the British. The people of Baku were willing to receive the British but were most unwilling to receive the Russians. ' It was agreed for us to occupy the town, and an expedition was organised, consisting of 17 transports escorted by armed ships. This was probably the biggest flotilla ever seen on the Caspian”.

 

The transport arrangements were under Major Brown, D.S.O., I.W.T. 'It left Enzali on November 15th and arrived at Baku on November 17th, led by Kruger, flying the white ensign with French, Armenian, and Russian colours.

 

He was appointed an OBE in 1919.

 

He married in 1918 Vita daughter of J M Dual of Baku (Victoria (Vita) Duel was born on December 13, 1896, in Baku, Azerbaijan, while serving in Russia.

[leibregiment]

He appears to to have returned to Russia to rescue his wife and daughter (Victoria Cleopatra Brown) who was born on September 10, 1919, in Kislovodsk, Stavropol, Russia.

[Terry_Reeves]

Nice piece of research leibregiment.

 

TR

[leibregiment]

It appears civilian life also had its fair share of adventures, he is noted as a banker "J H Brown Ltd" foreign bankers and in 1924 he was made bankrupt as Lieutenant-Colonel James Harvey Brown, 18 Palace, Court, London, W. 2, and St. Stephen's Chambers, Telegraph Street, London, E.G., banker.

In 1931 he was found guilty of fraud and sentence at the old bailey to 18 months in prison and in 1937 his appeal was upheld and exonerated.

 

He is noted as being "Canadian"

Newspapers at the time noted;

 

"A colourful "Canadian" who lived his last lonely years in a Chelsea flat was found dead at home and a jury later brought in a verdict that James Harvey Brown 65 died of chronic alcoholism In 1937 Brown told friends that he should have sold out his interests at a fair price in 1920.

He was born in "Halifax" the son of a lawyer (which is correct), his friends said In early life he went to Texas to be a cowboy.

At 21 he inherited a fortune (most likely following his father’s death) but lost it at 25 he made another from a shipping venture in San Francisco".

Later he lost this fortune in the sugar market and in 1910 he went to Persia and worked on the opening of the upper Karum river the waterway leading to the Batum and Baku oilfields He formed a company for the transport of mail and made another fortune".

In the first Great War he was a director of river transport on the Tigris and Euphrates and for his services there received the DSO and OBE".

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the Second Great war started Brown attempted to enlist again but he was too old,

 

He came a voluntary ambulance driver"

 

He was found died in 1945 in his flat in London aged 65 of chronic alcoholism

[Tim adams]

Thx for all the research into my great grandfather, he definitely had an interesting life.

[leibregiment]

11 hours ago, Tim adams said:

Thx for all the research into my great grandfather, he definitely had an interesting life.

Tim, thanks are you aware of any items from his military service that the family still have

[Tim adams]

I have his miniature medal set, but his large full medals I presume he sold at the end of his life or were stolen during a robbery, i see you have a pic of one of them.

[leibregiment]

7 minutes ago, Tim adams said:

I have his miniature medal set, but his large full medals I presume he sold at the end of his life or were stolen during a robbery, i see you have a pic of one of them.

Thanks Tim, would it be possible to post a picture of the miniatures ….it would be a great addition to his story and this post

[Tim adams]

18 minutes ago, leibregiment said:

Thanks Tim, would it be possible to post a picture of the miniatures ….it would be a great addition to his story and this post

Sure this is them I believe, I’m trying to find out what the last 2 are?

[leibregiment]

23 hours ago, Tim adams said:

Sure this is them I believe, I’m trying to find out what the last 2 are?

Tim, fantastic…last two are Russian orders of St Stanislaus & St Anne