Charles John Brown (1872-1939)
1939 Obituary [1]
CHARLES JOHN BROWN, C.B.E., son of Dr. W. E. Wilkie Brown, was born at The Manse, Bannockburn, Scotland, on the 28th January, 1872, and died at Guildford on the 17th November, 1939.
He received his early training at Edinburgh University and the Heriot-Watt College, Edinburgh, during the years 1888 to 1893, whilst during the years 1889 to 1893 he was a pupil under Mr. J. B. Young, of the Engineer’s Department, North British Railway.
From 1893 to 1898 he received further training as an assistant to Mr. James Bell, M.Inst.C.E., the Chief Engineer of the same railway company. On completion of this training he became Assistant Engineer, which post he held until 1909. During that time he designed and supervised many of the major alterations made on the North British Railway. In 1909 he was promoted to Chief Engineer and later, in 1911, he was appointed Chief Engineer of the Great Northern Railway.
After the amalgamation of 1923, Mr. Brown took charge, in addition to his other duties, of the Engineers’ Department of the former Great Central Railway and, in 1925, of the former Great Eastern Railway, thus becoming responsible for the whole of the Southern Area of the London and North Eastern Railway.
He was a lieutenant-colonel in the Engineer and Railway Staff Corps of the Territorial Army, but resigned his commission in 1937 when he retired from railway service.
Mr. Brown was elected an Associate Member of The Institution in 1900, and was transferred to the class of Member in 1905.
In 1901 he married Alice, daughter of Mr. J. J. Milridge of Edinburgh, and had two daughters.