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David Edgar Brown is pictured as an Ordinary Seaman.
Photo by The Province, 20 May 1944
In honour of our soldiers: Able Seaman David Edgar Brown
Published 12:54 PDT, Wed June 18, 2025
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Following up on our Richmond poppy street signs, we move onto the names of young soldiers who’s names were inscribed on the Cenotaph. The names of those inscribed on the Cenotaph compiles of 21 young men who lost their lives in World War I, World War II, and in the Korean War.
The first name on our list is David Brown, born on Sept. 19, 1924 in Toronto, Ontario. Brown and his family emigrated from Toronto to Richmond in 1928. They lived at 201 No.5 Road, where his father Edgar Brown was a farmer and a former School Board Chairman. He attended Mitchell School and graduated from Richmond High School in 1942.
In 1944, the Brown family sold their property in Richmond and moved to Burnaby.
Upon graduation he joined the Seaforth Highlanders Cadet Battalion and worked as a supply clerk for David Spencer Ltd. He had also enlisted in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve in December of 1942.
David Brown was described as a male standing at five foot, nine inches tall, weighing 128 pounds, with light brown hair and brown eyes. He was also notably known for missing the tip of his second finger on his left hand, though the reason behind that is unknown. Known to his peers and those around him as ‘Buddy’, David trained in Esquimalt, and received several commendations, before joining the HMCS Valleyfield in Halifax in December of 1943.
In May of 1944, the HMCS Valleyfield was torpedoed, resulting in the ship splitting in two. As the ship sank the stern somehow stayed afloat thanks to the valiant effort of Dave Brown of Ontario, Merv Woods from Montreal, and David Edgar Brown from Eburne. The trio moved to the back of the stern, doing their best to keep this part of the ship from the depth charges. This sacrifice from the three of them cost them their lives but saved the lives of many of their fellow crewmen.
His father, Edgar Brown, would receive a certificate of Mention in Dispatches from the Royal Canadian Navy and a bronze oak leaf emblem.
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