View source for Arthur Whitten Brown

{{Short description|Scottish pilot (1886–1948)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{distinguish|text= the Canadian World War I RAF fighter ace [[Roy Brown (RAF officer)|Arthur Roy Brown]]}}
{{Infobox military person
|honorific_prefix = Sir
| name          =Arthur Whitten Brown
|honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|KBE|size=100%|sep=,}}
| image         = File:Sir-Arthur-Whitten-Brown.jpg
| caption       = 
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1886|07|23|df=yes}}
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|1948|10|04|1886|06|23|df=yes}}
| placeofburial_label = 
| placeofburial = St Margaret Churchyard, Tylers Green, [[Buckinghamshire, England]]
| birth_place  = [[Glasgow]], Scotland 
| death_place  = [[Swansea]], Wales
| placeofburial_coordinates = 
| nickname      =
| allegiance    = United Kingdom
| branch        = [[British Army]], [[Royal Air Force]]
| serviceyears  = 1914&ndash;1919, 1939&ndash;1943
| rank          = Lieutenant-Colonel
| unit          = [[Public Schools Battalions|University and Public Schools Brigade]]<br>[[Manchester Regiment]]<br>[[No. 2 Squadron RAF|2 Squadron Royal Flying Corps]]
| commands      =
| battles       =
| awards        = 
| relations     =
| laterwork     =
}}

[[Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-Colonel]] '''Sir Arthur Whitten Brown''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR-cats|KBE|size=100%|sep=,}} (23 July 1886 – 4 October 1948) was a British military officer and aviator who flew as navigator of the [[Transatlantic flight of Alcock and Brown|first successful non-stop transatlantic flight]] with pilot [[John Alcock (RAF officer)|John Alcock]] in June 1919.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ralph S. Cooper, D.V.M. |url=http://earlyaviators.com/ebrownar.htm |title=Arthur Whitten Brown |publisher=Earlyaviators.com |accessdate=3 December 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/81476/Sir-Arthur-Whitten-Brown |title=Sir Arthur Whitten Brown (British aviator) – Britannica Online Encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Britannica.com |accessdate=3 December 2010}}</ref>

==Biography==
Arthur Whitten Brown was born in Glasgow to American parents; his father had been sent to Scotland to evaluate the feasibility of siting a Westinghouse factory on [[Clydeside]]. His father, Arthur George, was an electrical engineer, After his birth, the family moved to Chorlton, and lived at 'Ellerslie', 6 Oswald Rd.<ref>''Manchester Evening News'' Wednesday 28 May 1969, page 6</ref>

The factory was eventually sited in [[Trafford Park]] in [[Stretford]], [[Manchester]], and the family subsequently relocated there.

Both of the Atlantic pilots attended the Central High School for Boys, mostly known as Manchester Central High School. Alcock left at 16.<ref>[https://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/500004/events_and_tourism/1148/manchester_firsts Alcock]</ref><ref>''Manchester Evening News'' Monday 14 June 1954, page 4</ref><ref>''Manchester Evening News'' Wednesday 9 October 1968, page 33</ref>

Brown began his career in engineering before the outbreak of [[World War I]] and undertook an apprenticeship with [[British Westinghouse]] in Manchester. In 1914, he enlisted in the ranks of the [[Public Schools Battalions|University and Public Schools Brigade]] (UPS) for which he had to take out British citizenship. The ranks of the UPS were full of potential officers and Brown was one of those who sought a commission to become a [[2nd Lt.#United Kingdom and Commonwealth|Second Lieutenant]] in the [[3rd (Reserve) Battalion, Manchester Regiment]]. After service in France, Brown was seconded to [[No. 2 Squadron RAF|2 Squadron Royal Flying Corps]] as an observer.

Brown's aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft fire over [[Vendin-le-Vieil]] in France while on artillery observation duties. He was sent back to England to recuperate but returned only to be shot down again, this time with a punctured fuel tank, near [[Bapaume]] in [[Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2|B.E.2c]] (number [[United Kingdom military aircraft serials|''2673'']]) on a reconnaissance flight on 10 November 1915. Brown and his pilot, 2nd Lt. H. W. Medlicott, were captured by the Germans. (In June 1918 Medlicott was shot by the Germans while attempting to escape for the fourteenth time). Later interned in Switzerland, Brown was repatriated in September 1917.

After a period of leave he went to work with Major Kennedy RAF in the [[Ministry of Munitions]]. This led Brown to meet Kennedy's daughters, one of whom he later married. He married (Marguerite) Kathleen Kennedy, the daughter of Major David Henry Kennedy of 'Norbiggen' of 26 Oakley Avenue in Ealing on Tuesday 29 July 1919 at the [[Savoy Chapel]], by Rev [[Hugh Chapman]], with the reception at the nearby hotel. Major Kennedy flew with the RFC, and was born at 306 Bensham Rd on 20 August 1869, and died in November 1940.<ref>''Gateshead Post'' Friday 20 June 1952, page 6</ref>

His wife was born in Gateshead on 6 April 1896, and died on 1 May 1952 in Swansea,<ref>''Middlesex County Times'' Saturday 3 May 1952, page 5</ref> and was buried at [[Tylers Green]]. Her parents had moved to Sweetthorpe Cottage at [[Penn, Buckinghamshire]] in 1919.<ref>''Middlesex County Times'' Saturday 2 August 1919, page 1</ref>

After the war Brown sought various appointments that would give him the security to allow him to marry. One of the firms he approached was [[Vickers]], a consequence of which was that he was asked if he would be the navigator for the proposed [[transatlantic flight]], partnering [[John Alcock (aviator)|John Alcock]], who had already been chosen as pilot.

==Transatlantic flight==
{{Main|Transatlantic flight of Alcock and Brown}}
[[File:Arthur Whitten Brown and John Alcock in 1919.jpg|thumb|Brown (left) with [[John Alcock (RAF officer)|John Alcock]] in 1919]]
The flight from [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's, Newfoundland]], to [[Clifden]], [[Connemara]], Ireland, took place on 14 June 1919. They departed St John's at 1.45 pm local time, and landed in Derrygimla bog 16 hours and 12 minutes later after flying 1,980 miles (3,168&nbsp;km). The flight was made in a modified [[Vickers Vimy]] bomber, and won a [[Daily Mail aviation prizes|£10,000 prize]] offered by London's ''[[Daily Mail]]'' newspaper for the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aviation-history.com/airmen/alcock.htm |title=Alcock and Brown – Great Britain |publisher=Aviation-history.com |accessdate=3 December 2010| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20101213103027/http://aviation-history.com/airmen/alcock.htm| archivedate= 13 December 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fi.edu/flight/long/index.html |title=Introduction John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown were two British fliers |publisher=Fi.edu |accessdate=3 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629194701/http://www.fi.edu/flight/long/index.html |archivedate=29 June 2011 }}</ref> A few days after the flight both Brown and Alcock were honoured with a reception at [[Windsor Castle]] during which [[George V of the United Kingdom|King George V]] invested them with their insignia as [[Order of the British Empire|Knights Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=31422|page=8087|date=27 June 1919}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Alcock, Brown and the first non-stop transatlantic flight|url=https://www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/alcock-and-brown|last=|first=|date=6 June 2019|website=|publisher=Science and Industry Museum}}</ref>

==Post flight career==
[[File:Alcock and Brown Sculpture, Crayford (01).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|right|A sculpture of Alcock and Brown near the location of the (demolished) Vickers factory in [[Crayford]], southeast London]]
Later he worked for [[Metropolitan-Vickers]] (MetroVick), the company that had once been British Westinghouse. In 1923 he was appointed chief representative for Metropolitan-Vickers in the [[Swansea]] area.

During [[World War II]] Brown served in the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]] as a [[Lieutenant-Colonel]] before resigning his commission in July 1941, rejoining the RAF and working in [[RAF Training Command]] as a [[pilot officer]] dealing with navigation. His health deteriorated and by mid-1943 he had to resign from the RAFVR<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=36054 |date=11 June 1943 |page=2735 |supp=y}}</ref> and give up his [[Air Training Corps]] commitments on medical advice.

Brown's only son, Arthur (known as Buster), was killed on the night of 5/6 June 1944, aged 22, while serving with the RAF as a Flight Lieutenant. His aircraft, a [[De Havilland Mosquito|de Havilland Mosquito VI]] ''NT122'', of [[No. 605 Squadron RAF|605 Squadron]], crashed in the Netherlands. Buster was buried at the general cemetery in [[Hoorn]], the town closest to the crash. The death of his only son affected Brown badly.

By 1948 Brown's health had again deteriorated, although he was allowed to undertake restricted duties as general manager for [[Metropolitan-Vickers]] at the Wind Street offices.

Brown died in his sleep on 4 October 1948 from an accidental overdose of [[Barbital|Veronal]], a sleeping pill, aged 62.<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000321/19481004/049/0004 | title = Atlantic Flight Pioneer  | date = 1948-10-04 | newspaper = [[Nottingham Evening Post]] | page = 4 | access-date = 2023-06-20}}{{subscription required | via = britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001715/19481020/085/0005 | title = A verdict of death from asphyxia | date = 1948-10-20 | page = 5 | newspaper = [[Irish Independent]] | access-date = 2023-06-20 | quote = A verdict of death from asphyxia, due to an overdose of Veronal, accidentally self-administered, was recorded at an inquest at Swansea on Sir Arthur Whitten-Brown. Sir Arthur made history when he flew the Atlantic with Alcock in 1919.}}{{subscription required | via = britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk}}</ref>

Brown and his wife's ashes are interred at St Margaret Churchyard, [[Tylers Green]], Buckinghamshire, England.

==Works==
*{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NMsBDU_4A7YC&q=Arthur+Whitten+Brown| title=Flying the Atlantic in Sixteen Hours, with a Discussion of Aircraft in Commerce and Transportation| publisher=Frederick A. Stokes| year=1920 | isbn=9781409718871}}; reprint READ BOOKS, 2008, {{ISBN|978-1-4097-1887-1}}
*''Our Transatlantic Flight'', Alcock and Brown, William Kimber, 1969, {{ISBN|978-0-7183-0221-4}}

==See also==
* [[Transatlantic flight of Alcock and Brown]]
* [[Transatlantic flight]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.airliners.net/photo/Britannia-Airways/Boeing-737-204-Adv/1372620/L/&sid=0dd3ca7ce94f7e0b4b84972ba438c219 Photograph of Britannia Airways Boeing 737 named "Sir Arthur Whitten Brown"]
* {{Librivox author |id=16276}}
{{Commons category-inline|bullet=none}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Arthur Whitten}}
[[Category:1886 births]]
[[Category:1948 deaths]]
[[Category:British aviation pioneers]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Glasgow]]
[[Category:Flight navigators]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Lancashire Militia officers]]
[[Category:Manchester Regiment officers]]
[[Category:Royal Flying Corps officers]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:British Home Guard officers]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force officers]]
[[Category:British World War I prisoners of war]]
[[Category:World War I prisoners of war held by Germany]]
[[Category:Deputy lieutenants of Glamorgan]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology]]
[[Category:People from Stretford]]
[[Category:British people of American descent]]
[[Category:Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Drug-related deaths in England]]
[[Category:Metropolitan-Vickers people]]
[[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Shot-down aviators]]
[[Category:Lieutenant colonels]]