3857973 WOII Reuben "Topper" Brown
3857973 Warrant Officer 2nd Class Reuben Edward Brown was born on the 11th September 1918 and came from
Blackpool, Lancashire.
On the 15th September 1939 he enlisted into the Loyal Regiment. Known in the Army by the nickname of
“Topper”,
Reuben's leadership potential was identified
early in his service and on 5th September 1940 was promoted to the rank of Corporal.
On 21st December 1939 he married Harriet Alice Miller at Holy Trinity Church, Blackpool.
In December 1940 he transferred to the 8th
Battalion, The King’s Own Royal Regiment and was posted to the Isles of Scilly.
In March 1941 Topper
was promoted to (unpaid) Sergeant and by May he was made Acting Sergeant with the pay that went with the rank.
On the 12th July 1941 he embarked for service overseas and disembarked in Malta on the 2nd August 1941.
On the 13th October 1941, whilst stationed in Malta, Topper was promoted to the War Substantive rank of Sergeant.
In May 1943 he was posted to the Middle East from Malta, embarking on the 17th and then disembarking on the 20th. Topper
transferred to the ‘4th Airborne Division’ (a fictional cover unit created around the 4th Parachute Brigade) from
the 8th Bn, The King’s Own Royal Regiment on the 31st May 1943 and was granted parachute pay on the same date.
At this time he would have been serving with A Company, 11th Parachute Battalion under the command of
Major D.A.
Gilchrist and on 15 September 1943 he took part in the parachute operation on the island of Kos.
Between 25 and 26 September 1943, the Company Group was withdrawn from Kos back to Ramat David in Palestine by air.
On the 18th December 1943 Topper embarked in the Middle East, disembarking in the United Kingdom on the 6th January 1944.
On the 10th August 1944 he received another unpaid promotion, this time to Warrant Officer Class II and became the
Company Sergeant Major of B Company, 11th Parachute Battalion.
On Monday, 18th September 1944 Topper took off from Saltby aerodrome as the CSM of ‘B’ Company, travelling to jump on drop zone Y
at Ginkel Heath in Holland as part of Operation Market-Garden.
He survived the battle that took place over the next eight days and successfully withdrew back across the Lower Rhine on the night
of 25/26 September. He emplaned for the UK on 30 September 1944.
Topper died in the district of Blackpool and Fylde in late 1987.