Killed In Action - South Vietnam
54157 CPL Ian Robert Brown
Royal Australian Army Provost Corps
11 March 1940 to 21 June 1966
CPL Ian Brown was born on 11 March 1940 at South Perth, Western Australia, educated at Christian Brothers College and later employed as an Apprentice Wood Turner before the joining the Army.
He enlisted in the CMF on 19 November 1957 and served with the 11/44 Battalion until he was discharged on 11 August 1958 as a result of being called up for National Service Training. He commenced National Service Training with 17 National Service Training Battalion on 12 August 1958 and on completion of his training was posted to 11/44 Infantry Battalion on 1 July 1959.
He enlisted in the Regular Army Special Reserve (O) on 14 January 1960 and was sent to the Infantry Centre where he was later discharged on 12 July 1960 to enlist in the Australian Regular Army. Completion of his training saw him posted to the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) on 27 October 1960 for service in Malaya and Singapore. Whilst in Singapore he transferred to 2 RAR on 26 October 1962. In July/August 1964 he took part in Exercise Sprinkler One in New Guinea. On his return to Australia he married Thira and they had a daughter, Christine.
On 7 May 1965 he was transferred to the Royal Australian Army Provost Corps and was taken on strength of 1st Division Provost Company. He was promoted to Temporary CPL on 8 May 1965 and CPL on 12 January 1966. He embarked on 22 April 1966 per HMAS Sydney for service in South Vietnam where he was attached to the 1st Task Force.
On 21 June 1966, CPL Ian Brown died after being shot during a VC ambush involving the MP vehicle he was a passenger in. CPL Adrian van Moolenbroek, the driver of the vehicle tells the real story:
On the 21st June 1966, about 1430 HRS accompanied by Cpls E.G (Blue) Brown and I.R Ian Brown (I was the driver) we were tasked to convey a number of Vietnamese women and children to the compound at Hoa-Long village and hand them over to the village chief. They had been caught in a restricted area, collecting vegetables (the vegetables filled the trailer).
On arriving at the compound we were met by an American adviser who thought we had brought the doctor with us, as a young girl had been stabbed with a rubber tapper knife, she died later that day. After handing over the women and children we left to return to Nui-Dat, and on leaving the compound we passed the doctor who had arrived to treat the young girl.
On arriving at Nui-Dat we were tasked to take a Vietnamese male person to the Vietnamese authorities at Baria, he had been caught by 5RAR in a free fire zone. After placing him in the back of the vehicle and his bicycle in the trailer, we had to wait for Blue who had a bad case of the "runs". Sgt Sutton came out of the OPS tent several times to make sure that we had gone, however he became concerned that it was getting late and told Ian and I to leave Blue behind.
The rules at that time were three personnel in free running vehicles, one to be armed with a long barrel weapon, (we used the AR, we had two in the Section.) Ian and I were armed with Owen guns, which were replaced by M16's some months later.
After handing our prisoner over at Baria we proceeded to return to Nui-Dat. We entered Hoa-Long village and as I entered the S bend in the main road going through the village, I noticed old people and children in the road forcing me to slow down and go around them off the road.
At that time we both realised that we were in trouble. As I went around those on the road, I selected a lower gear, just after doing so we were fired on by automatic weapons from both sides, one of the first rounds hit Ian in the right shoulder and cut the vital arteries in his neck. That round was meant for me as the VC always went for the driver first.
The windscreen wiper motor which was in front of my head, as the windscreen, which was folded down was hit, those were the only two rounds that hit us. From then on it was head down and foot on the accelerator. When all this was going on I Made up my mind that they weren't going to take me alive as we all had a price on our heads and we were well aware what they did to anyone captured.
I took Ian to the Forward hospital at Nui-Dat where the doctor declared him dead, he also told me that it would had been very quick for him and he would not had suffered.
CPL Brown received the Vietnam Medal and Vietnam Campaign Medal.
NOTE: I must say a special thankyou to Adrian van Moolenbroek, who was kind enough to recount this personal story of the death of Ian Brown. The story was sent from Adrian to me via email on 2 January 2002.