Brown, Mark Henry (Hilly) (Wing Commander)

249 Squadron (Pugnis Et Calcibus) Awarded the French Croix de Guerre, the Czechoslovakian Military Medal and Military Cross. W/C MH (Hilly) Brown MC DFC & Bar CG MM (RCAF) was killed when his Hurricane IIa aircraft Z 2397 was hit by flak during a fighter sweep over Sicily. AVM Lloyd, Officer Commanding, Mediterranean said of W/C Brown's loss in a letter to W/C Brown's father "There is one consolation. That is that the raid was a great success, as indeed it would be, for W/C Brown planned the whole operation and went over and saw to it himself." W/C Brown joined the RAF straight out of a pilot's course with the Brandon Flying Club in 1936, hoping to use the RAF as a training resource in his quest to become a commercial pilot in Canada. The evening before leaving for England to continue his training, a neighbor's son gave him a tunic button from his father's WWI Royal Flying Corps tunic for luck and W/C Brown wore in on his own uniform for the duration of his service. He was the Commanding Officer of 1 Squadron during the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain; he was an ace, credited with destroying twenty and one half enemy aircraft. W/C Brown and Flying Officer Allan Angus DFC from McCreary, Manitoba were both aces in May, 1940. This was a time of confusion for all squadrons in the Battle of France and many records were lost. These two Manitobans tied for being the first Canadians to become aces in WW II A special dedication service was held at the school in MacGregor, Manitoba in 1982, with plaques, pictures, and original uniforms of W/C Brown. One special guest was Squadron Leader Roland Dibnah DFC of Winnipeg, Manitoba, the only surviving member of 1 RAF Squadron, who flew with Pilot Officer Brown in the Battle of France. Pilot Officer Dibnah was shot down in May, 1940 and missing so Squadron Leader P Halahan wrote the Dibnah family in Winnipeg saying, "I'm sure your son is alright and I've recommended him for the DFC for his superb fighting." In 1980 Squadron Leader Roland Dibnah's mother died, Roland found the original letter and sent it to RAF Headquarters in London, England. He received his DFC 40 years after the recommendation. He too was an ace with 9 enemy aircraft to his credit and flew all during the war but was never decorated. Ex Squadron Leader Roland Dibnah DFC died in Feb 1990 at Vancouver, British Columbia. For a full story see the book Wings of the Morning by Flying Officer Angus's sister, Jean Segall. Detail from Frank E Croft, MacLeans, October 1, 1942