The Reverend Walter Leslie Brown (13 August 1910 – 6 June 1944) was a Canadian

military chaplain A military chaplain ministers to military personnel and, in most cases, their families and civilians working for the military. In some cases, they will also work with local civilians within a military area of operations. Although the term ''cha ...

who was attached to the

Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment was a Second World War Canadian armoured regiment created in 1940 with officers and men from two Militia regiments in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The name is a blend of Les Fusiliers de Sherbrooke, a francophone infant ...

, 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade during

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The ope ...

. He was murdered by

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

soldiers after he had surrendered. At the time of his capture he had been wearing the uniform of a Canadian army chaplain.

History

Walter Brown was born in

Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough ( ) is a city on the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada, about 125 kilometres (78 miles) northeast of Toronto. According to the 2021 Census, the population of the City of Peterborough was 83,651. The population of the Peterborough ...

on 13 August 1910, to English-born parents George Carmichael Brown and Florence May Brown (née Peters), although the family later settled in

Orillia Orillia () is a city in Ontario, Canada, about 30 km (18 mi) north-east of Barrie in Simcoe County. It is located at the confluence of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Although it is geographically located within Simcoe County, the city is a Lis ...

, Ontario. He had two brothers. An alumnus of

Huron University College Huron University College is a university college affiliated with the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada. It was Incorporated on the 5 May 1863. Huron is the founding institution of the University of Western Ontario. It ...

, he was already an ordained and practising minister of the

Anglican Church in Canada The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC or ACoC) is the Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is ''l'Église anglicane du Canada''. In 2016, the Anglican Church of ...

, before he volunteered for service in the Canadian Army as part of the Canadian Chaplain Service on 1 April 1941 in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario. He was eventually attached to an armoured regiment (the 27th Armoured Regiment (The Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment)) slated to land early on

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

and he was therefore one of the first Canadian Military Chaplains to land in Normandy on

Juno Beach Juno and or Juno Beach was one of five beaches of the Allies (World War II), Allied invasion of German occupation of France during World War II, German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 during the World War II, Second Wo ...

on 6 June 1944. Walter Brown was murdered (by bayonetting), after surrendering to members of the

12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend The SS Division Hitlerjugend or 12th SS Panzer Division "Hitlerjugend" () was a German armoured warfare, armoured division of the Waffen-SS during World War II. The majority of its junior enlisted men were drawn from members of the Hitler Youth, ...

on 6 June. He was the only allied military chaplain to suffer this fate, although several were killed and wounded in action in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The Hitlerjugend Waffen SS were notoriously brutal and murdered several Canadian Prisoners of War in the early stages of the Normandy Campaign. His body was eventually recovered on 11 July 1944 and he was buried along with other Canadian servicemen in the

Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery The Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery () is a cemetery, burial ground containing predominantly Canadians, Canadian soldiers killed during the early stages of the Operation Overlord, Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. It is located in, ...

in Normandy, France. Walter Brown was awarded the following medals posthumously: the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal, the War Medal, the Defence Medal and the

France and Germany Star The France and Germany Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to Commonwealth of Nations, British Commonwealth forces who served in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands or Germany and a ...

. The medals were passed to his parents.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Walter Leslie 1910 births 1944 deaths People from Peterborough, Ontario Canadian military personnel from Ontario 20th-century Canadian Anglican priests World War II chaplains Canadian military chaplains Canadian Army officers Canadian Army personnel of World War II Canadian military personnel killed in World War II Burials at Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery Deaths by bayonet Sherbrooke Hussars Sherbrooke Hussars officers

History

See also

References