Captain Ivan J Brown Royal Navy

I J Brown was the Commander(Air) in Victorious in the mid 1960s. At the time I was in the ship’s Air Engineering Department and although not one of his subordinates he was a man for whom I had a great respect and liking; it is good to know that in a long and remarkable career “his most treasured professional time was as Commander (Air) of HMS Victorious.” The following is copied from the FAAOA News Sheet by permission of the Editor:

Captain, The Reverend Ivan James Brown RN
Ivan BROWN died on the 25 November 2007 and the following is a combination of the three Eulogies given at his Funeral Service:
Ivan was born in Chatham, Kent to Gladys and James BROWN. His mother worked in the laundry and like many others joined the hop picking in season. His father was a coach painter and later a sign writer for the Shepherds Neame brewery. He was also an accomplished footballer and at one time played for the Arsenal, so Ivan and his family have been life long supporters.
Ivan’s mother had her own ideas about her son’s future career and dragging him to the local butchers, he successfully completed an interview to become Butchers Clerk, however he had other ideas. At 16 he took himself to London where in 1940 he joined the Admiralty as Clerk, Temporary, 3rd class.
He joined the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve at 18 in 1942 as a Naval Airman but was quickly selected for flying training and headed for Canada and Pensacola, Florida. His first recorded flight was on 18 May 1943 and he went solo only 18 days later after only 12 hours flying. His log books give an indication of his flying ability and flair, and of the confident but understated nature that stayed with him throughout his career. The entry for 14 February 1944 says nothing more than,
“Mid air collision, both aircraft landed safely.” :
Whilst he also enjoyed regaling the story of how he flew a Corsair from the US Naval Air Station at Brunswick under the local bridge, despite all the terrible warnings not to do so. He completed deck landing training in late 1944: his log entry for 20 Dec described one of his early approaches to HMS Slinger,
“Had some trouble, but I made it!”
Throughout 1945 he was embarked in HMS Victorious flying a range of combat missions, including: a first enemy interception on 3 March; frequent attacks on Japanese and shore installations, the search for, and successful rescue of 72 survivors of the Peter Sylveste; and, on 25 May a log entry of,
“Carbon Monoxide in the cockpit – Red Emergency -Dicey!”
After the war Ivan thought long and hard about a naval career and after much cajoling from his CO did, in 1946 transfer to the RN. He became a Deck Landing Control Officer an appointment he undertook with great determination. Once he developed pneumonia after a protracted period batting in the rain in Northern Ireland, so he went to the doc to prescribe something to keep him going. The doc prescribed,
“A pint of Guinness, on the hour every hour”. It did the trick.
Whilst serving as a DLCO in HMS Ocean, Ivan would return home to Herne Bay and on one occasion met Elizabeth. As he put it,
“It was during a dance at the King’s Hall that I saw her for the first time and fell in love.”
Despite the pace and unpredictability of life at sea, in August 1948 they were engaged with a plan to marry a year later. But his ship sailed for the Mediterranean soon after their engagement, his relief who was expected to arrive in the following April failed his course and the replacement broke his leg. Ivan ended up staying in the ship which did not return until December, almost 18 months after their engagement and well after the original wedding date. As he put it, the engagement,
“…. seemed like a good idea at the time”.
So despite the time that actually passed they saw little of each other making theirs feel like a true whirlwind romance. But marry they did and a planned summer honeymoon in England had to be hastily rearranged as a skiing holiday in the Austrian Alps.
Ivan’s career blossomed as he moved with his family from appointment to appointment. Over the years there was a lot of time away, again flying combat missions in Korea in 1953. There are too many stories to tell, though one which epitomizes his spirit of a top flier and showman is the occasion when he buzzed Jay’s boarding school in Canterbury in a Hunter, at very low altitude, not once but twice, much to the consternation of the teachers. Ivan counted his flying hours in thousands, whilst the list of fixed wing aircraft he flew (he even learned to fly helicopters) reads like a Jane’s Almanac of the World’s Greatest Aircraft, from Tiger Moth, to Spitfire, to Phantom.
As an experienced Captain he held many appointments in the MoD where he was most highly regarded as both a Naval Aviator and senior staff officer. But talking to his family his most treasured professional time was as Commander (Air) of HMS Victorious in the mid-1960s, the ship he had joined 19 years earlier as a Temporary Sub Lieutenant RNVR.
He retired from the Navy in 1977 and having completed a short bricklaying course, set about building an almost Churchillian brick wall at their new home, Hurst Cottage. And this was but one of the major building works which also included Barn Demolition, greenhouse construction, new outbuildings and garden landscaping. Somehow he always managed to combine these projects with parties for family and friends so there was also a constant production of very good beer and wine. And every year Hurst Cottage hosted a major bonfire night party, with abundant food and drink and sore heads in the following morning.
In 1978 he enrolled at Rycotewood College near Oxford to train in cabinet making and furniture restoration. He decided to live in his caravan in a farmer’s field, even through winter, and came up with novel ideas to insulate this old and draughty temporary home lining it with newspapers and polystyrene, though we didn’t think he was ever really warm. On completion of his course he started trading as JAMES BROWN OF HOATH and one of his major Commissions was to restore a number of items of antique furniture in the Archbishops palace in Canterbury.
Ivan was churchwarden of Holy Cross, the village church, when the reader moved to Norfolk. There was no one to lead, and at that time the church was under threat of closure. Ivan had retired but he responded to his calling and after 2 years training took Holy Orders. For the next 10 years Ivan and Elizabeth served the church and the community.
People talk about him still as the people’s vicar whether or not they were church members. He always had a smile and he was kind and friendly and interested in everybody. He was always willing to help anybody and did so with a quiet unassuming humility. He had the gift of leading people, encouraging others to become involved and work with him. A group of ladies cleaned
the church weekly – he named them the Holy Dusters and their loyalty was to him.
He had great wisdom and he would always read his sermons to Elizabeth before he preached them in church. On one occasion she apparently said,
“Ivan you can’t possibly say that – you’re not talking to a bunch of sailors.”
The text was unchanged.
During his time of leadership the community thrived. He organized the village fetes and the harvest suppers. He enjoyed young people and recognized the importance of this aspect of his ministry. He started a Sunday club for children. He was involved in the youth club. One of the memories shared is of Ivan sitting in the back of an army lorry with the youngsters of the village as they were taken to the assault course at the local barracks for an evening. He wasn’t going to miss out.
His practical skills have benefited Holy Cross church. He reorganized the interior to provide the practical space enjoyed today – removing pews – resiting the pulpit and introducing a Nave altar. He not only planned the renovations and acquired the necessary faculties from the diocese but he manually carried out the work.
The sea was always part of his life, and somehow he also found the time to build and race his own sailing dingy. He was the padre of the Herne Bay Sea Cadets and not only became involved in their work but encouraged them to regular church parades at Holy Cross. And during his naval years continued the great naval tradition of playing golf in as many countries as possible.
In 2001 ill health forced him to leave behind his much loved Hurst Cottage, and having cared for Elizabeth as her health declined he had finally to accept he needed some help as well. He moved to West Wittering where he was able to reacquaint with old colleagues who he had not seen for many years.
He was ‘Ivan’ to his much loved and treasured wife, ‘Pa’ to Jay and Lisa, ‘Grandpa’ to Drew and Alexander, Hannah and Dom, ‘Sir’ to many and father to all.