Born in Tasmania in 1885, Walter E. Brown joined the First Australian Imperial Force at the outbreak of WW1. Initially, Brown was attached to various non-combat units in Egypt, and since that didn't sit well with him, Brown managed to secure his transfer to the infantry by claiming that he had lost his false teeth, which meant that he had to be removed from the theatre and returned to Egypt, where he was able to attach himself to the infantry reinforcements that were being sent to France.
Once in France, Cpl. Brown saw extensive combat on the front lines, and on July 6, 1918, he single handedly took out a machine gun nest, killed one German with his fists and captured 11 more.
For his actions, Cpl. Brown was awarded the Victoria Cross.
Brown continued to fight on the front lines, despite being wounded several times, until the war's end and promoted to Sgt.
Sgt. Brown went back home and re-enlisted once again when WW2 broke out. Acting like a true humble warrior, Brown enlisted as a gunner (private) in an artillery unit. Hoping to avoid attention and wanting to secure a posting to the front lines, he declared that he had "no previous military experience" and also claimed he had been born in 1900 in order to meet the age requirements for front line service. Although his identity became public knowledge, the military authorities allowed him to continue serving. He was briefly promoted to lance-sergeant, but requested to revert to the rank of gunner.
His unit was sent to Malaya in August 1941 and then to Singapore in February 1942 when it was invaded by the Japanese.
Two stories depict Brown's final moments. One version states that during the last stand, he calmly picked up a few grenades, said: "No surrender for me", before walking towards the enemy lines, never to be seen again. The second version states that Brown was separated during an evacuation and killed while awaiting transport. Although his date of death is uncertain, it has been presumed that Brown was killed some time after he went missing.
His body was never found. #ww1 #stayzero #zerofoxtrot #hero