Horace Jack Brown was born at Ealing on March 13, 1907, to George and Sophie Brown. In the 1920s, he trained as a Marconi wireless operator. On April 30, 1945, he was engaged as an independent W/T operator aboard the Baltara, and made two voyages with this ship to the Baltic. Subsequently, he signed on at Antwerp in March 1926 for the first of three voyages in the Olterra. Other ships include the Larpool, British Governor, the British Endeavour, Whinfield, Goathland, British Chemist, Hadleigh, Eskdalegate, North Anglia, Janeta, British Industry, Aylesbury, Allende, Runo, Benlomond, Jevington Court, Tebartha, Euphorbia, Pinzon, Carpio, Designer, Ellenga, Yenangyaung, and the Gambhira. He was aboard this ship when war was declared in 1939.

Horace was appointed first radio officer of HMS King Gruffydd in October 1939. This ship was hired in 1939 as a decoy ship, and became an armed merchant cruiser in March 1941, when he became First Radio Officer with HMS Mersey, a depot for Merchant Navy T124X ratings.

He became First Radio Officer of the Empire Oriole in November 1941, when he obtained his first class certificate. The ship sailed with Convoy AS-4 from New York for the Persian Gulf. In July, they are south of Bermuda, when U-161 fires torpedoes at the convoy, sinking the Fairport.

On July 3, 1943, he signs on the Fort Ash as First Radio Officer. The ship sails in a convoy of 81 ships for Gibraltar, and, within hours of their arrival in September, leaves in another convoy bound for Malta, then return to UK. In August 1944, he joins the Fort Remy in Glasgow as first radio officer. In late January, 1945, he is on The Clan Ranald, from Liverpool to Gibraltar, then on to South Africa.

At the end of August, 1945, Horace join a motorship tanker San Venancio, and in April joins another motor tanker the Bishopdale in April 1946. He resigns from the Merchant Navy in April 1947.

Information for this page was condensed from material supplied by Richard Taylor, Secretary, of the Naval Historical Collectors & Research Association.