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James Lamont Brown was born in Paisley in 1920.

He was always known as Jim Brown. When war was declared, Jim Brown aged nineteen and living with his family in Pitlochry, volunteered to join the RAF.

He flew with Number Seven Squadron as a Rear Gunner in Lancaster bombers and rose to the rank of Flight Lieutenant. Because of the heavy losses associated with bombing raids over Germany, aircrews were limited to completing thirty night flying operations. Number Seven Squadron was chosen to join the Pathfinders Force, flying out ahead of the others to mark out targets.

(It was during this period that Jim Brown met his future wife, Marjorie Kitty Haddow, (known as Kit), from Hull. They were married in 1942.)

Jim鈥檚 crew, completed their thirty operations but volunteered to fly a further thirty night missions.

After another twenty-eight operations, the crew鈥檚 incredible luck ran out on the night of February 25th, 1944 when the Lancaster was hit by enemy action and fire broke out in the fuselage. The Captain ordered the crew to abandon the aircraft by parachute. Jim Brown and one of his colleagues left from a rear exit. The others found the front escape hatch jammed but managed to control the fire and brought the aircraft safely back to base.

Jim Brown landed safely near Luxembourg. He was captured by German Police and handed over to Waffen SS. He was imprisoned in SS barracks for three days before being transferred by train to Frankfurt where he was kept in solitary confinement for three weeks before being taken to Stallag Luft 111, (the prison camp made famous by 鈥淭he Great Escape鈥�).

It was around this time that Jim Brown was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, (DFC) in recognition of gallantry and devotion to duty.

Jim鈥檚 wife Kit received a letter dated February 28th, informing her that he was missing. She heard nothing more until after giving birth to their鈥� first child, Judith, in May 1944. It was early June before Kit received a telegram from the Red Cross confirming that he was a prisoner of war in German hands.

On January 25th 1945 the Germans ordered the prisoners to be ready to move. They were marched out on January 27th, marching by day and sleeping overnight in schools, churches, barns and open fields as follows:

路 Sagan to Spremberg on foot (93 kilometres)
路 Train to Tarmstedt. Arriving at camp on Feb 4th
路 From April 9th on foot to Trenthorst. (Total 146 kilometres).

On May 2d 1945 their鈥� camp on Ritzler Estate was over run by British forces. On the evening of May 4th they were taken in British Army lorries to begin the journey home.

After the war Jim Brown returned home with Kit and Judith to Blair Atholl. Perthshire. His daughter Jennifer was born in July 1946.

James Lamont Brown died on January 8th 1981 and is buried at Blair Atholl.

His first great grandchild was born (also in Paisley) on August 30th 1994 and is named Declin James Lamont Graham.

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