Lieutenant Colonel Vincent Christopher 'Marino' BROWN, OBE, DSC, Royal Marines: 28/05/1940

Another chap I have come across reading 'Dunkirk -Retreat to Victory'.

He was Monty's GSO 1 (Chief of Staff) and while travelling to II Corps on the evening of 28/29th May 1940 he came across a French road block manned by the DLM (a Mechanised Div). Brown went and gave them a bit of 'what for' for blocking his route and the French shot him dead !

I can't find him on CWGC.

Does anyone have anymore details?

Know of this story?

Have a picture?



Regards
Andy

 

Cheers Owen ... I see his father won a VC!

I'll get a photo of his grave next year if I remember. I think I remember seeing a Royal Marine grave there too and thinking that was strange !

 

The only Royal Marine in Dunkirk Town Cemetery-Anyone know his story?

CWGC :: Certificate

 

Found this on Facebook:

Lt Col Vincent Brown RM, nicknamed ‘Marino’ was GSO 1, (chief of staff), to General Montgomery’s 3rd Division. During the night of 28/29 May, ‘Marino’ was on his way to II Corps HQ when he encountered vehicles from the French 2 DLM, (Division Legere Mechanique), in a confused state blocking the road. Apparently he was not a man to suffer fools lightly, and so got out of his car and gave them - the French - a piece of his mind; they shot him dead!

 

Interesting for an Army Division to have an RM GSO1, can't have been very common... wonder how it came about?

 

Monty suffered a great loss with the death of Marino Brown as he had trained him not only as Chief of Staff but as his deputy but only made a slight reference in his Diary that "GSO1 has been killed " - according to Lt. Col. "Kit" Dawney- Intelligence officer - who went on to become Brigadier of 21st Tank Bde in Italy after Commanding the North Irish Horse in North Africa - then finishing again with Monty in Germany as Maj.General -

Monty suffered even more with the bayonetting death of Major Tom Poston - his favourite Liason Officer in a similar confrontation with a German rabble and Monty had him buried at his HQ at Luneberg Heath just as the war was finishing ! Poston was like a son to Monty and had been with him since Monty took over the 8th Army in the Desert.
Cheers

 

Stopped by his grave in Dunkirk this afternoon.

 

I'd never heard of Major Tom Poston; referred to Post 9 by Tom Canning:

On pg. 170 of 'Unsung Heroes of the Dachau Trials' by John Dunphy, published in 2018, the author states this 'rabble' were Werewolves. See: https://www.google.co.uk/books/edit...ajor+Tom+Poston"&pg=PT178&printsec=frontcover

Another website states his name was Major John Poston, 11th Hussars. See: World at War (WWI, WWII, & Civil Wars) - Captain...

This thread mentions him landing after D-Day: Landing table sword beach