We regret to advise of the death of Major General Norman Chalmers Brown DFC, MiD, CD (Ret'd) on 17 June 2003.
Major General Brown enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in Toronto in October 1940 and, shortly after completing his pilot training, he joined No.194 Squadron (Royal Air Force) of Air Command, South East Asia in the Andaman Islands of Burma [Myanmar]. He flew two tours of operations in the ranks of Sergeant to Flying Officer in this theatre during the Second World War. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and was mentioned in dispatches for air support to the British 14th Army.
After the war, Norm Brown attended the University of Toronto 1945-49 and rejoined the RCAF as Flight Lieutenant in 1948. Upon completing his engineering degree, he joined No 2 Construction and Maintenance Unit in Calgary as a Project Officer with responsibility for construction projects in the Canadian Arctic. Following this assignment, in 1950 he was posted to Air Training Group, Winnipeg as Staff Officer responsible for Construction Engineering Contract Administration. In 1952 he was promoted to Squadron Leader and posted to Air Force Headquarters in Ottawa where he was in charge of the Mechanical Design Section with the Directorate of Construction Engineering Design. Promoted to Wing Commander in 1956, he was appointed Director of Engineering Construction.
In 1961, he was promoted to Group Captain and returned to Calgary as Commander of RCAF Station Lincoln Park. After this command, Group Captain Brown was posted to Air Force Headquarters in Ottawa in 1964 as Director Construction Engineering Control followed by his appointment as Director General Works. Promoted to Air Commodore in 1966, he served as Director General Quartering 1966-68 and Director General Construction 1968-70.
With Integration of the Canadian Forces, he became the second Canadian Military Engineer in the most senior CME position of Deputy Chief Construction Engineering (later renamed Chief of Construction and Properties) and the CME Branch Co-Advisor 1970 - 1974. He was Promoted to Major General in 1973.
Major General Brown retired on completion of this appointment and worked on several international construction projects. His post- CF career saw MGen Brown as Chief Engineer overseeing the building of the Trans-Botswana Highway, the installation of lighting systems on 17 airfields in Burma with Canadian International Development Agency, and construction of the urban waste system in Kingston, Jamaica.
A memorial service will be held on Tuesday June 24, 2003 at 1:00pm at Sands Funeral Chapel, One Newcastle Ave. Nanaimo, BC. In lieu of flowers, donations to a charity of your choice would be appreciated by the family.{khApr2016}