It is with great sadness that we hear that our good friend Victor Brown passed away peacefully on the 14th January, after a short illness.  Aged 102, “it was time for him to go and be with his beloved wife Gwen.”  Victor lived most of his life at Evenwood Gate until recently moving down to East Sussex to be near his family.  He worked as a brick layer and socially, enjoyed a pint and darts and dominoes.

Many of you will recall that we celebrated Victor’s 100th birthday and remembered him during our V.J. Day commemorations last year.  During World War Two, between 1942 and 1946, Victor served aboard H.M.S. Sussex.  Victor was awarded the 1939 War medal, the 1939-45 Star and the Burma Star with Pacific clasp.

To the best of our knowledge, Victor is the last of our local men and women to have served in the War. We should not forget that without their sacrifices, we would not be able to enjoy what we have today.  Thanks Victor and rest in peace.

Victor Brown: 100 YEARS YOUNG

Today, 29 May 2023, marks the hundredth birthday of Victor Brown, a resident of Evenwood Gate for 99 years.  Victor was born in Staindrop but when his father, John, got a job at Randolph Colliery, the family moved to Evenwood Gate when Victor was 1 years old.  In 1944, Victor married Gwen Pugh when on leave from war service.  He was aboard HMS Sussex from 1942 to 1946 seeing action in the NW Approaches, D Day and the Far East.  We believe Victor is the only remaining serviceman to have witnessed action in WW2 living in our local area of Evenwood, Ramshaw and Evenwood Gate. 

Victor worked as a bricklayer spending many an hour with Johnny Weir on the Seagrave bungalow along Copeland.  Asked what is his secret to long life, he answered, “A carrier bag of tablets from the doctor!”  What was his treasured memory?  “Meeting Gwen.”  Victor and Gwen have 1 son Michael who married Susanne, 2 grandchildren Amanda and Kimberley, 5 great grandchildren Willow, Maddy, Andrew, twins Luke and James and 2 great, great grandchildren Lucas and Ava-Rose.

Family gathered over the weekend to celebrate the momentous occasion and the photos show:

• A portrait of Victor in his navy days and his medals

• Victor with members of the Sun Inn darts & dominoes team

• Victor with his birthday card from King Charles and Queen Camila

• Victor with his great grandson James; great, great granddaughter Ava-Rose and great, great grandson Lucas (96½ years between Victor and Lucas).

• Victor with Maddy: Mike (Amanda’s husband): Neil (Kimberley’s husband): Amanda & Kimberley.

• A selection of birthday cards

• Victor and his birthday cake from Evenwood Gate neighbours.

Happy birthday Victor

This article first appeared on the I Come From Evenwood and Ramshaw Facebook page.