Reginald Spencer Browne

Reginald Spencer Browne
First World War Gallipoli Campaign
Awards	A Journalist's Memories (1927)

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Early life and career

Reginald Spencer Browne (a.k.a. Browne, R. Spencer; Browne, Spencer; Spencer-Browne, Reginald

Browne joined the Queensland Mounted Infantry in 1887 and was commissioned a lieutenant. During the shearers strike of 1891, Browne took commanded a flying column which put down the strike; he took part in these actions even though he was sympathetic to the unions cause. Browne was promoted to captain in 1891 and then to major in 1896.

Browne volunteered for service in South Africa during the

. Browne returned to Australia in November 1900.

In 1903 Browne became commanding officer of the 13th Light Horse Regiment with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Then in 1906 he became the commander of the 5th Light Horse Brigade and was promoted to full colonel. He then transferred onto the list of Reserve of Officers in 1911.

First World War

Browne joined the

.

On 28 August 1915, Browne was appointed officer commanding Australian Details Egypt, responsible for training reinforcements. In September Major General

, but at the age of 59 the rigours of the campaign combined with his age began to take its toll. Nonetheless he stayed until he was evacuated on 10 December 1915.

On his return to Egypt, Browne was transferred to the Training and General Base Depot at

, England; this unit was responsible for taking in men "unfit for service within six months" and therefore to be returned home.

On 12 October 1917, Browne was declared medically unfit and listed for return to Australia. He took a visit to

major general

.

Post-war

For two years (1921–1922) Browne was State president of the Queensland branch of the

on his memories of people and events in 19th century Queensland. These were collected and published as A Journalist's Memories in 1927. The book is considered a reliable source of much information on the history and legends of Queensland.

Personal

In 1881 Browne moved to Brisbane and married Violet Edith Fanny Sutton of Maryborough on 13 October. She died soon afterwards. On 7 August 1889 he had married Catherine Fraser Munro (d.1942), a noted musician and amateur actress. He had been interested primarily in pastimes like polo, shooting and fishing, but henceforth shared wide cultural interests with his wife.

He died, childless, in Brisbane on 9 November 1943, and was cremated.

Publications

• Romances of goldfield and bush by R. Spencer Browne, London : Gordon and Gotch, 1890.^[4]
• The heroic Serbians : an appeal for help by Spencer Browne, Weymouth : Sherren, 1916, 1917, 1918.^[5]
• A Journalist's Memories by Spencer Browne, Brisbane : Read Press, 1927.^[6]
• The men of Queensland / Stanley Bruce Kennard: notes and recollections by Spencer Browne, Brisbane : H.J. Diddams, 1927.^[7]
• The sheep industry by Spencer Browne, Brisbane, 1942.^[8]
• Brisbane Theatre of the Old Days by Reginald Spencer Browne, in In The Early Days by J.J. Knight, n.d.^[9]
• Foundation of the Brisbane Courier by Reginald Spencer Browne, n.d.^[10]

Manuscripts

• George Essex Evans: an appreciation by Spencer Browne, 1931. "Address delivered at Essex Evans Memorial, Toowoomba, 18 June 1931."^[11]
• Songs of the sixties by Spencer Browne, [1940–41?]. "A lecture delivered at...on...with musical accompaniments provided by Mrs Spencer Browne."^[12]

See also

• List of Australian generals

Notes

References

• Reginald Spencer Browne, www.aif.adfa.edu.au
• H. J. Summers, 'Browne, Reginald Spencer (1856–1943)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 7, Melbourne University Press, 1979, pp 448–449.
• Introduction to Reginald Spencer Browne, originally at www.queenslandhistory.com. Includes several lengthy extracts from A Journalist's Memories.

Further reading

• Pringle, Helen (3 October 2005). "White folk memory a case of white false memory". On Line Opinion. Australia: National Forum.

Pringle discusses Spencer Browne's memoirs of Cooktown in the late 19th century from when he became editor of the Cooktown Herald in 1878.