Sir Derrick Holden-Brown

Obituary notices for veterans who served with HM Light Coastal Forces
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Sir Derrick Holden-Brown

Postby Pioneer » Tue Mar 20, 2018 6:34 pm

Sir Derrick Holden-Brown
We are sad to report the news of the passing on Tuesday 6th March of Sir Derrick Holden-Brown. He served with distinction as Navigator and 1st Lt in Dog Boats in the Mediterranean, first with the Canadian CO Tom Ladner DSO, in MGB 663. Eighteen months later, after MGB 663 was mined south of Venice, he was appointed CO of MTB 655, only to be mined once again in the Dalmation Islands. Wounded and invalided home, he finished the war in the Coastal Forces section at the Admiralty. He enjoyed a lifelong friendship with Len Reynolds who skippered 658 in the Adriatic (covered in Len Reynold’s book Gunboat 658).
After the war He trained as a Chartered Accountant, was prominent in business, rising to be Chairman of Allied Lyons PLC. He was knighted in 1979 for services to the food and drink industry.

His time in the Royal Navy, particularly Coastal Forces was important to him. He has been Chairman of Trustees of the Coastal Forces Heritage Trust, the White Ensign Association and the Portsmouth Naval Base Heritage Trust when the Heritage Dockyard was founded in the early 1990s. The CFHT has been extremely fortunate to benefit from his leadership and unstinting efforts to further the history and memory of Coastal Forces and to ensure its heritage will not be forgotten. Over the years he was a great driver towards establishing the Coastal Forces Museum and was delighted to see this coming to fruition.
He participated in the pilgrimages to Vis and at the Remembrance Day Services at HMS Hornet, Gosport, where the accompanying photo was taken.
We send our condolences to his wife and family.
Thanksgiving service at St Mary Abbots Church, corner of Kensington High Street and Kensington Church Street, London, W8 4LA, at 3pm, on Tuesday 27th March. Family flowers only, but donations, if wished, please to Coastal Forces Heritage Trust, The RN Museum (PP66), HM Naval Base, Portsmouth, P01 3NU. All enquiries to J H Kenyon, 279 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NA. Tel: 020 3667 8664.
d-h-Brown-2.jpg
Sir Derrick Holden-Brown (Centre) with George Chandler (L) and Peter Bickmore (R)

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