By Deborah Larsen
Robert Boyd Brown, Jr.
Robert Boyd Brown Jr. was born in Uddingston, Scotland, on May 18, 1922, the son of Robert and Janet Brown. He emigrated to the United States with his parents when he was a year old. The family first settled in Detroit, where Robert attended Denby High School, then moved to Rochester, Michigan, in about 1941. Robert worked at National Twist Drill with his father and his brother, William.
Robert enlisted in the U.S. Army in October 1942 and was sent overseas in October 1944. He was assigned to Company B, 411th Infantry Regiment of the 103rd Infantry Division, also known as the Cactus Division. As his regiment was advancing across France toward Germany in late November 1944, it encountered enemy mortar fire at Plaine Dessus.
Robert was listed as missing in action during the advance on Plaine Dessus on November 25, 1944. His family was notified in May 1945 that he had been killed in action. He was one of 848 men in his division who were killed as the division advanced across France, Germany, and Austria from October 1944 to May 1945.
Robert Boyd Brown, Jr., was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. He was laid to rest in the Lorraine American Cemetery and Memorial in France.