Second Lieutenant Eric Fitz-Brown was born in 1895. The 1901 census lists his father as George Fitz-Brown but does not have any record of his mother. George was a Copper Smelter and Managing Director of a Copper Works.

Two servants, Maud Badger and Agnes Radcliffe, are recorded as living at the residence, perhaps to help look after Eric and his brothers (Geoffrey, 8 and Arnold, 4) and sisters (Elsy, 12 and Mary, 10).

Eric was educated at Rhos-on-Sea, and afterwards at Aldenham School, Hertfordshire where he was in the Officer’s Training Corps. Shortly before the war he had been apprenticed to a firm of metal brokers, but he interrupted his career as soon as he call was sounded, enlisting on August 29, 1914. He was initially posted to C Company of the 7th Norfolk Regiment, serial number 12641, but was later commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the 18th Battallion of the King’s Liverpool Regiment.

On July 1, 1916, he was leading a charge with No 1 Company when he was killed in action. According to research in the Merseyside roll of Honour database, “Eric was the first man to enter the enemy’s front line trench, where he had emptied his revolver, seeing the situation, took two bombs in his hand, and attempted to bomb the position, but was hit by a bullet from the enemy snipers.” He was 21 years old.

Eric’s brother, Geoffrey, was also killed on the Somme, on October 24, 1916.

Eric is Remembered with Honour on the Thiepval Memorial. He is also remembered on the following memorials: St Hilda’s C of E Church, Hunts Cross; Woolton Golf Club; and Ramblers FC war memorial.

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