William Russell Brown, GI, Stationed At Lord Tredegar's Estate WW2


Photo reference number: 2287

April Van Valkenbury kindly sent us this photo. She wrote:

'My grandfather, William Brown, who just passed away at age 97, loved to tell us his stories of being a young, WWII Army member. For a time, he was stationed at Lord Tredegar's estate, and he fell in love with a local girl (I believe she was local to Newport), named Gwyneth. They parted after he had to leave and he never had contact with her again, but did speak with us about her.

My grandfather spoke a lot about the hospitality in Newport, and he was highly amused by Lord Tredegar and his ever-present shoulder companion.

My grandfather is the man playing the accordion, an instrument he loved. His grandfather, Thomas George Brown, came to the United States from south of London in the late 1800s - I'm not exactly sure if he lived in Croydon or Chaldon. He moved to NYC and eventually settled in Stottville, NY, just outside of Hudson, NY, in the upper Hudson Valley. My grandfather lived in Stottville his entire life, save for the time he served in WWII. While my grandfather was in the UK, he had the opportunity to visit his great-aunt, Thomas's sister, who was living in a home for old spinsters in London.'

Left to right O'Reilly, Me, Rivieggo and Harley Price.

See our article on the GIs in Newport during WW2