Brown, Lloyd

Lloyd Brown was born August 18, 1923 in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and he grew up in the nearby community of Mortlach in his early years. The family later relocated to Edmonton, where Lloyd left school after Grade 8, taking work at McGavin’s Bakery.  He worked there until 1942, when he turned 19 and joined the army.  Training took place in Alberta and Ontario, after which Lloyd boarded the Queen Mary and headed for Britain.  He was assigned to the Loyal Edmonton Regiment and spent some time there doing additional training before being sent to Italy, where he was fortunate to have the chance to visit Rome.  On an early operation there in Italy Lloyd’s fortune did not hold up though: he and other men were pinned down by a German sniper; both the Canadians and the Germans called in armoured support and in the ensuing battle Lloyd lost his right arm.  His odyssey through medical establishments began right then, from regimental aid stations to field hospitals and finally back to England, where Lloyd was able to celebrate Christmas in 1944.  He was eventually put on a ship and returned to Canada, and he made his way back to Edmonton, where he went back to school and took work as an accountant.  It didn’t suit him though, so he and a friend went on a memorable road trip down through California and the southwestern states and Mexico.  Lloyd went on to work a variety of jobs in western Canada, and he married and raised a family, falling into the rhythms of Canada’s postwar society.  Loyld Brown was interviewed by Zach Dunn of Global Veterans’ Stories in October 2025, and Zach kindly shared this interview with the Crestwood Oral History Project.