Walter Brown

Walter Brown was born in Dartmouth on July 18, 1905. His parents were Edward Brown and Sally Brown (nee Frankman). Walter had four brothers whose names he gave as Wiggy, Ned, Tom and Frank. Walter was the youngest.

The school he attended is recalled as 'the old coloured school in Park Avenue", Dartmouth. No details are mentioned in the interview tapes regarding the education he received. He did mention, however, that as a school child he had to pass the fire station. Perhaps this influenced him to seek employment as a fireman on completing his schooling. His income as a fireman was between eight and ten dollars a month.

He enjoyed his days as a fireman, especially the various firemen's tournaments or conventions that were held in different parts of the province, in Windsor, Kentville, Truro and Oxford. He took an active part in the social events linked to such occasions and says:

          "I sang and danced at the Queen Square

           and brought the house down.'

An entertainer like Walter Brown was in great demand. He performed on occasions, too, such as Dartmouth Natal Day.

Walter Brown was nine years old when the first world war broke out, eleven years old when the No. 2 Construction Battalion was formed and only thirteen years old when the war ended. He has memories of those days:

           'When the war broke out, Wiggy and Sam Crawley

            were the first coloured fellows in this district from

            Dartmouth to go in as soldiers.  They were working 

            at the iron mill.  Sam said to Wiggy, 'come on, we are

            going to join the service'.  I was just a little fellow then.'

Walter Brown worked for the city of Dartmouth for forty years. When he retired at age 65 he was working in the department of transport:

           "I retired when I was 65.  I had to step down.  

            I was working at the department of transport. 

            I am the oldest coloured fellow that was born

            in Dartmouth.  Get me right, at my age, all the

            coloured folk who are here don't belong here. 

            I am talking about the brothers who were born 

            here.  I was born here."

As he put it in 1982, Walter Brown felt that at the age of seventy-seven years, he qualified as the oldest surviving black person in Dartmouth who had been born in Dartmouth. He surely recognized that there were residents at the time who were older than he. But they were not born in Dartmouth - as he was.

As at November, 1986, Mr. Brown continues to live in Dartmouth, next to the Victoria Road Baptist Church. He is active in many ways, taking daily walks, participating in church functions and this year (1986) he became an honorary fireman in the Dartmouth Natal Day parade.

Walter Brown, though small in stature, is big in energy and possesses an uncanny ability to overcome life's hurdles with little effort.

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