1924-2025
3rd November 2025
Sir Stephen Brown: an appreciation by his nephew
Stephen was the identical twin brother of my late father, Peter. They were difficult for many outside the family to distinguish between them; often being mistaken as the other one which they played up to. Both served in the Navy during the Second World War and were Queens’ alumni but, whilst following different career paths, they remained very close.
Their father was an extrovert music lover, performer and Black Country businessman and their mother, who had been a teacher, was very formal and particular. Stephen inherited the hallmarks of both enabling him to rise to the pinnacles of the Bar and the Bench. Stephen and Peter would occasionally reminisce with many tales of their youth and their love of ponies as well as generally getting up to boyish mischief. They excelled at school: Walsall Grammar School and then Malvern College. My grandfather, who had not been to university, asked a friend to advise him on where he should seek to send ‘the boys’. Jack Addison recommended his university and College – Queens’.
They regarded their time at Queens’ as the happiest time of their lives. They were involved in multiple things such as acting, sports and singing; they revered the legendary Henry Hart, doing memorable mimicries of him, and made a host of lifelong friends, one of whom became his brother-in-law, the unforgettable Nick Corbin. Their joint best friend was Bob King, who also lived to 100 – a proof of a good education! The War intervened after two wonderful years. Both young men headed off to sea.
Stephen had an eventful war that is well documented and made many close friendships that he renewed after his retirement from the law.
1948 was the year of return and law studies. It was also Queens’ Quincentenary and an epic Ball. All Stephen’s friends and girlfriends were there. One, called Patricia Good, caught Stephen’s eye; he was smitten and they married in 1951. It was a long loving marriage and produced a wonderful family of three girls and two boys.
One of the highlights of Stephen’s subsequent years were his family’s August holidays in a small, thatched cottage in the country near his parents and brother (Stephen inevitably worked quite a bit too; his clerk manged to get him briefs at the nearby Stafford Quarter sessions – Stephen was a severe critic of Beeching’s reforms and the Courts Act abolishing them). This was followed by exclusive time from work at the seaside at Hope Cove in Devon – where seafood and sailing were on the agenda. However, I believe that the real clincher of the year was to go up to Cambridge in June for the Queens’ Weekend. A simply unmissable event when joyous times of punting to Grantchester singing madrigals, were recalled and relived with wild abandon. It was a dream come true to become an Honorary Fellow of the College – the accolade, I believe, he most cherished above all others bestowed on him.
He wore his great achievements with pride and humility and was always willing to help and enable others to achieve their just desserts. He was a great friend to me personally in his times in the Inner Temple where he lived in term times. We shared a love of advocacy, a few stiff gin and tonics and occasional visits to his club – the Garrick- where he had numerous well known actor friends who were great company.
There are two essential attributes that are associated with Stephen: integrity and service. They both came naturally to him but those attributes were finely honed by his experiences at Queens’ and in the Navy.
His Honour Simon Brown KC (1971)
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