| Full name | Hugh Christopher Browne | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | (1905-11-28)28 November 1905 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | St Giles, London, England | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 6 November 1983(1983-11-06) (aged 77) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Southampton, Hampshire, England | ||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||
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Hugh Christopher Browne (28 November 1905 — 6 November 1983) was a Royal Navy commander and Ireland international rugby union player of the 1920s.
Rugby career
Born in London, Browne played rugby during his youth and was selected by Ireland after impressing selectors playing for London Irish on a trip to Dublin. He was invited to the Irish trials and made three international appearances as a hooker during the 1929 Five Nations. While based in Edinburgh, Browne played rugby for local side Wanderers. He also competed with the Royal Navy and United Services.
Military service
Browne served with the Royal Navy in World War II and had command of the submarine HMS Regent, noted for its 1941 rescue attempt of the British minister to Yugoslavia Ronald Campbell, after the country fell to Italy. The submarine entered the port of Kotor and withstood enemy attacks from air and land for nine hours, before retreating. For this, Browne was decorated with the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). He had a bar added to the DSO in 1942 and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1945.
See also
References
- "How Ireland Found H. C. Browne". London Daily Chronicle. 7 February 1929.
- "Capt. H. C. Browne, DSO". Ireland's Saturday Night. 19 November 1983.
- "H. C. Browne Leaves Edinburgh". Belfast Telegraph. 20 October 1931.
- "Capt Hugh Browne". The Daily Telegraph. 8 November 1983.
- "St. Nazaira V.C. Among Naval Promotions". Nottingham Journal. 1 July 1946.
External links
- Hugh Browne at ESPNscrum
- 1905 births
- 1983 deaths
- Irish rugby union players
- Ireland international rugby union players
- Rugby union players from London
- Rugby union hookers
- Edinburgh Wanderers players
- London Irish players
- English people of Irish descent
- Royal Navy rugby union players
- United Services players
- Royal Navy officers of World War II
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire