Walter Brown

Who was Walter Brown?

Walter Brown FRSE was a Scottish mathematician and engineer.

The younger son of Hugh A. Brown, a headmaster in Paisley, Walter was educated at Allan Glen's School and the University of Glasgow. He began his career as a teacher at Allan Glen's. Brown became a member of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society in March 1911.

In 1914 he took up the post of Lecturer in Engineering at Hong Kong University. He was soon promoted to become Professor in Pure and Applied Mathematics, a post he held from 1918 to 1946.

In 1920 he was elected an Associate Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers.

He was President of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Society, and a member of the Hong Kong English Association, the Hong Kong Sino-British Association, and the Hong Kong Institute of Engineers and Shipbuilders.

A member of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Brown was captured when Hong Kong surrendered to the Japanese, and he was held as a Prisoner of War at Stanley Camp. He organised study groups in the internment camp, and helped attend to the medical needs of the prisoners.