Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Joseph William Brown, a draper, born on the 24th November 1865 in Leicester (son of William and Mary Brown) and his wife Margaret Eleanor Brown (nee Jones, married in the January quarter of 1887 in Leicester), born 1860 in Leicester (daughter of Richard Jones, 1830-1895 and Ann Joynes, 1822-1879). Herbert was born in the April quarter of 1894 in Alvechurch, Worcestershire, his siblings were, Fergus William, born in the January quarter of 1888, Lenford Arthur, born in the July quarter of 1890, Carrie Hilda, born in the July quarter of 1892 and Eva Beatrice, born on the 29th November 1896, the latter four siblings were all born in Leicester, in March 1901 the family home was at 50, Cambridge Street, Leicester. In April 1911 Herbert was employed as a boot and shoe trade clicker and was residing in the family home at 92, Uppingham Road, Leicester, together with his father, a hosiery manufacturers clerk, his mother and siblings, Fergus, a boot factory foreman, Lenford, a boot and shoe trade laster, Carrie, a hosiery trade mender, Eva, a hosiery trade mender, Harold, a school boy, born in the October quarter of 1902 in Loughborough, Leicestershire and Joseph William, a schoolboy, born in the October quarter of 1904 in Leicester. Latterly the family were shown to be living at Pembroke Street, Leicester and 25, Crafton Street, Leicester.
NOTE: The War Memorial inside the Methodist Church in Bishop Street records a Sergeant Herbert Brown of the Corps of Royal Engineers, and it is my assumption that this is in fact Sapper Herbert Brown of the Corps of Royal Engineers.
Herbert’s army service enlistment documents do not survive, therefore the currently available information pertaining to his military service has been obtained from the following sources: - 1921 HMSO Publication, Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914 - 1919, WW1 Service Medal and Award Rolls, Army Registers of Soldiers’ Effects, WW1 Medal Rolls Index Cards, WW1 Pension Ledgers and Index Cards and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Registers.
Enlisted/Attested. In Leicester.
Allotted. Service number. 1086.
Posted. Leicestershire Regt. Pte.
Transferred. Corps of Royal Engineers. Sapper. Allotted service number 2275.
First entered the theatre of war in France. 5/3/15.
Allotted. Service number 2819.
Under the Army Council Instruction of 1917 that promulgated a new numbering system for all Territorial Force units, he was allotted the service number 492560.
Serving as a Sapper with 3rd Signal Squadron. Corps of Royal Engineers.
Killed in action. 27/3/18.
Body not recovered. Commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France.
Awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
On the 24th September 1918, Herbert’s mother was awarded a weekly Army Pension of ten shillings to commence on the 15th October 1918.
In 1924, the medal award registers record that Herbert’s medals were returned with the following notes: -
1914-15 Star Retd (992 K.R. 1923) C.R.V./327B.dt8/2/24 8426/adt.
British War and Victory medals Retd (para 992 King's Regulations C.R.V. 531B/d/17/3/24. 8426/adt.
The War Diary records: 27 Mar-18 – CHOICY AU BAC. – Advanced Headquarters marched to CHOICY AU BAC. Four mounted D.R.’s and four motor cyclists remained with Colonel REYNOLDS DETACHMENT.

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Medal Card Index Ref: WO 372/3/115867