George Lindor Brown, 1903-1971

George Lindor Brown—‘Lindor’, ‘Lin’ or ‘G. L.’, never George—was born in Liverpool on 9 February 1903. On his father’s side he came from a family of London tea-merchants. They were well-to-do, but his grandfather, George Alexander Brown, left home as a young man after an argument with his stepfather and joined the army. Eventually he rose to be a colour-sergeant and came with his Irish-born wife Mary Evans to live in Warrington. Their son, George William Arthur Brown, Lindor’s father, was born there. He became a teacher, and soon after Lindor’s birth he returned to Warrington, where he had been appointed headmaster of a large parochial school, the position he held for the rest of his career. G. W. A. was a successful teacher and administrator. He exercised his authority with firmness and good humour, and could easily handle the vicar’s occasional attempts to interfere with the running of his school. He was a well-known figure in Warrington, where among his many activities he took a leading part in starting the men’s club at which he later spent a good deal of his leisure time. His wife, who had been Helen Wharram from Yorkshire, was lively, talkative and competent, and the atmosphere at home was one of cheerful badinage, though G. W. A. had strong opinions on many subjects, and there was no doubt that he was in charge there as well as at school. He and his wife both lived to be elderly and their relationship with their two children continued to be one of mutual affection and respect.