{{Short description|English footballer (1915–2008)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Sailor Brown | image = Sailor Brown.jpg | caption = | fullname = Robert Albert John Brown | birth_date = 7 November 1915 | birth_place = Great Yarmouth, England | death_date = {{death date and age|2008|12|27|1915|11|7|df=y}} | height = 5 ft 8 in<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/sunday-dispatch-football-preview-page-iv/134275291/ |title=Charlton Athletic. Old players get their chance |newspaper=Sunday Dispatch Football Guide |location=London |date=23 August 1936 |page=iv |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> | position = Inside forward | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Great Yarmouth Town | youthyears2 = | youthclubs2 = Gorleston | years1 = {{0|0000}}–1934 | years2 = 1934–1946 | years3 = 1946–1947 | years4 = 1947–1948 | years5 = 1948 | clubs1 = Gorleston | clubs2 = Charlton Athletic | clubs3 = Nottingham Forest | clubs4 = Aston Villa | clubs5 = Gorleston | caps1 = | caps2 = 47 | caps3 = 45 | caps4 = 30 | caps5 = | goals1 = | goals2 = 21 | goals3 = 17 | goals4 = 9 | goals5 = | totalcaps = 122 | totalgoals = 47 | nationalyears1 = 1945–1946 | nationalteam1 = England war | nationalcaps1 = 6 | nationalgoals1 = 4 | manageryears1 = 1948–1956 | managerclubs1 = Gorleston | manageryears2 = 1958 | managerclubs2 = Gorleston }} '''Robert Albert John "Sailor" Brown'''<ref name="Citizens and Minstermen">{{cite book | last = Jarred | first = Martin | last2 = Windross | first2 = Dave | title = Citizens and Minstermen, A Who's Who of York City FC 1922–1997 | year = 1997 | publisher = Citizen Publications | location = Selby | isbn = 0-9531005-0-2 | page = 119 }}</ref> (7 November 1915 – 27 December 2008), also known as '''Albert Brown''' or '''Bert Brown''', was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward. He was given the nickname "Sailor" by teammates due to his "rolling gait and muscularly stocky build".<ref>{{cite news|title=Bert Sailor Brown Obituary|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/bert-sailor-brown-gifted-footballer-whose-career-was-shattered-by-the-second-world-war-1629359.html|newspaper=The Independent|location=London|accessdate=21 April 2012|date=23 February 2009}}</ref>
==Career== Brown was born on 7 November 1915 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk and was educated at St Peter's and Priory School.<ref name="Citizens and Minstermen"/> He played for Great Yarmouth Town and Gorleston as a youth,<ref name="Citizens and Minstermen"/> before making a move to the Football League with Charlton Athletic in August 1934.<ref name="PFA 88">{{cite book | editor-last = Hugman | editor-first = Barry J. | title = The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005 | year = 2005 | publisher = Queen Anne Press | location = Harpenden | isbn = 1-85291-665-6 | page = 88 }}</ref> His debut came against Birmingham City on 29 January 1938 and made 60 appearances and scored 24 goals in all competitions before leaving in January 1940 because of the Second World War.<ref name="PFA 88"/><ref name="Sad news as Sailor dies">{{cite news |first = Matt |last = Wright |title = Sad news as Sailor dies |url = http://www.charlton-athletic.co.uk/newsview.ink?nid=33502 |publisher = Charlton Athletic F.C |date = 27 December 2008 |accessdate = 27 December 2008 }}{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> During the war, he served as a sergeant in the Royal Air Force and was a member of the Greenwich auxiliary police.<ref name="Citizens and Minstermen"/> He played for Newcastle United, West Ham United, Millwall, York City, Leicester City, Manchester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and East Fife as a wartime player,.<ref name="Citizens and Minstermen"/> Brown also featured in six wartime and/or Victory internationals for England, scoring four goals.<ref name="England - War-Time/Victory Internationals - Details">{{cite web | title = England - War-Time/Victory Internationals - Details | url = https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/eng-warvic-intres.html | publisher = Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation | accessdate = 29 December 2008}}</ref>
Following the war, Brown played for Charlton in the FA Cup Final on 27 April 1946, which was lost 4–1 to Derby County at Wembley Stadium.<ref name="Sad news as Sailor dies"/> He joined Nottingham Forest for a fee of £6,750 in May 1946.<ref name="Citizens and Minstermen"/> He made 45 appearances and scored 17 goals for Forest before moving to Aston Villa in October 1947 for a fee of £10,000,<ref name="Citizens and Minstermen"/><ref name="PFA 88"/> then the club's record highest fee paid.<ref name="England soccer star dies aged 93">{{cite news | title = England soccer star dies aged 93 | url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7803440.stm | work = BBC News | date = 29 December 2008 | access-date = 29 December 2008}}</ref> After making 30 appearances and scoring nine goals,<ref name="PFA 88"/> he was appointed as Gorleston player-manager in August 1948.<ref name="Citizens and Minstermen"/> He left the club in May 1956 to retire from football and worked as a bookmaker and a timber merchant, while also scouting for Villa,<ref name="Citizens and Minstermen"/> although he briefly returned as Gorleston manager in 1958 after Joe Jobling left the club.<ref>[http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/gorlestonfc/a/history-8202.html?page=2 Previous managers] Gorleston F.C.</ref> He lived in Forres, Scotland in his later life and died on 27 December 2008, at the age of 93.<ref name="England soccer star dies aged 93"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Charlton Athletic F.C. Hall of Fame}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Sailor}} Category:1915 births Category:2008 deaths Category:Military personnel from Norfolk Category:Footballers from Great Yarmouth Category:Royal Air Force airmen Category:English men's footballers Category:England men's wartime international footballers Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:Great Yarmouth Town F.C. players Category:Gorleston F.C. players Category:Charlton Athletic F.C. players Category:Nottingham Forest F.C. players Category:Aston Villa F.C. players Category:English Football League players Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Category:West Ham United F.C. wartime guest players Category:Millwall F.C. wartime guest players Category:York City F.C. wartime guest players Category:Manchester City F.C. wartime guest players Category:Huddersfield Town A.F.C. wartime guest players Category:English football managers Category:Gorleston F.C. managers Category:English football scouts Category:Aston Villa F.C. non-playing staff