William Ewart Brown

26 October 1906, Glasgow - 19 January 1960, Sydney, NSW

Brown was a member of the Bohemian Chess Club (Glasgow).

This club, which was established in 1905, introduced a championship trophy for season 1908/09. Brown won the trophy for the first and only time in season 1926/27, a win that was recorded in the club's Minute Book for a meeting of 8 June 1927.

The club called a special committee meeting for Friday, 15 September 1927 to discuss an interesting development. Mr McIntosh, the proprietor of the Eldon Cafe, 94 Renfield Street, Glasgow, the club's rooms, had been advised by Detective Fraser, presumably of Glasgow Police, that the club's championship trophy had been pawned.

Another meeting was held 21 September, at which the president, James Borthwick, said he had contacted Detective Fraser about W.E. Brown pawning the cup. Mr Borthwick was advised that the Fiscal [Procurator Fiscal-Scottish prosecuting authority] refused to prosecute as there was no case against Mr Brown. The club secretary (Andrew Towers) was instructed to write Mr Brown at 4 Yarrow Gardens, North Kelvinside demanding the return of the cup within seven days, otherwise proceedings would be aken against him. Club members Mr J. Andrews and Mr A. Calderhead agreed to call on Brown's uncle and put the case before him.

At a committee meeting on 4 October 1927 the secretary intimated that he had not received any reply from W.E. Brown. Other club members reported that the pawnbroker was willing to return the cup on payment of two pounds and ten shillings. After a discussion the secretary was instructed to write to Mr W.E. Brown intimating that if he failed to return the cup before the 29th inst. he rendered himself liable to criminal proceedings.

No further reference to the trophy is made in the Minute Book.

W.E. Brown emigrated to Australia.

In May 2011 the trophy was offered for sale on ebay by a metals company in London. They hoped a buyer could be found or the item would be melted down.

In viewing the image it could be seen that W.E. Brown was the last engraved name (I thought I had retained a photo of the trophy but I cannot find it). 

He was associated with the Western Australia Chess Association, the Bunbury Chess Club in Western Australia and, later, with the chess club in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. Mr Brown was at one time employed by the Queensland Insurance Co. Ltd., and acted in amateur drama productions.

 In 1935 he formed a new chess club in Perth, Western Australia which he called the Bohemian.

Alan McGowan
Historian, Chess Scotland

Added 28/11/2019