Captain Brown and Lieutenant Jean Barclay were married 15 September 1939, and they gave 42 years of joint service before retiring from active leadership.

Always an inspired leader of meetings and a fascinating speaker, his ministry among the young people of the territory left an indelible mark upon the lives and service of many of them.

Following an outstanding period of service in public relations, Commissioner Brown was appointed chief of the staff (the army's second-in-command) in October 1969, where he served for five years before returning to Canada as territorial commander in 1974.

Upon election, when asked what he wanted Salvationists to do, Brown said, 'Everything they can to make better known Jesus Christ and his saving power as the only hope for a sinning, suffering world; everything they can to demonstrate indisputably in what they say and do that the grace of God enables men and women to live clean and holy lives filled with the joy of service to God and their fellows; in short, everything they can to bring Heaven to earth.'

In 1980, Brown inaugurated the International Staff Songsters in London, and he continued to maintain a lively interest in their ministry, both in the UK and many other countries where they have travelled.

The History of the Salvation Army in Canada, The Gate and the Light (autobiography), The Mountain the Wind Blew Here, With Christ at the Table and Occupied Manger – Unoccupied Tomb.