Background
Born in Handsworth on the outskirts of Birmingham, England, in 1910, Brainsby was the son of Edith Anna (née Kingsford) and Arthur Todd Brainsby, a Baptist minister.
Born in Handsworth on the outskirts of Birmingham, England, in 1910, Brainsby was the son of Edith Anna (née Kingsford) and Arthur Todd Brainsby, a Baptist minister.
Brainsby studied at Auckland University College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1934, and a Bachelor of Laws and Diploma of Journalism in 1938.
The family emigrated to New Zealand in 1911. He also competed in the long jump, finishing in seventh place with a leap of 21 feet 6 1⁄2 inches (657 m). Following a career as a journalist for the Auckland Star, in 1952 he joined the Highland Park law firm of Melville Churton, which, in 1962, became Churton Brainsby & Hart.
Brainsby died in 1975 and he was cremated at Purewa.