Rowson, Donald George
Biographical
| Surname(s) | Rowson |
|---|---|
| First name(s) | Donald George |
| Date of birth | 17 May 1920 |
| Place of birth | Hackney Registration District |
| Family details | Son of John William & Doris Ada Rowson of Purley |
| Previous education | Purley County Secondary School |
| College | King's College London and/or King's College London Hospital |
| Dates at college | 1938-1941 |
| Dept / course | Faculty of Science |
| Qualifications | B.Sc. 1940 |
| Military unit | Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Cdg. West African Tropical Test Establishment |
| Service number | 236509 |
| War / conflict | World War Two (1939-1945) |
| Date of death | 08/06/1946 |
| Age at death | 26 |
| Rank at death | Lt. Col. |
| Cause of death | Killed in Air Crash in Nigeria (with other ex Kings Students) |
| Burial place | Yaba Cemetery, Nigeria |
| Commemoration(s) | King’ s College Chapel |
| Notes | Letter from his father dated 17 June 1946: “I beg to inform you that Lt. Col. D. G. Rowson (King’s College 1939 – 1941) Botany and Zoology was killed on June 9th when the Dakota plane in which he was travelling crashed 60 miles from Lagos. He was engaged in Mycological Research at the West African Tropical Testing Establishment Lagos and was in command of the R.E.M.E. stationed there.”
R.A.F. Crash in Nigeria The Air Ministry last night issued the names of the 22 persons who were killed when an R.A.F. Dakota crashed in Nigeria during a flight between Kano and Ikeja on the morning of June 9th. All the occupants of the aircraft lost their lives. The names are as follows: Crew: W/O. C.B. Morgan (Pilot); F/Lt. J.H. Gilfillan (Second Pilot); F/O. C.H. Lynch (Navigator); F/Sgt. R. Pitt; F/Sgt. C.D. Brough and A.C.1. R.W. Peden Army Passengers: The Rev. C.G. Clarke, Royal Army Chaplains’ Dept.; Captain S. Rocklin, G.L. (Inf); Captain F.J. Parish, Royal Signals; Lt.-Col. D.G. Rowson, R.E.M.E.; Lt.-Col. J.W. Borradaile, Devonshire Regt.; Lt. R.P. Alberry, Pioneer, Pioneer Corps; Major W.B. Stimson, A.E. Corps; Major W.P.G. Morley, Royal Signals; Lt. J.S. Westcott, R.E.; Capt. R.T. Moore, R.A.M.C.; Capt. E. Stirling, R.A.M.C.; Sergt. J.R. Wallbank, R.E. Civilian Passengers: Mr. W.D. Jones and Mr. R.E. Pike (Ministry of Supply); Mr. Hallawi and Mr. Saidi. The next of kin have been informed. The Times June 14th 1946
Three King’s men died in the crash, Clarke, Parish and Rowson. In King’s College Archives there are letters written in August 1947 between the College and the University of London, Roll of Honour as to whether these men should be included on the war memorial. The conclusion reached was that they should be included “because the circumstances arose only through the conditions of being on war service at the time. The crash was attributed to poor weather conditions.
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| Sources | King’ s College London Archives; Commonwealth War Graves Commission; The Times |