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Home|King's College London|Memorial List|Rowson, Donald George 

Rowson, Donald George

Biographical

Surname(s)Rowson
First name(s)Donald George
Date of birth17 May 1920
Place of birthHackney Registration District
Family detailsSon of John William & Doris Ada Rowson of Purley
Previous educationPurley County Secondary School
CollegeKing's College London and/or King's College London Hospital
Dates at college1938-1941
Dept / courseFaculty of Science
QualificationsB.Sc. 1940
Military unitRoyal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Cdg. West African Tropical Test Establishment
Service number236509
War / conflictWorld War Two (1939-1945)
Date of death08/06/1946
Age at death26
Rank at deathLt. Col.
Cause of deathKilled in Air Crash in Nigeria (with other ex Kings Students)
Burial placeYaba 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 
Names of 22 victims

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.

 

SourcesKing’ s College London Archives; Commonwealth War Graves Commission; The Times

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