LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Douglas John ROWAN
Service No: 421128
Born: Bathurst NSW, 14 August 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 7 December 1941
Unit: No. 158 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Lissett
Died: Air Operations: (No. 158 Squadron Halifax aircraft LW292), Germany, 3 October 1943, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Alfred Richard and Lily Garbett Rowan, of Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Bathurst NSW
Remembered: Panel 193, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 129, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre, Bathurst NSW
At 1807 hours on the night of 3 October 1943 Halifax LW292 took off from Lissett detailed to bomb Kassel, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it did not return to base. Following post war investigations it was established that the aircraft crashed at Altengamme, 5 miles south east of Hamburg, and that four crew members had been killed and three had become Prisoners of War.
The crew members of LW292 were:
Warrant Officer Robert Colin Grey (415646) (Mid Upper Gunner) PoW, Discharged from the RAAF: 17 December 1945
Sergeant J Hands (1248719) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner) PoW
Sergeant Charles George Perides (1315838) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant Julius Price (414426) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Douglas John Rowan (421128) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Ronald Stevenson (1808246) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant R D Whittaker (1322959) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber) PoW
In his POW report the then Warrant Officer Grey stated “Flak caused great damage. Captain gave order jump, jump heard. Acknowledged. I baled out first at 12,000 feet. Aircraft partly in control but three motors were useless with one on fire. Skipper hit in chest by flak and chute fouled the escape hatch causing his death. Aircraft could only turn one way.”
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/36/130
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line