Flt Lt Louis Percy Rowley

[bvs]

A forum member on key was asking about this pilot !
I found the following info...

Louis Percy Rowley

Confirmed as Pilot Officer 1 oct 1929

Promoted to Flying Officer 8 April 1930

And also sadly

Flight Lieutenant Louis Percy Rowley (27146)
Died 14 oct 1940
233 sqn

commemorated on Runnymede panel 4.

At that time 233 were operating Lockheed Hudson aircraft from Leuchars towards norway etc but my info does not specify cause of death,if it was an aircraft loss does anybody have any details please ?

[wwrsimon]

He was the pilot of Hudson I T9343 ZS-Z, lost on a recce mission to Norway. Possibly shot down by Oblt Horst Carciganico of JG77 who claimed a Hudson. Info from Ross's Coastal Command Losses Vol 1.

Regards

Simon

[bvs]

Thank you - much appreciated Simon : )

[bvs]

Just as a long shot,I assume he had a short service commission and then left the RAF and flew with Cobhams flying circus for a while.
I found this reference from flight magazine 1937...

Mr. Ken Waller gave a perfectly finished exhibition of aerobatics
in a Tiger Moth, and Messrs. Louis Rowley and Mickey
Jennings put up a very spectacular dual aerobatics show in
B.2 Trainers, mostly at low altitude.

This display was at Hanworth and so it might be a safeish assumption that Louis Rowley was an instructor at No.5 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School (No.5 E&RFTS) Hanworth in 1937 flying Blackburn B2's (and obviously enjoyed aerobatics : )

So does anybody have any info about his late 30's service/flying ? He was probably a civilian instructor at Hanworth !

[Ross_McNeill]

From the "where serving" section of the Air Force Lists:

acting P/O 14 Sept 1928
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/london/...3424/page/6219
P/O 14 Sept 1929
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/london/...3539/page/6249
No.32 Sqn, posted in 3rd Sept 1929
F/O 14th March 1930
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/...3595/page/2255
No.4 Flying Training School, posted in 10th March 1931
Transferred to Reserve of Air Force Officers as Class "A" 14th Sept 1933

F/Lt RAFO seniority 1st April 1936
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/london/...4447/page/6617

Still on RAFO list Oct 1939 so looks like flying not as instructor but as pilot to keep hours current as no unit assigned for RAFO service time.

Regards
Ross

[bvs]

Thanks Ross - I had not realised that he was promoted to Flt Lt pre war !

Still on RAFO list Oct 1939 so looks like flying not as instructor but as pilot to keep hours current as no unit assigned for RAFO service time.

I was guessing though that he became a QFI whilst still on his original RAF service,and instructors at the reserve flying schools/units were usually 'civilian' (although invariably ex service/reserve) which is why I thought it was possible that he was employed by Blackburn as an Instructor at Hanworth on 5 EFTS !

rgds baz