ROWLAND, Henry Barrymore

ROWLAND, Henry Barrymore – A Southern Downs Veteran

CONFLICT : WWII
SERVICE NO : 404263
RANK : Pilot Officer
UNIT : 15 Squadron
ENLISTMENT DATE : 19/07/1940
AGE : 20
PLACE OF ENLISTMENT : Brisbane, Queensland
PLACE OF BIRTH : Warwick, Queensland
RELIGION : Church of England
OCCUPATION : Clerk
DATE OF DEATH : 24/12/1941
PLACE OF BURIAL : Sussex, England

MEMORIALS : Warwick State High School Roll of Honour 1939-1945, Warwick The Fallen 1939-1945, Warwick War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, International Bomber Command Centre Memorial

View this person’s Service File : ROWLAND, Henry Barrymore

NOTES : Henry was the third of four children of Henry Joseph Edward and Bertha Dunlop Rowland (nee Smith) of Locke Street Warwick.

His family called him “Barry”, which may account for his name being incorrectly recorded on the WSHS and the Warwick The Fallen Honour Rolls as BH Rowland.

He attended Warwick State High School and was a keen cricketer and useful batsman. During his school years he won the ANZAC Day essay competition three years in a row. Being a member of the Boy Scouts also played an important role in his early life.

Upon enlistment in the RAAF, he attended 2 Air Observers School at Edmonton in Canada and topped the course. For this achievement he was awarded the Canadian Airways trophy. This made him the third Queensland along with fellow Warwick airman David Crichton 404089 to win the award.

Barry’s earlier letters back home were full of news about his big adventure of seeing the world and having fun. As his training drew to a close his mood seemed to change as the seriousness of the situation began to sink in. This was evident in one letter he wrote when commenting on the death of David Crichton during an air raid on German held Cherbourg in France.

On Christmas Eve 1941, his plane crashed. Barry and two others were killed instantly, three other were seriously injured and died soon afterwards, while the remaining three crew members survived the crash of their aircraft.

His family decided against a service funeral and a family friend the Rev Hughes conducted the funeral service at his churchyard at Slinford in Sussex, England.

Read about Southern Downs Military History here.