Colin Robert COWAN

COWAN, Colin Robert

Service Number: 416042
Enlisted: 3 March 1941
Last Rank: Flying Officer
Last Unit: No. 14 Squadron (RAF)
Born: Blakiston, SA, 9 October 1914
Home Town: Not yet discovered
Schooling: St. Peter's college
Occupation: Mining engineer
Died: Aircraft crash after bombing mission, Egypt, Middle East, 9 June 1942, aged 27 years
Cemetery: El Alamein War Cemetery
El Alamein War Cemetery, El Alamein, Marsa Matruh, Egypt
Memorials: Adelaide WW2 Wall of Remembrance, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Balhannah WW2 Roll of Honour, Hackney St Peter's College WW2 Honour Roll, Mount Barker War Memorial, North Broken Hill Ltd. Staff Honour Roll WW2
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World War 2 Service

3 Mar 1941: Involvement Flying Officer, 416042
3 Mar 1941: Enlisted Adelaide
3 Mar 1941: Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flying Officer, 416042
23 Apr 1942: Promoted Royal Australian Air Force, Flying Officer, No. 14 Squadron (RAF), Promoted from Pilot Officer to Flying Officer after death but effective from 23 April 2021 (letter in Casualty - Repatriation file held at the National Archives of Australia)
Date unknown: Involvement

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Biography contributed by David Cowan

The following obituary was published in the South Australian newspaper, The South Eastern Times, on 23 June 1942:

Pilot-officer Colin Robert Cowan, who. was killed on active service in the Middle East on June 9, was the second son of Mr Leslie Cowan, of Balhannah, and is a nephew of Mr W. J. T. Cowan, of Lucindale. He was educated at St. Peter's college, and from there went to the University and took his degree as a mining engineer. Later he was given a position on the staff of North Broken Hill Limited. He enlisted in the R.A.A.F. in June, 1940, and was called up in March, 1941. He gained his commission and left for the Middle East in November, 1941.

Source: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article200100880 (The National Library of Australia focuses on digitising newspapers published before 1955 on the general understanding that they are out of copyright.)

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