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Mr. and Mrs. R. Bowden, of 171 Prince street, Grafton, received official word at the week-end that their son. Warrant Officer Noel Bowden, R.A.A.F., has been posted missing after air operations on May 23.
Warrant Officer Bowden, who was 24 years of age is a member of the R.A.A.F. but is attached to a R.A.F, squadron in India, where he has been stationed for the past six months.
Noel, who was a fighter pilot, had served for two years overseas and had been in the R.A.A.F. for four years.
He received his primary education at the Grafton Public School and secondary at the Grafton High School. Before his enlistment he was a member of the Presbyterian Tennis Club.
One brother, Stoker Mervyn Bowden, is serving with the Royal Australian Navy.
SYMPATHY EXTENDED.
At St. Andrew's Church, Grafton, on Sunday morning, Dr. Craig made sympathetic reference to two families who were suffering anxiety from loved ones who had been reported missing. Recently Mr. and Mrs. Dan Morrison heard from the Navy Board that their eldest son, George, who was second engineer on a boat sunk by enemy action, was missing. The Navy Board had heard nothing of the crew since the sinking of the ship.
On Saturday Mr. and Mrs. R. Bowden got word that their eldest son, Warrant Officer N. O. Bowden's plane had not returned to its base after an operational flight over Burma.
It was hoped and prayed that these two brave young men would be discovered alive and that their parents' anxiety would soon be relieved. – The Daily Examiner, Grafton, issue dated Monday May 29, 1944.

Personal Column:
Mr. arid Mrs. R. Bowden and family have received a letter from a R.A.A.F. warrant-officer friend of their son, Warrant-Officer Noel Bowden, who was posted as missing after air operations in India on May 23 with the R.A.A.F. The letter was written in India on May 24, and extended the sincere sympathy of the writer, who said: "I was flying another job at the time, but I have seen the flight commander with whom Noel was flying. It seems that they were jumped by 10 Japanese Zeros, and Noel unfortunately was shot down before making cloud cover." - The Daily Examiner, Grafton, issue dated Wednesday June 14, 1944.