Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

ERIC CRAVEN JOWETT

Who died on 9th July 1916 whilst a Prisoner of War from wounds received in action on 8th July 1916 was the younger son of Mr. Edmund Jowett. He was born in 1892 and entered the Melbourne Grammar School Prep. in 1901 and came on to the Melbourne Grammar Senior School in 1904. He won a Foundation Scholarship in 1905, and leaving in1908 went up to Trinity College, Melbourne, where he began an Engineering course, and remained till 1911. Later he went to Trinity College, Cambridge, and was there when war broke out. He enlisted on 26th August 1914 in Cambridge University O.T.C. and obtained a commission on 19th September 1914 in the 14th Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. In June 1915 he was attached to the Royal Flying Corps, in which he graduated as Pilot in November 1915. He took part in " Zepp strafing" in England in 1915 and the early part of 1916. He went to France in April 1916 to join No. 4 Squadron (R.F.C.) and was later promoted to Lieutenant and Acting Flight Commander. He made numerous flights over the lines to record the fire of our batteries and destroyed a great many targets. He located a large number of active hostile batteries and frequently photographed the entire trench system and battery area of the enemy in the immediate front. On 8th July 1916 he had been taking photographs of the trench system near Pozieres when he was seen to leave the area over which he was working and proceeded further over the lines in pursuit of a hostile machine. While he was occupied in the pursuit another hostile machine dived on him from out of a cloud and shot him down from close range. This engagement which resulted in his death took place over Miraumont late in the afternoon. He was reported by the enemy to have died early on 9th July 1916, and to have been buried at Miraumont. His Squadron Commander wrote : "He was sent up to take photographs of some ground opposite our lines quite four or five thousand yards from where he fell. My impression is that he saw a Hun machine and chased it up there. Then a Fokker was seen to come out of a cloud quite close to and behind him. He was probably hit by a bullet before he knew there was a hostile machine close. He was extremely courageous; in fact my view is that it was through chasing the hostile machine that he fell so far out of the area where he had gone to work." His friends may derive some consolation from knowing that although mortally wounded himself, he made so successful a landing that he saved the life of his observer.

Source : War Services Old Melburnians 1914 – 1918