The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (402207) Flight Lieutenant John Lewis Rowe, 79 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, Second World War

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Meredith Duncan, the story for this day was on (402207) Flight Lieutenant John Lewis Rowe, 79 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, Second World War.

402207 Flight Lieutenant John Lewis Rowe, No. 79 Squadron RAAF
KIA 19 January 1944
Photograph: P02028.019

Story delivered 11 February 2014

Today we remember and pay tribute to Flight Lieutenant John Lewis Rowe, whose photograph is displayed today beside the Pool of Reflection.

John Rowe was the only son of George and Mary Rowe. Born in Cowra on 22 June 1915, he travelled regularly with his family into outback Queensland. He was a fifth-generation Australian, and his family tree included several prominent North Queensland pioneers. In 1936 he married Dorothea Eliza Webb and they went on to have four daughters. The youngest girls, twins Diana and Yvonne, were born after he enlisted in the Royal Australia Air Force.

Rowe enlisted in June 1940, having considerable experience as a pilot and owning A- and B-Class pilot certificates. He underwent air force training in Australia after which he was commissioned a flight lieutenant. Rowe proved to be a hardworking flight commander who had the welfare of his men very much at heart. He took his first operational flight on 1 November 1943.

On 19 January 1944 Rowe was ordered to take a Spitfire from Horn Island to Port Moresby in a ferry flight with eight American fighters. Their route took them over 335 miles of sea, and the fighters were escorted by a B-25 medium bomber.

About an hour into the flight, Flight Lieutenant Rowe's aircraft was seen to fall back, and then disappeared. The rest of the aircraft continued on to Port Moresby before the B-25 turned back to look for the Spitfire. Despite an extensive search, neither Rowe nor his aircraft were found, and he was presumed to have been killed.

According to the American officer in charge of the flight Rowe had predicted no problems with his aircraft; on the contrary, he had seemed to be in good spirits, and was engaging in mild aerobatics early in the flight. Rowe's mother felt very strongly that this was out of character, and wrote to say she resented this allegation, which she took to be "a callous description". She suggested that they may have been witnessing her son "engaged in a desperate struggle for his life". Flight Lieutenant Rowe has no known grave. He was 28 years old.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, along with around 40,000 others from the Second World War.

This is but one of the many stories of courage and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Flight Lieutenant John Lewis Rowe, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.