Died: Wellington III BJ664 crashed during a violent thunderstorm near Ludlow
Address / Local links: ‘Oiivene’, Rippersley Road, Welling
Family / Relatives: Son of Mr and Mrs T L Bowen. Husband of Joan (photo on Ancestry?)
Local Papers / Websites: BHO 1st October 1943
Other Information: A server and chorister at St. Michael’s Church. Worked for Road Transport Insurance Company
RAYMOND THOMAS BOWEN was born in Harlesden on 10 October 1920 to Thomas Lewis and Lily Maud Bowen. (Thomas Bowen was a Locomotive Fitter & Turner). The family moved to “Oiivene”, Rippersley Road in Welling in 1929 and Raymond was educated at Shooters Hill Secondary School. After leaving school he went on to employment at The Road Transport Insurance Company and then the Southern Railway (Continental Section).
He was a server at East Wickham Church and had been a member of the choir.
Raymond joined the RAFVR in July 1940 and his service number is 109017. During World War 2 the high demand for aircrew led the RAFVR to become the main pathway into the RAF. It had absorbed all of the available RAuxAF personnel due to the urgent for trained aircrew. The RAFVR included not only pilots but also other essential roles including that of Navigator.
After initial training in the UK, Raymond was selected as a Navigator and sent to Canada to complete his training. On his return to the UK he received his commission as a Pilot Officer (General Duties Branch)(Emergency Commission) on 5 Aug 1941. He was promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant in August 1942.
It is not completely clear where Raymond served initially and in which squadron but one clue is his marriage to Joan Rayson at RAF Bassingbourne in Cambridgeshire on 31 December 1941. He would have moved station soon anyway as RAF Bassingbourne was transferred to the USAAF in October 1942.
There seems to be family history of him serving in a Pathfinder Squadron although none were located at the station. The “Pathfinders” were the aircraft sent ahead of the main bombing force to “mark” targets with flares. The navigators role would be a great importance in ensuring accurate location. This was in the early days of Radio Navigation systems and one know as GEE came into service in 1942. Raymond may have been trained in its use.
The family records seen indicate that he completed 70 operational flights including into Germany and Italy.
He transferred to 12 Operational Training Squadron based at Chipping Walden, Northamptonshire in March 1943 as a Navigation Instructor.
On 13 September 1943 he was onboard Wellington BJ664 engaged in a navigational exercise with seven other personnel onboard. The plane was caught is a severe thunderstorm and the pilot lost control and crashed at Aston on Chun, 9 miles northwest of Ludlow. All onboard were killed.
“Wellington BJ664 flying from 12 OTU RAF Chipping Warden, on the 13th September 1943 on a map reading exercise and trip to a local bombing range after arriving at Conway North Wales the crew flew south into ever poorer weather until over the Church Stretton area a large thunderstorm was encountered after a large flash the plane was seen to be in trouble loosing height it crashed into trees inside the fort walls and disintegrated with the loss of all crew”;
F/L J E Fairchild
Sgt C S Walters
F/L R T Bowen
Sgt E Gates
Sgt E A Opie RCAF
F/S B Green
Sgt E Davis
Sgt T Johnson
Raymond is buried at Chester (Blacon) Cemetery together with three others who were killed in the crash.
One of the two large lots in the cemetery was designated as one of the six Royal Airforce Regional Cemeteries and the Air Ministry ordered that all Dominion air force dead were to be buried into one of these, unless they had family resident in the UK who wished to arrange private interment. Just under 400 of those commemorated at Blacon are air force dead.
Raymond’s parents both died in 1974, but thus far we have not been able to trace other details about Joan, Raymond’s wife.
Images, in addition to the newspaper cutting from the Bexleyheath Observer, include (from Ancestry) his marriage, his wife, and his funeral, plus Chester (Blacon) Cemetery and Raymond’s headstone there.
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Raymond’s parents both died in 1974, but thus far we have not been able to trace other details about Joan, Raymond’s wife.
If anyone is able to add any extra information, provide more family details, or suggest any corrections, please let us know – also, if anyone has any more photos of this individual listed on our memorials, please get in touch. Thank you.
Commemorated
- St. Michael’s East Wickham Church Memorial Tablet
- Chester (Blacon) Cemetery, Cheshire
This story has been researched by volunteers. We have taken every effort to ensure its accuracy. If you are related to Raymond Thomas Bowen, or if you have any further information, please do get in touch.