Description

A Great War casualty’s Victory Medal and Memorial Plaque to Sergeant J. H. Lowe, Royal Air Force, who was killed in action on 30 August 1918

Victory Medal (1914 – 18) impressed named 18288 SGT J. H. LOWE. R.A.F. Memorial Plaque named JOHN HENRY LOWE.; Identity bracelet, with chain and 9ct gold (marked) locket, disc made from a French 1 Franc coin engraved ‘J. H. Lowe RFC CE 18288’.: Coin engraved ‘J. H. Lowe 18288 R.F.C.’: Royal Flying Corps silk postcard. They come with copies of service record and Commonwealth War Graves extract.

Sergeant John Henry Lowe was born in January 1897 in Islington, London, his father was Francis Adolphus Lowe. His brother Francis being an apprentice diamond mounter whilst John was an accounts clerk. He enlisted into the Royal Flying Corps on 14/1/1916. He was Appointed Acting Corporal in August and Corporal in October.

He proceeded to France with 100 Squadron (the 1st RAF night bombing unit to be formed) landing on 21/3/1917. He was promoted to Sergeant Clerk in August 1917.

He was posted to 104 Squadron on 20/6/1918 who were equipped with DH9 aircraft. The squadron was posted to the bombing force which, on 6th June, became known as the Independent Force and from 8th June until the Armistice was engaged on long-distance day-bombing raids into Germany. On nearly all its raids – and it made a good many – it met the most strenuous opposition from large formations of enemy fighters.

For May-November 1918, No. 104 Squadron’s total losses numbered about two-and-two-thirds of its normal strength–and there were several occasions when the squadron had to cease operations while it recovered from its losses in personnel and aircraft.

One of the squadron’s flight commanders, Captain Ewart Garland, recounted in his diary the impact of this high casualty rate: “Nearly the whole squadron is now of new pilots and observers as so many were wiped out recently… Hence we must train for quite a while before doing jobs.

He was killed in action when the Germans conducted an air strike against on Azelot airfield on 30/8/1918. He is laid to rest in Charmes Military Cemetery, Essegney, Vosges, France.