Geoffrey Hugh Bowen – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

 Flying Officer Geoffrey Hugh Bowen – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

Birth and Family Background

Geoffrey Hugh Bowen

Percival Bowen and Mary Anne Smith
marriage certificate
St Mary’s Church, Swansea

Geoffrey Hugh Bowen was born in 1922 at Oystermouth. He was the son of Percival Bowen and Mary Anne Smith, who were married in 1920 at St Mary’s Church, Swansea.

1921 Census

At the time of the 1921 Census, Percival and Mary Bowen were residing at Tichborn, Mumbles. Percival Bowen (26) was employed as a shipping clerk with M. Jones & Bros, Steamship Agents, Swansea, while his wife Mary (24) undertook household duties.

Military Service

RAF Warboys, Cambridgeshire

Geoffrey Hugh Bowen served with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, holding the rank of Flying Officer. He was based at RAF Warboys, Cambridgeshire, serving with the 1655 Mosquito Training Unit, which was responsible for advanced flying instruction and training aircrew on twin-engine aircraft.

Death and Burial

The loss of Flying Officer Geoffrey Hugh Bowen occurred during a routine cross-country training exercise, a common component of advanced flying instruction for RAF aircrew in 1944. Aircraft of the 1655 Mosquito Training Unit regularly undertook long-distance navigation flights to prepare pilots for operational conditions, often flying at altitude and across varied terrain.

Oxford I

The aircraft involved was an Oxford I, a twin-engine training aircraft widely used for navigation training, multi-engine handling, and crew coordination. While generally reliable, the Oxford was not immune to severe weather, and training flights were frequently conducted in conditions that operational crews might later encounter.

On 13^th May 1944, the aircraft encountered severe turbulence combined with icing conditions, a particularly dangerous combination. Airframe icing could rapidly add weight and disrupt airflow over the wings and control surfaces, while violent turbulence placed extreme stress on the aircraft’s structure. In such circumstances, loss of control or structural failure could occur suddenly, leaving little or no opportunity for recovery.

The official description that the aircraft “broke up” indicates a catastrophic in-flight structural failure, rather than a controlled descent or impact after loss of power. Accidents of this nature, while uncommon, were recognised risks of high-intensity wartime flying training, particularly when crews were required to operate in marginal or deteriorating weather.

Training accidents such as this accounted for a significant proportion of RAF fatalities during the war. Although not the result of enemy action, these losses were regarded as operational service deaths, reflecting the essential and hazardous nature of wartime aircrew training.

Herald of Wales

Herald of Wales

Geoffrey Hugh Bowen
Oystermouth Cemetery
credit - findagrave

The Herald of Wales reported Geoffrey Bowen’s death and later published a further article describing his funeral at Oystermouth Cemetery, where he was laid to rest.