Personnel Index - Detail

Name
ROWAN-ROBINSON
First Names
Derrick Paul Woodrow
Rank
F/O
Service
RAF
Service Number
39173
Crew Position
Pilot
Age
22
Date of Death
25/04/1940
Cemetery

 

Photographed by Malcolm Brooke

Part of the panel at Runnymede
 

The Runnymede image was created by artist Paul Reid using photographs taken by Jo Cockburn and Malcolm Brooke
 

25/26 April, 1940; MINELAYING - BALTIC:

This would prove to be the squadron's most costly and saddest nights of the war so far; 8 Hampdens fought their way through terrible weather to the now familiar gardening areas in Kiel Bay. Only one aircraft dropped vegetables successfully, the remainder failed due to the bad conditions. Returning home the squadron was diverted to Montrose where 4 aircraft landed and a fifth landed at Leuchars. 3 aircraft and crews were missing. The reason why two of the aircraft failed to return will never be known, but the third gained the unenviable distinction of being the first bomber to be shot down by a German night fighter.
Hampden L4092 flown by F/O Derrick Rowan-Robinson and crew came down in the North Sea; the body of Sgt Arthur James was the only one recovered, and he is now in Becklingen War Cemetery. His fellow crew members are remembered on the Runnymede memorial.
 

Hampden L4092
F/O D.P.W. Rowan-Robinson (Missing)
P/O C.A. Weeks (Missing)
Sgt A.F. James (Killed)
LAC T. Hogarth (Missing)

Courtesy of Sarah Smith we have a selection of photographs that belonged to her father.......she is puzzled why he had them as he served in the army and has no known connection to 49Sqn.





The reverse of one photograph bears the name D P W Rowan-Robinson but unfortunately we are unable to match names to faces.
Click this link or the images for a larger version.



Training was not without incidents.........however, this image is not known to refer to the career of F/O Rowan-Robinson.