Preston Grammar School Old Boys
APPENDIX - PRE-1914 and POST-1945 WARS, CAMPAIGNS, CONFLICTS, INSURGENCIES, SKIRMISHES and NATIONAL SERVICE
EGYPT
Lowe, John PGSA No 1222, 31st January 1952. 240 Stocks Road, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston. Entry to PGS 1943. Lancashire Fusiliers, National Service. Killed in Action 25th February 1952, Egypt. Age 19 years. Only son (possibly only child) of relatively elderly parents. Regularly played the organ at Assembly. Sang as a boy in St Andrew’s Church Choir and then moved up to sing with the men. A more unlikely Fusilier would be hard to imagine. Outwardly tall and well built, he was totally unathletic, assiduously avoided physical exercise and could be relied upon to find an obscure quiet corner where he could read a book undetected by Masters keen to have him run around somewhere. The original purpose of a Fusilier Regiment was to provide specially recruited and trained infantry for the arduous duty of the last line of defence protecting the artillery against cavalry and infantry charges. They continued to have a hard fighting reputation - the Lancashire Fusiliers at Gallipoli, “Six VCs before breakfast!”. Killed after WW2, he may be the only Old Boy since 1945 to have been killed in action and not recorded on the War Memorials. Unless others from Korea or Malaya become known. The nature and wording of the War Memorial Book and WW2 Roll of Honour make them inappropriate for any additions from later actions but there must surely be some way of recording his death. If only here.
Letter in LEP, 2nd May 2000, from Walter Bentham, 60 Chatsworth Street, Preston, 01772-794333. Twenty nine ex-servicemen going on 6th May 2000 on a tour of the Canal Zone, Egypt. He was in the Lancashire Fusiliers who on 25th February 1952 were in an action to disarm Egyptian Police. Two Preston soldiers were killed - L/Cpl Eastham and Fusilier Lowe. Fusilier Allen was wounded and later died of his wounds. All three are buried in Moascar Garrison.
Flight Lieutenqnt J K Hough, stationed at Farnborough, received the King’s commendation for valuable services in the air in the last Birthday Honours list and was invested with the Air Force Cross at Buckingham Palace in February 1951, H7-1951.
(Purely from memory, I think he was a test pilot and shortly after receiving the AFC was taking part in a public flying display when his plane crashed, killing him and some spectators).
