Sgt. Henry David Lowry
British Army 2nd Btn. Royal Irish Fusiliers
My greatest regret is not having asked more questions when I was able to. My dad, Harry Lowry lived to age 87 and was a quiet, humorous and kind man. He joined the 2nd Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers as a teenager, as had his father for WW1. His pre WW2 and wartime service included Palestine, Malta, Leros / Kos of which I know little. What little I do know includes the terrible hunger, constant bombing and indescribable duties such as clearing human remains after bomb raids. As an older man he would still look up to check what was flying overhead when a plane was near, and would wake from sleep and be alert instantly.
I understand that his battalion invaded Leros / Kos and that after some 3 days fierce fighting when they were hopelessly outnumbered, and half of his Battalion were either killed or taken prisoner, he escaped into the sea (he was a non swimmer) and was picked up and returned to Malta. When he eventually returned to the UK, it was in the seat as a rear gunner in an aircraft, a very unusual role for him. He served 25 years in total with both RIF and other arms such as RASC and later RAPC.
My Hero.
