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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

William Ellis Rowthorn

In memory of:

Warrant Officer Class II William Ellis Rowthorn

August 19, 1942

Military Service


Service Number:

R/68714

Age:

20

Force:

Air Force

Unit:

Royal Canadian Air Force

Division:

401 Sqdn.

Additional Information


Born:

July 7, 1922
Fort William, Ontario

Enlistment:

October 25, 1940
Fort William, Ontario

Son of John William and Doris Amy Burton Rowthorn, of Port Arthur, Ontario.

Commemorated on Page 111 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Burial Information


Cemetery:

BROOKWOOD MILITARY CEMETERY
Surrey, United Kingdom

Grave Reference:

38. G. 12.

Location:

Brookwood is 30 miles from London (M3 to Bagshot and then A322). The main entrance to Brookwood Military Cemetery is on the A324 from the village of Pirbright. Brookwood Military Cemetery is owned by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and is the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the United Kingdom, covering approximately 37 acres. In 1917, an area of land in Brookwood Cemetery (originally The London Necropolis) was set aside for the burial of men and women of the forces of the Commonwealth and Americans, who had died, many of battle wounds, in the London district. This site was further extended to accommodate the Commonwealth casualties of the Second World War, and American, Belgian, Czech, Dutch, French and Polish plots containing the graves of Allied casualties. There are also German and Italian plots where prisoners of war lie buried.

Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Digital Collection

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  • Memorial– Warrant Officer Class II William Ellis Rowthorn is also commemorated at St George's Royal Air Force Chapel of Remembrance - Biggin Hill … name on the panels that surround the Altar … Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Memorial– Warrant Officer Class II William Ellis Rowthorn is also commemorated at St George's Royal Air Force Chapel of Remembrance - Biggin Hill … the Altar … Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Church– Warrant Office Class II William Ellis Rowthorn is also commemorated at St George's Royal Air Force Chapel of Remembrance - Biggin Hill  … Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Temporary grave marker– Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
  • Grave marker– Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
  • Newspaper clipping– From the Toronto Star September 1942. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
  • Photo of William Rowthorn– W.O.2 W.M. Rowthorn, RCAF, died August 19, 1942 as a result of injuries over France. 
  Photo courtesy of Hillcrest High School - "Stairway of Honour" project.  Eighty-four large portraits of students from the Second World War line both sides of the 55 stairs leading up to the school's auditorium. Most of the portraits have the rank and year of death of the student. Some portraits explain how the soldier died, but many were MIA and presumed dead. Each year, teachers from the grade 10 Canadian History course take their students to the stairway around November 11th to complete a project that deals directly with the pictures on the Stairway of Honour.

Learn more about the Canadian Virtual War Memorial

To learn more please visit our help page. If you have questions or comments regarding the information contained in this registry, email or call us. For inquiries regarding the names and information found in the RCMP Honour Roll, please email the RCMP.

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