Terence William
OWEN
1922 - 1943
Early Life
TERENCE WILLIAM OWEN, known as TERRY, was the youngest of two sons of Samuel and Emily Jane Owen (née Kemp). He was born on the 24 January 1922 at Howe Street, Great Waltham.
His parents were married in 1914 at Sprowston, Norfolk. Samuel and Emily’s firstborn was a daughter, Doris Emily in March 1916, but she died very shortly after. Their second child, Terence’s older brother, Leonard Samuel, was born on the 26 February 1919 at Howe Street.
Terence’s father had served in both the Boer War and in the army in WW1 and was discharged on the 26 February 1916 after having completed 4 years’ service. He served with the 1st/5th Battalion of the Essex Regiment.
He was a steel hardener at Christy & Norris in Chelmsford and the family lived at 10 Council Houses, Barrack Road, Great Waltham in 1939.
Terence was baptised on the 12 March 1922 in the Parish Church, Great Waltham.
BAPTISM TERENCE WILLIAM OWEN 12 MARCH 1922
PARISH CHURCH GREAT WALTHAM
Terence attended the village school and was a member of the church choir as a boy. He performed at the Women’s Institute in the British Legion hut at a social gathering on the 24 November 1933 for a folk dancing session.
In 1936 when he was 14 years old, he joined the Essex Chronicle and was apprenticed as a printer in the Composing room, where he was a valued member of the team, with two other men and named ‘Our Boys’ by the elder members in the printing room.
Military Service
He left the Essex Chronicle in 1939 and enlisted in the Royal Airforce Volunteer Reserve, Service No. 1336653.
On the 5 April 1941, he enlisted at Uxbridge and was recommended for training on the 7 April as a Reserve Aircraft Charge Hand Pilot (ACH/Pilot) and on the 28 February 1942, he transferred to the Royal Corps Blackpool.
On the 18 December 1941 he was promoted to an Under Training Pilot (UT/Pilot). On the 16 March 1942 he was posted to South Africa, and on the 27 April to RAF 75 Squadron, then on the 5 September, 4 Squadron and finally on the 28 November, RAF Squadron 25 Air School, at Standerton.
This was located south of Johannesburg on the Vaal River, in South Africa, which was a part of the Joint Air Training Scheme, a major program for training South African Air Forces, the RAF and Allied Air crews. The base took advantage of the region’s favourable weather and open spaces for flight training. It also provided basic aviation instruction and advanced training for pilots, including fighter and multi-engined aircraft. It trained pilots in different specialities such as wireless, navigation, bombing and gunnery.
At Standerton, recruits began at Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) receiving approximately 50 hours of basic flight instruction on simple trainer aircrafts such as a Tiger Moth. Promising pilots then advanced to Service Flying Training School (SFTS) where they trained on more complex aircrafts, including fighters. Planes used were Hawker, Hart, Harvard and Hinds.
The base was located on the south side of Port Elizabeth Airport and part of it was preserved as a SAAF museum branch. The remainder of the site was used by the Army, becoming a SA police base.
Terence was now an under-training pilot. He was described by his Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces, as the ‘salt of the earth’. He was promoted to Leading Aircraftman (U/T) at the time of his death.
Death and Memorial
ESSEX CHRONICLE JAN 1943
Terence was in a solo flying accident in South Africa where he was training on the 22 January 1943, aged 21 years, two days short of his 22nd birthday.
He was buried at Standerton Cemetery, Mpumalanga, in South Africa.
The old town cemetery is situated at the intersection of Prinses Street and Berg Street, one kilometre south of the town centre. The Commonwealth War Graves are scattered, with the exception of the RAF plot containing graves, nos. 300-317. His grave is no. 1392.
Standerton Cemetery contains 35 Commonwealth burials of WW2, mostly from the Air Training Schools established in the vicinity of that time.
Terence is remembered by his colleagues and the Editor at the Essex Chronicle, as follows:
‘The news of young Owen’s death was a severe blow to every one of us at 98 High Street. We like to think of ourselves as a family, and as a united family. The happiness of one is the happiness of all. And so, with sorrow.
Terence Owen was a fine-looking boy of first-class character. Already he was showing great promise as a printer. Not long before he left to join the R.A.F. I showed him an illustrated history of printing, and was delighted to see the craftsman’s interest which he took in the origins of typefaces. And then he went away to South Africa. From time to time there were letters saying how happy he was of the kindness he was receiving and of the progress he had made in flying. And he never forgot to ask affectionately about the old Paper. And now we know that we shall not see him again.
Nevertheless, a thousand years from now they will still pause to read the names of those who fought and died for Britain in her finest hour. So many names.
Terence Owen, and so many like him; that ‘precious dust’ of which Rupert Brooke wrote so movingly, years ago.’
Terence is remembered on the War Memorial in Great Waltham.
