Died in a flying accident aged 20
Buried in Kinfauns Church, Perthshire
Courtenay Patrick Flowerdew was born at Hollycot, Lasswade, Midlothian to James Gray Flowerdew Lowson, a paper manufacturer and a Member of the King’s Bodyguard for Scotland, and his wife, Adelaide Louisa Scott, daughter of Colonel Courtenay Scott.
He was educated at Boxgrove Preparatory School, Winchester and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Due to the outbreak of war, he did not take up his place at Christ Church.
In December 1915, he was gazetted Second Lieutenant the Rifle Brigade and promoted Lieutenant in July 1917. After leaving Sandhurst, he was attached, as an Observer, to the Royal Flying Corps and went to France with the 22nd Squadron doing much photographic work during the Battle of the Somme.
He subsequently took his Pilot’s Certificate and was gazetted Flying Officer on 4 July 1917 with seniority from 21 March 1916. He was attached to the 81st Squadron at Scampton, Lincolnshire as an Instructor and was killed there flying an Avro when he collided in mid-air with Lieutenant Owen Ellis Augustus Allen, R.F.C. of Cambridge.
His commanding officer wrote,
“He was the best Instructor we had; a very popular officer and a perfect pilot.”
He is buried in Kinfauns Church, Perthshire His ashes were, originally, interred in the family vault. In 1926, they were removed and placed in the church wall behind the tablet in his memory, designed by Lorimer and Matthew
His only brother, Denys Colquhoun Flowerdew Lowson who came up to Christ Church was Lord Mayor of London from 1950-51 and was made a Baronet.