Roxburgh Cemetery.
ENGINEER LOST.
U-BOAT ATTACK VICTIM. (By Telegraph. — Press Association.). DUNEDIN, Sunday.
Advice has been received that Mr. A. Mowat, son of Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Mowat, of Clydevale, South Otago, who was serving as an engineer on the Arandora Star when, she was torpedoed last week, is not among the survivors, and must be considered one of the victims of the U-boat attack. -Auckland Star, 8/7/1940
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| SS Arandora Star |
VICTIM OF UBOAT
BRITISH LINER GOES DOWN
GERMAN AND ITALIAN INTERNEES ON BOARD
THOUSAND SURVIVORS LANDED IN SCOTLAND
PRESS Association — By Telegraph-Copyright, LONDON, July 3. (Received July 4, at 10.50 a.m.)
A thousand scantily-clad survivors from the Arandora Star, 15,305 tons, which a U-boat torpedoed when it was carrying 1,500 German and Italian internees to Canada have been landed at a Scottish port. British soldiers were aboard as guardians of the internees. The ship went down with many Germans and Italians after panic seriously hampered the launching of the lifeboats. Two soldiers said the ship was struck without warning. “We cursed the U-boat, but the Germans and Italians cursed more. They were almost ferocious in denunciation of this type of warfare. Such was the scramble that we had no opportunity of getting into a lifeboat,” they added. The water was strewn with wreckage and bodies. The captain and several of the ship’s officers were standing on the bridge and decks. Several of them are feared lost. A British ship picked up many survivors. The soldiers bitterly criticised the conduct of the German prisoners, who were "big hulking brutes who tried to sweep the Italians aside and had to be forcibly restrained. Bitter hostility between the Germans and Italians developed both on the liner and the rescue ship.” The troops were constantly on guard to prevent fights. No estimate is available regarding the casualties, but the Italians, who were mostly tradesmen in the United Kingdom, were apparently the worst sufferers. The Arandora Star was torpedoed off' the west coast of Ireland. The attack was made in full daylight in the early hours of the morning. It is not known whether, in addition to the British ship which brought survivors to a west coast Scottish port, any other ships in the vicinity at the time rescued any of the internees or members of the crew. -Evening Star, 3/7/1940 .
From "Uboat.net":
At 07.58 hours on 2 July 1940 the unescorted Arandora Star (Master Edgar Wallace Moulton) was hit by one torpedo from U-47 about 125 miles west by north of Malin Head, Co. Donegal and foundered later in 56°30N/10°38W. The ship had 479 German internees, 734 Italian internees, 86 German prisoners-of-war and 200 military guards on board. The master, 12 officers, 42 crewmen, 37 guards, 470 Italians and 243 Germans were lost. 119 crew members, 163 guards and 586 Italians and Germans were picked up by HMCS St. Laurent (H 83) (Cdr H.G. De Wolf, RCN) and landed at Greenock.
The master Edgar Wallace Moulton was posthumously awarded the Lloyd´s War Medal for bravery at sea.
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41725 Wing Commander Noel Joseph Mowat DSO 18/9/1914-7/11/1945
Noel Joseph Mowat was born on 18th September 1914 at Clydevale, Otago, New Zealand and was educated at St. Kevins College, Oamaru. He went to work on his father's farm and later was employed by the Public Works Department on survey and construction work.
In April 1938 Mowat applied for a RAF short service commission, was accepted and sailed for the UK on 19th November in the RMS Rangitiki. On the day following his arrival he went to 9 E&RFTS Ansty as a pupil pilot. Mowat was posted to 10 FTS Tern Hill on 4th March 1939, completed his training at 6 FTS Little Rissington and on 6th November joined 245 Squadron, then forming at Leconfield.
Above: 607 Squadron, thought to be at at Manston
L to R: J Stark, S Paris, WD James, Mowat, J Davis, R Hedderwick
Mowat was made a Flight Commander on 18th April 1940. Near Dunkirk on 1st June 1940 he probably destroyed a Me109. The squadron made a successful low-level attack on the airfield at Rouen-Boos on 20th June and Mowat led the second section of three Hurricanes. Considerable damage was done to the fifty aircraft on the ground.
He received a Mention in Despatches (gazetted 1st January 1941).
On 17th March 1941 Mowat was posted to 607 Squadron at Drem as a Flight Commander. He was given command of the squadron on 3rd December. He led 607 in the operations against the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau on 12th February 1942 and was personally responsible for the destruction of a vessel in the convoy.
Mowat was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (gazetted 16th March 1942).
On 21st March the squadron sailed from Liverpool in the Empress of Russia for India and by 20th June was at Alipore, taking delivery of Hurricane IIc's. In mid-July it moved to Jessore, Burma to begin operations against the Japanese along the Irrawaddy. On 1st October 1942 Mowat was posted to lead 166 Wing at Chittagong but again took command of 607 on 5th March 1943. In April he was posted away and began a series of staff jobs.
Mowat served at Air HQ Bengal, 3rd TAF Air Command South East Asia, Air HQ India and Base HQ Bombay. He returned to the UK in August 1944 and went to the Fighter Leaders School at Milfield. On 2nd December Mowat was appointed Station Commander at RAF Peterhead. After a further series of staff jobs in 1945 he was posted to HQ 2nd TAF on 1st April 1946 and on 24th June he was given command of 4 Squadron at Gutersloh, Germany.
On 7th November 1946 he was a passenger in Anson C Mk.19 TX175 of No. 2 Group Communication Squadron which crashed near Hamm in Germany after hitting two chimneys whilst low flying in bad weather on a flight from Gutersloh to the UK. The crew and passengers were all killed:
F/Lt. MR Harwood RNZAF
F/O CK Allan
F/O JA Butler
F/O AS Pinnion
F/Sgt. GWH Barkham
Cpl. A MacDonald
-From the "Battle of Britain London Monument"
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