Dadizele

When the allied final offensive breaks out on September 28, 1918, not only the ground troops but also the air force are involved in the fight. The small Belgian air force is supported by units from the British Fifth Group RAF (Brigadier-General C.L. Lambe). In addition, there is also reinforcement from squadrons of the Second British Army. The support consists of carrying out "offensive patrols": bombing missions on targets vital to the German troop movements: stations, vehicle columns, railway junctions, etc. One of the squadrons of the 2nd British Army is the 48th Squadron RAF. This includes pilot James Basil Cowan, born in Australia to Irish parents, 24 years old and a flight lieutenant. On October 3, '18, the squadron receives the mission to bomb Izegem. Cowan takes off in his Bristol Fighter E 2523. On board, he has Ludlow Norman Jones as an observer. Jones is 21 years old, holds the rank of lieutenant, and, like Cowan, is of Irish descent. During the flight, a group of 12 German Fokkers appears from the south. They attack above Ingelmunster. One Fokker is shot down east of Ingelmunster, a second north of Lendelede, and a third Fokker crashes burning northwest of Izegem. On the British side, losses are limited to one aircraft, that of Cowan and Jones. Their plane is last seen at 5:50 PM in the vicinity of Ingelmunster. They do not return to base and are recorded as missing in action, missing during the mission. In a field near the Onlede Mill, about 15 km northwest of the site of the air battle, the aircraft of Cowan and Jones has crashed. Having strayed, pursued, and ultimately shot down, or just mechanical failure, who can say? The crash is fatal for both. Pilot Cowan, who must have been dead instantly, is buried near the first Christian symbol that could be found, the field cross at the farm Colpaert (now Danny Verduyn). What happened to Lt. Jones, the observer, is unclear. It is highly likely that he survived the crash and was severely wounded and taken to the German Lazarett in Lichtervelde. He dies that same day and is buried in the German Ehrenfriedhof. Cowan is later transferred to the British cemetery in Dadizele, Jones to the New British Cemetery in Harelbeke.

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