Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria

The British War Medal 1914-20 awarded to Captain P. K. Fowler, Royal Air Force, late Royal Naval Air Service, a New Zealander who was mentioned in despatches for gallant work as a pilot in No. 2 Wing in the Mediterranean and Dardanelles 1917-18

British War Medal 1914-20 (Capt. P. K. Fowler, R.A.F.), very fine £160-180

Phillip Kenning Fowler, who was born in Fielding, New Zealand in 1895, was commissioned Probationary Flight Sub-Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Air Service in April 1916, and gained his Aviators' Certificate (No. 3285) in a Curtiss Biplane at R.N.A.S. Eastbourne that July.

Posted as a Pilot to No. 2 Wing in December 1916, he served with 220 Squadron, ‘A’ Flight, at Thasos, and quickly saw action. The following report refers to his part in a raid on an enemy aerodrome on 27 February 1917:

‘Raid on Gereviz Aerodrome. An attack was made at dawn upon Geveriz Seaplane Base by four Henri Farmans, two Sopwith Bombers, a Sopwith Fighter, and a Bristol Scout. Owing to unfavourable weather conditions bomb-dropping was difficult, and the full results obtained were not discernable, but two of the 65lb. bombs appeared to have hit the south end of the hangar. There was a spirited fight between a large hostile seaplane and the Bristol Scout. The enemy machine was flying over the lake. The Bristol Scout dived down to within 1,000 feet four times and fired three trays, the Sopwith Fighter joining in from the rear and above. The enemy machine then descended to the lake and taxied for shore, running up on the beach, where both pilot and observer deserted their machine. The Sopwith then, from 260 feet up, fired three trays from his rear gun and 50 rounds from his forward gun, rendering the enemy machine useless. Pilots -Flight Sub-Lieut. J. N. Ingham, Flight Sub-Lieut. N. H. Starbuck, R.N.V.R., as observer in Sopwith Fighter. Flight Sub-Lieut. P. K. Fowler in Bristol Scout’.

Fowler was back in action on the morning of the 30 September 1917:

‘Three enemy seaplanes, two of them single-seater fighters of a type known to the Royal Naval Air Service as ‘Blue Birds’, and the other a two-seater reconnaissance seaplane, were reported to be approaching Mudros. Three pilots went up at once to engage them, but only two came into action. They were Flight Lieutenant H. T. Mellings in a Sopwith Triplane, and Flight Lieutenant J. W. Alcock in a Sopwith Camel. The Triplane pilot shot down one of the ‘Blue Birds’, which dived into the sea and broke up, and the Camel pilot eventually forced the other to land, and its wounded pilot was subsequently picked up by the Acheron. The German two-seater was pursued to the Dardanelles, where a Sopwith 'Pup' pilot from Imbros (Flight Lieutenant P. K. Fowler) joined in the attack. The observer in the German seaplane was apparently wounded, but, flying low down, the two-seater came under cover of the guns of the Dardanelles forts and escaped destruction’ (The War In The Air, Vol. V, refers).

Fowler was mentioned in despatches for this action, having ‘displayed remarkable skill and dash during these operations’ (his service record, refers); both of the other pilots were awarded the D.S.C.

Fowler, who transferred to ‘C’ Flight, was subsequently involved in an attack on the Turkish ships Goeben and Breslau in January 1918, an attack ‘made by Flight Sub-Lieut. Murray in a Sopwith Bomber escorted by Flight Lieut. Wincott and Flight Lieut. Fowler in Camels. About 0752, dropped 4 65lb. bombs at the Goeben. She was then taken about 1 mile up the Straits, and was observed to have a very heavy list to port and was down at the stem’.

Fowler served with 273 and 212 Squadrons at R.A.F. Station Yarmouth, October 1918-October 1919.

He died in 1970.