Biographical Data

Owen, Richard Francis

Personal Image

Photo Credit: Unknown

 
 
Title Sub-Lieutenant (P) (RCN(R))
Official Number U-57735
 
Birth 00/00/1937 Death 13/06/1960
Place (nk) Place Fredericton
Area Area NB
Country Colombia Country Canada
 
Titles
Honours
Awards
Qualifications
 
Biography
He was attending medical school at UBC when he joined the navy. He was killed in New Brunswick in a crash while flying spray planes in the summer of 1960.
 
Military Service
He was appointed as a Naval Cadet (UNTD) RCN(R) 1953. In 1953-1955 he served in HMCS Malahat. He was appointed as a Midshipman RCN(R) 1955. He served in HMCS Discovery 1955. He served in RCAF Penhold for Flying Training School 1956. He was appointed as an A/Sub-Lieutenant (P) RCN(R) (With seniority dated 01/07/1956). He served in HMCS Discovery for VC-922 (Reserve) Squadron 1956. He was Awarded Wings 24/08/1956. He was appointed as a Sub-Lieutenant RCN(R) (With seniority dated 01/07/1956). He served in VT-40 Squadron 1957. He served in VU-33 Squadron 1958 and 1959. (He was released.)
 
Vessels Owned
Aircraft Flown
Named Features
 
Anecdotes
When he was killed he was in his second year as a medical student here, and an experienced pilot, Mr. Owen was working on a summer job. Bill Clearihue reported that in the 1956 edition of The White Twist, page 67, the following snippet appears in the Air Branch write-up: "Cadet Richard Owen, the youngest member, has often returned to the briefing room with many stories of how he frightened the farmer off his tractor while doing low flying at less than 25 ft. of altitude. It was quite a touching moment when once he returned to the base and commenced to remove the branches from the engine cowling" [As with many/most Divisional write-ups, this is no doubt tongue-in-cheek] Upon his death, his fellow Med School classmates set up the Richard Owen Memorial Prize; "As a memorial to Richard Owen, a member of the Class of 1962 who, in the summer of 1960, lost his life in an accident, a fund has been established by his friends in the Faculty of Medicine to provide a prize. This prize will be awarded annually to a student with outstanding personal qualities who has achieved high rank in the first two years of the medical course." It appears this Prize is still being funded and issued, 54 years later.
 
References
Government of Canada The Canadian Navy List Ottawa ON; MacFarlane, John and Robbie Hughes (1997); Bill Clearihue (Nominal List UNTD);
Last update
2015-02-26 00:00:00

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