Lieutenant colonel Claude Evelyn Bowden (11 October 1897 – 9 October 1984) was a British military officer, RFC pilot and one of the most well-known aeromodellers in the 1920s to 1950s.

Early life

Bowden was born on 11 October 1897, the son of Rev. H. A. Bowden. He went to

Radley College Radley College, formally St Peter's College, Radley, is a public school (independent boarding school for boys) near Radley, Oxfordshire, England, which was founded in 1847. The school covers including playing fields, a golf course, a lake, and ...

, a boarding school in rural Oxfordshire, entering in Summer Term 1910 and leaving to enter military service in 1914. At Radley he set up a model aeroplane club; all the members of this club went on to serve with the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

in the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, including

Thomas Langford-Sainsbury Air Vice Marshal Thomas Audley Langford-Sainsbury, (23 November 1897 – 21 June 1972) was a senior Royal Air Force officer who commanded British Air Forces in Egypt during the Second World War. RAF career Educated at Radley College, Langford- ...

who went on to become an

Air vice-marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...

and commanded British Air Forces in Egypt during World War II.

Military service

He entered service in 1914, serving in France and Palestine during the Great War and rose to lieutenant in the

Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1959. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, by the merger of the 32nd (Cornwall Light ...

. In 1918 he was promoted to captain in the Royal Flying Corps/Royal Air Force, where he was a single-seat scout pilot.Who's Who in Model Engineering No. 41: C. E. Bowden, Model Engineer, 7 December 1947 Following the war he returned to Army service. Bowden served in India as a

subaltern Subaltern may refer to: *Subaltern (postcolonialism), colonial populations who are outside the hierarchy of power * Subaltern (military), a primarily British and Commonwealth military term for a junior officer * Subalternation, going from a univer ...

and recounted an eventful journey in his "glamorous" A V Monocar with his Colonel's charming daughter. He became a major in 1938 and

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in 1939. During World War II in the

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and dom ...

he was an acting colonel in 1942, and retired as lieutenant colonel in 1946. His military career included time at

RAF College Cranwell The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force military academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to become commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and ...

, where he was a contemporary of Westbury,

Frank Whittle Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, (1 June 1907 – 8 August 1996) was an English engineer, inventor and Royal Air Force (RAF) air officer. He is credited with inventing the turbojet engine. A patent was submitted by Maxime Guillaume in 1921 for ...

and T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia).

Aeromodelling

Universally known as "C.E. Bowden", Percival Marshall said of him: He achieved successful powered flight with a model using E.T. Westbury's Atom Minor engine: Atom Minor IC engine by E

He went on to establish internal-combustion-powered model flight duration records, initially of seventy-one seconds in 1932 with Kanga and in 1936 with his Blue Dragon, also powered by Atom Minor. The same powerplant was used in the hydroplane Jildi Junior to set the 15cc Class C hydroplane record in 1934. In 1937 he achieved the first officially observed "rise off water" flight in Great Britain with a model petrol-powered flying boat. Following the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he pioneered radio-controlled flight and also made significant innovations with radio-controlled boats and the design of both model and full-size yachts. He wrote prolifically on these subjects. In 1943 he was appointed Vice-President of the SMAE (Society of Model Aeronautical Engineers) which later became the British Model Flying Association. Other past vice-presidents included Lord Brabazon.

Personal life

In 1924 he married Jesse Grace Holmes, daughter of Rev. W. P. Holmes. He died on 9 October 1984.

Publications

* ''Model Glow Plug Engines'', Percival Marshall & Co. Ltd., London, 1949 * ''The History and Technical Development of Model Aircraft'', The Drysdale Press Ltd. for The Harborough Publishing Company Ltd., Leicester, 1946 * ''Petrol Engined Model Aircraft'', Percival Marshall & Co. Ltd., London, 1937 * ''Model Jet Reaction Engines: With Notes for Suitable Models for Jet Engines'', Percival Marshall & Co. Ltd., London, 1948 * ''Model Yacht Construction and Sailing'', Percival Marshall & Co. Ltd., London, 1949; * ''Diesel Model Engines'', Percival Marshall & Co. Ltd., London, 1948, revised 1951

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowden, C. E. 1984 deaths British Army personnel of World War I 1897 births Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry officers Royal Flying Corps officers Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Royal Air Force officers British Army personnel of World War II Royal Army Service Corps officers