Private William John Rowe (7011445) served in 5/7th Battalion Gordon Highlanders during the Second World War. He was the son of Thomas Rowe and Isabella Rowe of Lisnaskea, Co. Fermanagh.
He died on D-Day, 6th June 1944 aged 29 years old. As the battalion approached Juno Beach in Normandy, they realised they were off course. Arriving at the beachhead between 1400hrs and 1700hrs, the Highlanders faced little opposition. Their landing craft, however, was in 5 or 6 feet of water as the men disembarked. The current swept Private Rowe beneath a nearby landing craft and the Co. Fermanagh soldier drowned before having a chance to make it ashore.
William John Rowe’s grave is in Section XIV, Row C, Grave 3 of Bayeux War Cemetery, Bayeux, Normandy, France. His headstone bears the inscription:
God has you in his keeping. We have you in our thoughts.