Rowland Bourke
recipient of the Victoria Cross
Rowland Richard Louis "Rowley" Bourke, (28 November 1885 – 29 August 1958) was a Canadian farmer, sailor, and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Bourke was born in London, England, and emigrated to Canada in 1902. He returned to the United Kingdom on the outbreak of the First World War, and after initially being rejected due to poor eyesight, he enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in 1916.
Early life
Born on 28 November 1885 in London, England, Bourke moved to Canada in 1902. He became a miner in the Klondike and a fruit grower in British Columbia. In January 1916, he volunteered for the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.
Naval career
First World War
Following the outbreak of the First World War, Bourke volunteered to enlist in the Canadian military. He was rejected by all three arms of service due to poor eyesight. Undeterred, Bourke returned to England, at his own expense, where he successfully joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, serving on motor launches.
In April 1918, Bourke volunteered his motor launch to participate in the blockading of the Belgian harbour of Zeebrugge-Ostend, during the First Ostend Raid.
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This entry incorporates text from “Rowland Bourke” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.