John Desmond Crowe, born in 37 O'Connell St., Dungarvan, County Waterford. He was brother to older sister 'Noreen' Nora Marie Crowe.
He left Dungarvan at the end of WWII to join the RAF at the age of 16, masquerading as 18. Became part of the aircraft maintenance crew based on his 'knowledge' of car mechanics. The photos shows him at a rare moment of relaxation on a Wellington bomber, somewhere in Lincolnshire.
After the war he met his wife Joan and settled in the suburbs of Manchester where he lived until his death, regularly returning home to Ireland with his kids to visit family and friends. He also introduced us kids to a way of life completely different to that of the UK, one that we all embraced into our own lives.
His mother Angela (English) Crowe, sister Noreen and aunt, Josephine 'Dotie' Crowe lived in O'Connell St. all their lives. The house, still standing, at number 37, originally belonged to the English family. Des and Noreen's granfather Patrick English used to run a cobblers shop out of one of the downstairs windows. Patrick was married to Alice Cronin of Shandon, Dungarvan.
Pat and Alice's children were; Paula; Gertrude; Dotie; May (died young); 'Addie' married Michael Whelan, 3 children all with large Dungarvan families; Angela (above) married Tim Crowe, Noreen never married; Bidsey married Edward Keane and moved to Birmingham;, May married Fred Waller (London) with 3 sons John, Tom, Richard; Tom (never married - you wouldn't blame him - with so many sisters. Other generations posted under their own names.
English - the family name - "has been in Co. Limerick since the 13th Century and has been completely hibernicised. Aingleis is the form used in Irish."
'More Irish Families Ref 97 and 'Surnames of Ireland' Edward macLysaght
