Lieutenant John Cowe McIntoshPrint Page 
The memorial, erected over the grave by public subscription, commemorates Lieutenant John Cowe McIntosh (1892 - 1921).
Lieutenant John Cowe McIntosh was born in Scotland in 1892, and having emigrated to Western Australia, enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) in 1914. He served in the 4th Field Ambulance, Australian Army Medical Corps on Gallipoli and in France, and was promoted Corporal. He transferred to the Australian Flying Corps to undertake flying training at Oxford in the United Kingdom. McIntosh was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant (on probation) in April 1919.
Rather than return to Australia with other elements of the AIF by ship, McIntosh joined forces with Lieutenant Ray Parer to enter the Australian Government’s £10,000 air race from England to Australia.
Although the race was won by Ross and Keith Smith in December 1919, McIntosh and Parer continued with their adventure. Despite great difficulties and obstacles, they became the first airmen to fly a single-engine aircraft from England to Australia. The epic journey took 208 days and McIntosh and Parer were each rewarded with a £500 cheque and an Air Force Cross.
McIntosh was giving joy-rides and flying displays to locals at Pithara, Western Australia on 28 March 1921 when tragically, his single-engined De Havilland aircraft crashed. It was the first fatal air disaster in Western Australia. He was 29 years of age. The scene of the crash was renamed McIntosh Park.
The Mcintosh memorial is situated in the Presbyterian portion of the Karrakatta Cemetery, and will be unveiled by Major-Gen. Sir J.Talbot Hobbs at 3.30 on Sunday next. The proceedings are expected to be of a most impressive nature, and it is hoped that there will be a large attendance of the public, and returned soldiers in particular. Appropriate music will be rendered by the 44th Battalion Band, and a religious service will be conducted by the Moderator of the Presbyterian Assembly (the Right Rev. J. R. Blanchard). After the invocation, the hymn "Lead Kindly Light" will be sung, to the accompaniment of the band. Prayer will then be offered by Senior-Chaplain the Rev. E. G. Petherick, A.I.F., and an address by the Moderator will follow. Owing to his illness the Lieutenant- Governor (Sir Robert McMillan) will be unable to attend, and the Acting Premier (Mr. H. P. Colebatch) will act in his stead. An address by Mr. Colebatch will be supported by the State president of the Returned Soldiers' League (Mr. H. E. Bolton). Trains leaving Perth and Fremantle at 3 p.m. will be convenient for those attending the service.
Australian (Perth, WA), 23 June 1922.
Location
| Address: | Railway Road, Presbyterian CA 201A, Karrakatta Cemetery, Karrakatta, 6010 |
|---|---|
| State: | WA |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -31.971933 Long: 115.805665 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Grave |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Aviation |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Sunday 25th June, 1922 |
|---|
Lieutenant John C. McIntosh A.F.C.
A most gallant airman, who served with distinction in the Great War 1914- 1918
Flew from England to Australia 1919
Died 1921.
Karrakatta Historical Walk Trail One
John Cowe McIntosh (1892 - 1921)
Aviator
John Cowe McIntosh holds the record for the longest time taken to fly between England and Australia.
In World War 1, John served in the Australian Imperial Force and served in Gallipoli. In 1919, the Australian Government offered 10,000 pounds for the first person to fly between Australia and England. With Ray Parer, the two completed the flight, landing in Darwin after 208 days.
