Sidney William Loewenson (1916 - 1984)

Sidney William Loewenson, known as Sonny, is the nephew, by marriage, of my niece of Rachel Levin, my 2x great aunt. Morris family tree HERE

Parents: Benjamin (Bennie) Loewenson (1884 -1946) and Annie Friedberg (1887 - 1976)

Tombstones for Sonny's parents who are buried in the Jewish cemetery in Bulawayo, Rhodesia, nowadays Zimbabwe

Born: 6 June 1916 in Que Que (now Kwekwe) in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe)

The family lived in Que Que as his father was a storekeeper there (Southern Rhodesia voting register 1920-22)

Hebrew name: Zorach son of Baruch

Occupation: Civil engineer

Siblings

• Jeanette Ruth Loewenson (1915 - 1970) married Solly Lazarus in Bulawayo, Rhodesia on 7 July 1935
• Cecily Rosline (Cissie) Loewenson (1919 - 1999) married Joseph (Joe) Lazarus (1917 - 1997)
• Louis Jack Loewenson (1921 - 1944) married Joyce Hughes (1925 - ) in Bridgend, Glamorgan, Wales in October - December 1943

Sergeant Louis Jack Loewenson was a 22-year-old Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Flight Engineer on an overnight night bombing mission to Berlin on January 2 1944. Serving with 100 Squadron, he was among the crew of an Avro Lancaster III JB549 that failed to return from the raid. No trace of the plane or its seven crew were ever found. His son David Louis Loewenson was born, after his death, in (July - September) 1944. His widow later married Clifford John Townley Ingham and their son, James Ingham, was born in 1954

Because his remains were never recovered or identified, Louis has no known grave. He is officially commemorated on Panel 233 of the Runnymede Memorial in Surrey, England, which honours Commonwealth air forces personnel lost without trace during World War II (Commonwealth War Graves Commission)

Sidney's Military Service

Sonny enlisted with the British Army, Corps of Royal Engineers, on 3 April 1940, service number 167272 as a Lance Corporal. He was made a 2nd Lieutenant on 18 June 1940 and was a War Substantive Lieutenant when captured in Crete on 5 June 1941 and became a prisoner of war (POW)

Sonny was created a 2nd Lieutenant on 18 June 1940 (Supplement to the London Gazette, 11 February 1941, p. 819)

Extract from the British Army casualty lists where Sonny, previously listed as missing, is now confirmed to be a Prisoner of War as well as a subsequent entry updating his rank. W/Lt is a War Substantive Lieutenant - during war time, if an officer held a temporary or acting higher rank for a specific period (usually a few months), that promotion was officially locked in as "War Substantive"

Sonny's ex-prisoner of war document (click on document to enlarge) which he completed on 16 May 1945. He was incarcerated at 

1. Salonika Transit Camp (June to August 1941)
2. Oflag XC (A German POW camp located in Lübeck) (August - October 1941)
3. Oflag V1-B (A German POW camp exclusively for officers located in Warburg) (October 1941 - September 1942)
4. Oflag VII-B (A German POW camp for officers located in Eichstätt, Bavaria, Germany) (September 1942 - August 1944)
5. Oflag V-A (A German POW camp for officers located in  Weinsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany) (August 1944 - April 1945)
6. Stalag VII-A (A German POW camp in Moosburg, Germany) (till 29 April 1945)

Sonny returned to the Rhodesian Forces on 26 August 1945 (Supplement to the London Gazette, 16 October 1945, p. 5055)

Marriage: Leah (Lee) Morris on 5 December 1954 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Lee was 33  and Sonnyy 38

Marriage certificate for Lee and Sonny who were married in the Parkview Greenside synagogue, Johannesburg on 5 December 1954

Children

Their first child was born in 1955 when Sonny was 39 and Lee 33 years old. Their second and last child was born in 1957 when Sonny was 41 and Lee 36 years old 

• Barry Loewenson 1955 -
• Rene Loewenson 1957 -

Electoral Registers

1939

In the 1939 electoral register Sidney is a civil engineer living at Umshandinge Dam, Fort Victoria, Rhodesia

1945

In the 1945 and 1946/8 electoral registers, Sidney is a civil engineer living at 18 Gifford Avenue, North End, Bulawayo, Rhodesia

Biography

LOEWENSON, Sydney William. B.Sc. (Eng) FRhod. I.E. M.R.I.M. M.I.W.P.C. Born Que Que, Rhodesia, 6th June, 1916, son of late Benny and Annie Loewenson. Educated Milton School, Bulawayo, University of Cape Town. Secretary of Water Development for The Rhodesian Government. Member Salisbury Hebrew Congregation, Salisbury Zionist Organisation, committee member Mashonaland Maccabi. 1962-64 Chairman Midlands Branch Rhodesian Institution of Engineers, 1964-68 Hon. Treasurer Rhodesian Institution of Engineers, 1972-76 Chairman, Rhodesian National Committees (a) International Commission on Large Dams and (b) International Commission on Irrigation & Drainage. Served in World War Il 1939-1945 Royal Engineers, Palestine, Egypt, Crete, Prisoner of War, Germany. Married Lee Morris, 5th December, 1954. One son, one daughter. Member Alexandra Bowling Club. Recreations: Bowls, Tennis. Add: 11 Laurie Road, Milton Park, Salisbury. Private Bag, 7712, Causeway, Salisbury. (South African Jewish Yearbook, 1967/8)

Death

1 November 1984 (6th Cheshvan 5745) in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, age 68. He was buried in the Jewish cemetery there

Tombstone for Sonny. "In loving memory of Sidney William [Loewenson]. 6.6.1916 - 1.11.1984. Deeply mourned and sadly missed by his beloved wife and children. May his soul be bound in the bond of eternal life [abbr.]."

Hebrew translation: "Here is buried / A wholehearted and upright man / Zorach son of Baruch / Departed on the 6th day of Cheshvan 5745 / May his soul be bound in the bind of the living"

In Memoriam

IN MEMORIAM. LOEWENSON, Sidney William. Sadly missed by his loving son for four years. United soon in the days of the Moshiach. (The Australian Jewish Times⁩, 21 October 1988)

Residences

In 1945 Sidney is listed as living with his parents at 18 Gifford Avenue, North End, Bulawayo, Rhodesia

In 1968 Sidney and Lee are living at 11 Laurie Road, Milton Park, Salisbury, Rhodesia