Lowe enlisted in the
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) in 1940, and trained in the United States under the
Arnold Scheme at
Americus, Georgia. He returned to England and flew as a pilot during the
Second World War. As a
sergeant, he was granted an emergency commission in the RAFVR as a probationary
pilot officer on 4 January 1943. He was promoted to probationary
flying officer on 1 July 1943. As an acting
flight lieutenant with
No.75 (N.Z.) Squadron, Lowe was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross on 9 July 1943. He was confirmed in his rank of flying officer on 23 December 1943, and received a
mention in despatches in January 1945. Lowe was promoted to flight lieutenant (war-substantive) on 1 January 1945. In the
1946 Birthday Honours, Lowe was decorated with the
Air Force Cross. He remained in the RAF post-war, being awarded a permanent commission in the rank of flying officer on 1 July 1946, with a subsequent promotion to flight lieutenant on 4 July. Lowe was promoted to
squadron leader on 1 July 1952. On 1 January 1958 he was promoted to
wing commander to command the
Vickers Valiants of
148 Squadron at
RAF Marham in Norfolk, part of the British
V-Force which was
NATO's deterrent to the build-up of the
Warsaw Pact nations led by the
Soviet Union. Promoted to
group captain on 1 July 1962, he served as Station Commander at
RAF Cranwell from November 1963 to 1965. With his promotion to
air commodore on 1 July 1966, he attained
air officer rank. He was promoted to
air vice marshal on 1 January 1970 and appointed a
Companion of the Order of the Bath in the
1971 Birthday Honours. In 1973 Lowe was appointed
Air Officer Commanding No. 18 Group and he continued in this post until 1975. Thereafter, he was promoted to
air chief marshal and was appointed the
Controller of Aircraft: he remained in that post until late 1982. Lowe was the
Chief of Defence Procurement at the
Ministry of Defence from 1982 to 1983. He retired on 22 August 1983. ==Later life==