As a Dowling myself I thought you might enjoy the following story (or legend) that exists in my branch of the family. Incidentally, my father J N Dowling has already submitted all the 'tree' info he has and that can be found by clicking . I cannot be 100% certain of the accuracy of this story as it has been passed down through several generations but it is interesting none-the-less.

My father's uncle Austin Dowling was a rather unusual character. He was an army officer in WWII and was captured by the Germans. During interogation he was told that if he cooperated by disclosing military information he would be rewarded by the return of his family lands in Ireland on a German victory. The Germans informed him that the land was taken illegally, but he refused to accept and was returned home. It is notable that he had no prior knowledge of the family history in Ireland. Perhaps my great uncle won the war!
	After the war he was something of a recluse. He never married and frequently disappeared for long periods without telling anyone what he was doing or where. Nobody even knew what he did for a living, but he was evidently earning money. My father remember him as an avid reader, possessing something of a technical mind. He would entertain my father by drawing plans for little engineering projects including a model aircraft and a BB gun. In fact he seems to have had quite an interest in firearms, owning several air pistols, an air rifle and a blank-firing starting pistol - the purpose of which eludes me completely as he was not known to be interested in sport except fly fishing.
His peculiar nature has led to suspicions in the family that he was involved with the secret services. His military background fits, as does his shadiness. I have no idea how this could be proven. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this little story. If you are in any way able to cast any light I would be extremely grateful.	Best regards, James Dowling Note: This e-mail address returns "550 MAILBOX NOT FOUND"

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