Rowallan George Macdonald was the son of Charles and Isabella MacDonald. He was born on 15 September 1904 in Dufftown, Scotland.

He followed his brother emigrating to Australia along with two other brothers and was employed as a labourer. In 1931, he married Margaret Dunford in Parkes, New South Wales.

Rowallan was taken on strength on 4 June 1940 into the 2nd/20th Infantry Battalion, enlisting with his brother Alec at Paddington, New South Wales.

After basic training, he was sent to Singapore, disembarking on 18 February 1941, serving there and eventually fighting against the invading Imperial Japanese forces. He was captured when Singapore fell on 15 February 1942.

Along with many who survived and were captured in the defence of Singapore, Rowallan was sent to work on the Burma-Thai railway at the notorious Hellfire Pass in Thailand where he fell ill and sadly died of illness on 4 November 1943, aged 39.

Rowallan is buried in the CWGC Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, Thailand in plot 1.A.65.