BOWDEN, William Robert
| Service Number: | 7257 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 May 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 8th Field Ambulance |
| Born: | Morwell, Victoria, Australia, 19 April 1895 |
| Home Town: | Perth, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Coach Builder |
| Died: | Wagin, Western Australia, 2 January 1980, aged 84 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Karrakatta Cemetery & Crematorium, Western Australia |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 14 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 7257, Hospital Transport Corps | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 May 1915: | Involvement Private, 7257, Hospital Transport Corps, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '24' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: RMS Mooltan embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 24 May 1915: | Embarked Private, 7257, Hospital Transport Corps, RMS Mooltan, Fremantle | |
| 23 Nov 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 8th Field Ambulance, France | |
| 16 Jun 1919: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 7257, 8th Field Ambulance, per HT Ormonde as Nursing Staff | |
| 24 Jan 1920: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 7257, 8th Field Ambulance | |
| Date unknown: | Embarked Private, 7257, Army Medical Corps (AIF), HMAT Kanowna, Brisbane | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement Private, 7257, Army Medical Corps (AIF), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '24' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Kanowna embarkation_ship_number: A61 public_note: '' |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Chris Buckley
Born in Morwell Victoria in 1895, Bill was the eighth of nine children of James Alexander Bowden (b1856 in Melbourne, Victoria) and Martha Boyd (b1857 in Melbourne, Victoria). James (a Labourer) and Martha married in 1879 in Melbourne Victoria, where they lived before moving to Morwell in the early 1890s. By 1900 James and Martha had moved their family to Perth WA, where their last child - daughter Victoria Alice - was born. James worked as an Engine Cleaner in Perth WA.
Bill was working as a Coach Builder in Perth WA and served two years in the Militia (22nd Battalion) before enlisting in the AIF in May 1915. He served as a Private (Service No:7257) with Hospital Transport Corps before transferring to 8th Field Ambulance in November 1916 in France. On 6 June 1917 Bill was Mentioned in Despatches (No 345), and in a Routine Order of 1 June 1917, Lieutenant General Sir W Birdwood recommended Bill (and three of his fellow Stretcher Bearers) for a Military Medal (Military Order No:405 15th September 1917) for 'gallant conduct in connection with the recent operations near Bullecourt' and 'relating to conspicuous services rendered by No7257 Pte WR Bowden, 8th Field Ambulance'. The Recommendation for the Military Medal made by Major Bond LW states 'On the night of 14/15th May during an incessant storm of HE and gas shells in the vicinity of Noreiul, these men, acting under the initiative of the NCO, proceeded to the rescue of two wounded men who were lying on the road. Despite the heavy shelling they succeeded in adjusting the gas masks and dressing the wounds of the patients. They then carried the patients through the barrage to a place of safety. This gallant conduct undoubtedly saved the patients from gas poisoning or death from wounds' (Australian War Memorial). The MM was awarded on 28 May 1917 (Australian War Memorial). In February 1918 Bill was hospitalised with concussion and he embarked for Australia in June 1919 as Nursing Staff on board HT Ormonde. Bill was Discharged in January1919.
Returning to Perth WA, Bill was working as a Labourer in 1924 when he married Catherine Ann Elizabeth Carey (b1898 in Coolgardie WA) - Catherine was working as a Barmaid in Swanbourne, Fremantle WA. Bill and Catherine settled in Perth WA, where Bill worked as a Tramways Employee. Catherine died in 1965 and in the mid 1970s Bill moved to Wagin WA where he died in 1980.