BOWLES, William Bernard
(Service number 24/978)
Military Medal, 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal (South Canterbury Museum 2010/017.03; 2010/017.04; 2010/017.05; and 2010/017.06)
| First Rank | Corporal | Last Rank | Sergeant |
|---|
Birth
| Date | Unknown | Place of Birth |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | 10 Victoria Ave, Invercargill | ||
| Occupation | |||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | W.G Bowles (father), Waimate | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | 2nd Battalion, NZ Rifle Brigade | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | D Company | ||
| Date | 9 October 1915 | ||
| Transport | Maunganui or Tahiti or Aparima or Navua or Warrimoo | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington | Destination | Suez, Egypt |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | NZ Rifle Brigade, 2nd Battalion | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal | ||
Award Circumstances and Date
London Gazette 2 Apr 1918, p4023, Rec No 1817: For conspicuous gallantry in the Reutel Sector on the 17th January 1918. This NCO after observing an artillery shoot on an enemy strong point, organised a patrol of four men and volunteered to enter the enemy post. He led this patrol and reconnoitered the position during daylight and under machine gun fire and direct rifle fire from an enemy position 50 yards distant. He obtained identification from enemy dead and wounded, and captured an emeny machine gun which he carried back to our lines. The men have spent some time under very trying weather conditions and this NCO's initiative has instilled into all an excellent offensive spirit. His work on action and in the line on repeat occasions has been very good.
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 6 April 1918 | Age | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Somme, France | ||
| Cause | Killed in action | ||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Sucrerie Military Cemetery, Colincamps, Somme, France | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | On Memorial wall, Timaru; Waimate First World War Memorial | ||
Biographical Notes
William Bowles was the son of Mr and Mrs W.G Bowles of Waimate
Sources
Cenotaph Oct 2013
External Links
Related Documents
Researched and Written by
Carol Bell, SC branch NZSG & Timaru Herald
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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