Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Cecil Thomas Bowey was a medical driver for the ANZACs in World War 1. World War 1 started in 1914 and Cecil decided to join the army halfway through, in the year  1916. As Cecil decided to join the army to fight at war, he had to leave his beloved fiance behind as he went to do what he felt he needed to do. Bowey decided to join the army because they needed more servicemen, he wanted to help his country and he wanted the experience of war as it was said that it was a good place to be during that time. Cecil and his battalion were sent to France to be medics for the Australian army during the war as they needed more medical personnel to keep their soldiers well. 

Cecil Thomas Bowey was born in Port Victoria, South Australia on May 21st of 1894. Cecil grew up in the town of Moonta in the Copper Triangle, South Australia. Cecil grew up with his mother, Sarah Ann Bowey, nee Barnes, and his father, William Bowey. Sarah and William had 9 kids together, they were Cecil’s 8 siblings, Reuhpert William Bowey, Ursee Kate Bowey, Ida Anne Lee, Gertrude Martha Bowey, Edgar Richard Bowey, Percy James Bowey, May Eliza Bowey, Wilfred Leslie Bowey and Clarence Ray Bowey. Cecil was a farmer and he and his family were Methodists. Cecil Thomas Bowey was a man of 160 pounds or 72 kilograms while being 5 feet and 4 inches tall. Cecil’s easily distinguished features included his brown hair and brown eyes. Cecil’s mother, Sarah Ann, was an only child whereas his father, William, had 7 siblings, these were Cecil’s aunties and uncles. His aunties were Sarah Ann Ascough Margaret Greenslade Eliza BoweyMary Jane Sanders Elizabeth Bowey and his two uncles were Henry Stoneman Bowey Richard Bowey

Cecil went to war to be a medical driver for the army because they needed more people as the others may have been injured or gotten ill from the diseases that were all around. Cecil enlisted on the 14th of January in 1916. He filled in and signed the enlistment papers  in the middle of Adelaide or currently known as the Adelaide CBD. 

Bowey was in the medical regiment of the army and was a driver. This meant that if anyone was injured on the battlefield he would drive around and find them to take them back to the base or another place that all the medical workers were to help tend to his wounds. Cecil and his battalion were trained in Melbourne and were trained in many different ways, they had to learn multiple different procedures so they knew what they had to do in each situation such as how to properly cover a wound, how to use the different tools that they were given and how to identify and properly diagnose an illness. They trained from the week of enlistment to the week before they were going to the battlegrounds. 

Once the battalion Group ‘C’ Company 2nd Depot was trained enough and the army needed more recruits, it was time for them to leave Australia via Melbourne and head on their way to France. The team travelled on the HMAT Orsova A67. This was the boat that they would use to get to France and to get back to Australia once the war was over. Bowey’s service number was 26081.

Cecil was sent to work in the medical regiment in France. The battlefield was full of dirt and grass, perfect for camouflaging . During the time of the battle, the weather was very cold, muddy and wet as it was raining most of the time and would get into the trenches, making the floor, which was dirt, become mud. This meant the soldier’s feet were always wet and this may have been one of the most leading causes of many diseases. Some of the most common diseases and viruses that were passed on through the trenches were influenzas, typhoid, trench foot and trench fever. Other illnesses were common since there were hundreds of men in a long skinny area. Along with the many soldiers that were living in the trenches for the time they were at war, there were also many animals that the army had bought in that were going to be helpful during the war. These animals were ones such as horses and donkeys, to bring people who were injured and located not too far from the trench, back into the base for care from the medics and some of the horses and donkeys may have been used to carry supplies out to the men who were battling. Camels were bought to store water to be used during the war and were also used for the same reason as donkeys and horses of carrying out supplies to whoever needed them. 

Bowey was wounded and forced to go home due to his injuries. On the 15th of September in 1917, Cecil was diagnosed with Pyfrexia, a severely high temperature. He was admitted into the Southern General Hospital, Birmingham, West Midlands for medical care.  Sarah Ann Bowey had been informed that her son had been diagnosed but later found out that he had been misdiagnosed. It wasnt until a short while later that the other medical workers had realised that he wasnt suffering from Pyfrexia, but he had been shot in the left leg. His mother had been reinformed for his new diagnosis and that the other diagnosis of Pyfrexisa was false. After being diagnosed with the right condition, Cecil was admitted into the first hospital for his leg in the 22nd of September in 1917 and moved into and from many hospitals between France and England to get the appropriate care he needed. 

Cecil had returned to his home country of Australia on the 22nd of May in 1918. He was sent home because he was unable to continue to properly do his job as he was injured, as much as he wanted to stay, he wasnt allowed to. Although Bowey came back home in May, he hadn’t been officially discharged from the army until the 6th of June during the same year. 

Bowey received two medallions for his work at war, even though he was sent home due to injuries. The first medal he received was the British War Medal and the second was the Victory Medal. These medallions were awarded to all of the servicemen and women who served for their country between the dates of August 5th 1914 and November 11th 1918. The Victory Medal was given to everyone who had served for the British Army in World War 1. This is why April the 25rth is celebrated as ANZAC Day annually to remember all the Anzac servicemen and women of World War One. 

Once Cecil Bowey had returned home and had recovered from his injury, he married Dorris Reed at age 24 in Moonta on October the 23rd in 1918, the same year the war ended, and together they had one kid named Darcy Graham Bowey. Darcy followed in his father’s footsteps and went to World War 2 to help his country.

Cecil Thomas Bowey passed away on August 22nd of 1959. He died in the South Australian town of Waikerie at age 65. Bowey decided to go to World War One, he can be found on the Maitland War Memorial on the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia. Cecil Bowey served as an Anzac for a total of 2 years and 144 days. Cecil’s grave can be seen at Cadell Cemetary, located in Cadell South Australia . The stone is located in the RSL section of the cemetery and is stone number 127. 

Cecil Thomas Bowey was a great Anzac of World War One as he risked his life to save our country and if it wasnt for the Anzacs, Australia wouldn’t be the free country that it is today. Although the conditions were tough and there were many different situations that Cecil had to attempt to avoid or overcome, such as the diseases found in trenches or the wounds that he had, he still pursued and wanted to continue to work as a medical attendant in war, even after his injuries. Cecil Thomas Bowey was a mentally strong, hardworking and reliable man as he was a late recruit into the war so he decided to join to help his country.