DOWLING, Raymond James
| Service Number: | 2895 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1) |
| Born: | Condobolin, New South Wales, Australia, 26 September 1893 |
| Home Town: | Petersham, Marrickville, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Condobolin Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Railway Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 7 June 1917, aged 23 years |
| Cemetery: |
Wulverghem-Lindenhoek Road Military Cemetery, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Condobolin Public School Great War Memorial Gates, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 8 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 2895, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: SS Port Nicholson embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 2895, 45th Infantry Battalion (WW1), SS Port Nicholson, Sydney |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Raymond James DOWLING, (Service Number 2895) was born on 26 September 1893 at Condobolin, NSW, and attended the Public School there. On 13 July 1915 he joined the NSWGR&T as a labourer (temporary) in the Railway Signalling Branch at Mount Victoria. His Railway record card shows that at some unspecified previous time he had worked in the Permanent Way Branch at Sydney. On 10 July 1916 he was granted leave to join the AIF.
His date of joining the AIF is 2 July 1916.
On 7 June 1917 he was reported as wounded in action in Belgium. A subsequent Court of Enquiry determined he had in fact been killed in action on that date.
Information from Private J.R. Tudor (2989) reported to the Court of Enquiry stated that ‘… they both belonged to B Company. On 7.6.17 the Battalion was engaged in the operations against Messines. A mate of Informant’s named Bob Cox told him he had seen Dowling, he [had] evidently been killed during the advance. Informant had seen Dowling the previous day. Informant added that Dowling was a popular chap.’
Submitted 17 June 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Raymond James DOWLING (Service Number 2895) was born on 26th September 1893 at Condobolin, NSW. He attended the Public School there. On 13th July 1915 he joined the NSW Government Railways and Tramways as a labourer (temporary) in the Railway Signalling Branch at Mount Victoria. He had previously worked in the Permanent Way Branch at Sydney. On 10th July 1916 he was granted leave to join the AIF.
He joined the AIF on 2nd July 1916. His rank was Private (Service No. 2895). He was posted to the 7th Reinforcements to the 45th Infantry Battalion. For his next of kin he nominated his wife, Dorothy Black Dowling of Mount Victoria, NSW. (By July 1917 she had moved to Windsor Rd, Lewisham, NSW).
He embarked in Sydney aboard SS ‘Port Nicholson’ bound for England on 8th November 1916. He disembarked at Devonport, England, on 10th January 1917. He went to the 12th Training Battalion at Codford, England, and stayed there until 13th March 1917 when he left England for France. He joined the 4th Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples on 14th March 1917. On 28th March 1917 he was sent to Segregation, for reasons which are not recorded. He remained in Segregation until 22nd April 1917. On 25th April 1917 he joined the 45th Infantry Battalion. On 7th June 1917 he was reported as wounded in action in Belgium. A subsequent Court of Enquiry determined he had in fact been killed in action on that date.
Private J.R. Tudor (2989) reported to the Court of Enquiry that ‘… they both belonged to B Company. On 7.6.17 the Battalion was engaged in the operations against Messines. A mate of Informant’s named Bob Cox told him he had seen Dowling, he [had] evidently been killed during the advance. Informant had seen Dowling the previous day. Informant added that Dowling was a popular chap.’
Raymond’s grave is in Wulverghem-Lindenhoek Road Military Cemetery, Wulverghem, Flanders, Belgium.
After his death his widow was granted a pension of £2 per fortnight, with effect from 3 November 1917. The couple had a daughter, Beryl Elsie Dowling, born in 1914, and she was granted a pension of £1 per fortnight, with effect from the same date as her mother’s.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board