BOWERS, Horace James
| Service Numbers: | 859, 263668 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 September 1914, Casino, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Flight Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | No. 1 Operational Training Unit (RAAF) Nhill, Bairnsdale, East Sale |
| Born: | Nabiac, New South Wales, 15 July 1892 |
| Home Town: | Nabiac, Great Lakes, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | School teacher |
| Died: | Natural causes, Port Macquarie, New South Wales, 27 June 1956, aged 63 years |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Hereford House Reunion Club Roll of Honour, Nabiac Public School Honour Roll, Nabiac St Paul's Anglican Church Honour Roll, Nabiac War Memorial, Parramatta NSW Public School Teachers Who Served Abroard Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Sep 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 859, 15th Infantry Battalion, Casino, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 859, 15th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 859, 15th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Melbourne | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Corporal, 859, 15th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 1 May 1915: | Wounded ANZAC / Gallipoli, GSW (left arm) | |
| 29 May 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Sergeant, 15th Infantry Battalion | |
| 19 Aug 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant, 15th Infantry Battalion | |
| 27 Mar 1918: | Wounded Dernancourt/Ancre, 2nd occasion (remaining on duty) | |
| 28 Jan 1920: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lieutenant, 15th Infantry Battalion |
World War 2 Service
| 1 Jan 1945: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 263668, No. 1 Operational Training Unit (RAAF) Nhill, Bairnsdale, East Sale | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Nov 1945: | Discharged Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 263668, No. 1 Operational Training Unit (RAAF) Nhill, Bairnsdale, East Sale | |
| Date unknown: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 263668 |
Help us honour Horace James Bowers's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography
"...15th Battalion, 4th Brigade 859 Horace James Bowers, a boy from the Wallamba river near Nabiac in New South Wales, was just 22 years old when he landed on Gallipoli on the afternoon of 25 April 1915. He was my grandfather.
He was evacuated just days later with what his records call “GSW left arm severe”.
That gun shot wound would trouble him his whole life, as would the further wounds received in the August offensives on Gallipoli and later battles on the western front. I often wonder how close he came to joining his many colleagues left on the peninsula and gravesites around northern France.
The 15th Battalion history records that the unit had the “greatest losses” of any single unit that took part in the Gallipoli fighting.
Horace was one of the lucky ones. He got to live a fairly full life, although he carried scars both visible and hidden and died at the age of 64. He has 39 direct descendants and counting..." - READ MORE LINK (www.theguardian.com)
Click images to start slideshow.