BOWERING, Frank Edgar
| Service Number: | 417451 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 May 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | Prospect, South Australia, Australia , 30 November 1922 |
| Home Town: | Prospect (SA), Prospect, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Nailsworth Primary School & Woodville high school |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Accidental, England, United Kingdom, 26 January 1944, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
Brookwood Military Cemetery, Pirbright, Surrey, England, United Kingdom 4 M 20 |
| Memorials: | Adelaide WW2 Wall of Remembrance, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Henley Beach Council Fallen WW1 & WW2 Honour Board, Henley Beach Council WW2 Honour Roll and Addendum, Nailsworth Primary School WW2 Roll of Honour, St Clair Woodville High School Honour Roll |
World War 2 Service
| 23 May 1942: | Involvement Flight Sergeant, 417451 | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 May 1942: | Enlisted Adelaide | |
| 23 May 1942: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 417451 | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement |
Help us honour Frank Edgar Bowering's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Woodville High School
Frank Edgar Bowering was born on the 30th of November 1922, in Prospect Adelaide South Australia. His father is Walter Edgar Bowering, his mother is Dorris Irene Bowering, he also had a brother Walter Benjamin Bowering, and Frank is the husband of Joan Ivy O’Flaherty Arthur their marriage date is unknown and there is no record of children. Frank was raised in Prospect but later had residence in Findon and Henley beach Adelaide. He attended Nailsworth Primary School and then Woodville High School from 1935 to 1937. Before Frank had enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force he worked as Clerk for 4 years at Glenlea Farmers Co-op. He had also completed an accountancy course with Hemingway and Robertson. According to his service records, his religious denomination was the Church of Christ.
Whilst Frank was at school he played many sports such as, football, cricket, church assoc, and swimming (mainly for fitness). According to his service record Frank had passed Arithmetic, Physics, Chemistry, Geometry Drawing (including dimensional sketching), Latin, and handwriting and he had only failed English and Algebra. When Frank enlisted he was still really young, only being 19 years old.
According to the service papers Frank Edgar Bowering was five foot eight, weighed 160 lb (72 kg), chest measurement was 32 ½ 36 inches, fresh complexion, blue eyes, black hair, and he didn’t have any distinctive scars, wounds or marks. Frank Edgar Bowering enlisted on the 23rd of May 1942 at No. 5 REC center RAAF Adelaide.
Frank Edgar Bowering embarked from Australia on the 3rd of June 1943 from Melbourne and he disembarked in the UK on the 17th of April 1943. He served as a flight Sergeant and he was a bomb navigator. He flew on missions over the Middle East.
Unfortunately Frank Edgar Bowering was in a flight accident and was killed when the plane he was in, a Halifax BB377 crashed into the ocean 2 minutes after taking off from RAF station Hurn, Bournemouth, enroute to the Middle East on the 26th January 1944. He died along side Flight Sergeant Albert Russell Davis (37524) who was also a navigator, and Flight Sergeant Kevin Malcolm Graham (415578) Flight Sergeant W.W. Rich (427148) and Flight Sergeant G.M. Wood (20772).
Telegrams and letters were sent to his family telling them of the accident that had happened. Only a few personal effects were recovered from the sea and these were returned to his family.
Bibliography
https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/514766
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Gallery151/dist/JGaller
yViewer.aspx?B=5531366&S=8&N=16&R=0#/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ShowImage.aspx?B=5531366&T=P&S=8
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10309307
Click images to start slideshow.