Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Howard Byron Bowditch was born on July 29, 1891, in Adelaide, South Australia, to parents Ernest Augustus Bowditch and Caroline Bowditch. He grew up with one younger brother, named Sidney Hubert Bowditch. He worked as a Cabinet Maker, having been an apprentice for Creeper & Co. in Adelaide for six years. On June 26, 1915, at the Black Forest Baptist Church, Bowditch married Annie May Baldock, whom Reverend A. Hyde officiated. According to his Attestation Paper, he stated that his religious denomination was Baptist. He had first listed his mother as his next of kin, but later changed it to his wife after their marriage. Bowditch was 23 years and 10 months old at the time of enlistment. He enlisted in the 10th Infantry Battalion, 9th Reinforcements on 1 April 1915 at Keswick, South Australia. He weighed in at 127 lbs with a standing height of 5 feet and 6 1/2 inches. He was described as having a fair complexion, light brown hair and grey eyes. He had perfect vision, with two vaccination marks on his left arm and a tattoo on his left forearm.

Bowditch embarked from Adelaide on HMAT A15 'Star of England' September 21, 1915 to Egypt. On November 16, Bowditch and fellow Gallipoli soldiers boarded 'Princess Ena' and sailed to Mudros, Greece. He joined the 10th Battalion from Reinforcements on November 26. On December 26, his battalion shipped to Alexandria, Egypt, arriving on December 29. While in Alexandria, Bowditch contracted mumps while serving on the front-line with the Camel Corp and was hospitalised on February 14 with mumps. He rejoined his unit after 15 days.

On March 27, Bowditch left Alexandria aboard HMT 'Saxonia' for Marseilles, France, arriving April 3. The battalion travelled to Godewaersvelde for Western Front training. On June 6, Bowditch's battalion entered the front lines, with him likely serving at the Battle of Pozières (July 23–September 3, 1916) in the Somme Valley and at Ypres in Flanders before returning to the Somme trenches for winter.

On September 28, Bowditch was wounded in action when a battery of the regiment was damaged, resulting in a serious wound on his right arm. He was transferred to Boulogne, France, a site of the Red Cross Ambulance garage, for treatment and later embarked on HMHS 'St Denis' for England on October 1st. Bowditch was admitted to the 1st Eastern General Hospital in Cambridge, where he stayed for just over six weeks before transferring to the Australian Convalescent Camp in Weymouth. He proceeded overseas on HMT 'Princesse Clementine' from Folkestone, England, to Etaples, France, on December 31 to the 1st Australian Divisional Base Depot, later rejoining the 10th Battalion on January 8, 1917.

In mid-April, Bowditch was appointed Lance Corporal and then promoted to Sergeant on September 30. On October 5, Bowditch was transferred to the 1st ANZAC Corps School for military training, rejoining the 10th Battalion on November 8. He then went on leave to the United Kingdom on December 30, rejoining the war efforts on January 18, 1918. On the 29th, Bowditch was detached for duty with the 2nd Infantry Battalion in England, marching into Sutton Veny, England, from France on February 2. While in England, he was put in command of training centres in Lyndhurst and Devonport.

Bowditch was discharged on July 14, 1919, from the A.I.F. due to the cessation of World War I. He disembarked at Adelaide from Port Macquarie, England, on May 21, 1919, serving for 4 years and 37 days in total. 

After the war, Bowditch and his wife had a daughter, Peggy Doris Bowditch, in 1920. Bowditch then went on to participate in World War II V.D.C (Volunteer Defence Corps), enlisting on April 1, 1942, at the age of 50 years  into the C Company 3rd Battalion. He served in the V.D.C. for 3 years, 6 months, and 9 days before being discharged on October 10, 1945, due to the disbandment of the V.D.C. after the cessation of World War II.

Howard Byron Bowditch went on to live to the age of 68 and passed away on January 16, 1960, in Woodville, South Australia. He was cremated at Centennial Park, South Australia.

Reference List:

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=6328830
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339170
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3102472&S=1
https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=28369
https://centennialpark.discovereverafter.com/profile/27380376
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bowditch-300
https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/PMWZ-RQN
https://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/sarcib/SRG76_1_1132.pdf
https://vad.redcross.org.uk/medical-care-during-ww1/british-red-cross-transport-during-the-first-world-war
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51450